Lewis County

The proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project is a natural gas pipeline system that would span approximately 303 miles from the north of West Virginia to the south of Virginia. In West Virginia, it would pass through eleven counties – Wetzel, Harrison, Doddridge, Lewis, Braxton, Webster, Nicholas, Greenbrier, Fayette, Summers, and Monroe. The following describes the benefits to West Virginia and Lewis County due to construction spending, ad valorem taxes, and direct use of natural gas. Full reports and maps can be downloaded below and for more information, please visit our FAQ’s page.

Construction Benefits
The MVP project developers expected to spend over $811 million on West Virginia-based labor, goods, and services from 2015 to 2018 to support the construction of the project. This direct spending would add $594 million in cumulative gross regional product to West Virginia during that period and up to 4,500 jobs in 2017 and 2018 during the peak of construction. With its established natural gas production and manufacturing base, Lewis County could contribute labor and other resources to the construction effort.

Pipeline Operation Benefits
Ongoing operation of the pipeline would support a total of 54 jobs across the state with average annual wages and benefits of $65,000.

Ad Valorem Tax Benefits
The MVP project is expected to generate $4.2 million in annual county ad valorem taxes (property taxes) once the pipeline is in service.

Direct-Use Benefits
Residential, Commercial, and Municipal
Just over 70% of Lewis County’s residents use natural gas as their primary source for home space heating. Commercial and municipal gas usage typically follows the same pattern. Native production wells provide a large portion of gas supply to the county’s consumers.

Manufacturing and Gas Production
The manufacturing sector employs around 200 people or only 3% of the workforce in Lewis County, with Viking Pools being the main employer in the sector. The MVP project could provide opportunities for re-investment in the county’s manufacturing sector as it would bring increased supply of affordable fuel. The recent boon in natural gas production, with expansions by companies like Nexus Drilling, Chesapeake Energy, Superior Well Services, has helped to offset the declining manufacturing sector. The project could allow for further growth in natural gas production, giving developers an outlet to major markets along the MVP route and in the Southeast.

 
Transportation
Fuel switching in municipal and private vehicle fleets presents a sizable savings opportunity to the community. There are estimated to be approximately 90 school buses, other school vehicles, solid waste disposal trucks, and county vehicles, which if converted from gasoline and diesel, would yield approximately $67,000 in annual savings. These savings could increase significantly if fuel prices rise.

 

Maps

Designed to collectively minimize the project’s impact on the environment, landowners, and communities, the Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC is continuously refining the proposed route and making minor modifications and adjustments. As displayed, map routes are subject to change. Another source of information for up-to-date maps, as submitted to the FERC, is available in Resource Report 10.
 

West Virginia Proposed Route

Proposed Route