West Virginians are at greater risk of pipeline explosions, environmental pollution, and climate catastrophe than we were a week ago. Last week the Federal Regulatory Commission approved the Mountain Valley Pipeline to go into operation after a decade of community resistance, six years of delayed and costly construction, and numerous violations along the construction route.
The approval comes only one day after the developer, Equitrans Midstream, stated that the project was “mechanically complete.” By the end of the week, the developer turned on the pipeline to begin transporting the fracked gas. The $7.85 billion, 303-mile and 42-inch diameter pipeline resulted in costing more than double the initial proposal of $3.5 billion. A pipeline of this length and diameter has never been tried in our mountainous region. Yet, the present and future cost of this pipeline goes far beyond finances.
The federal green light comes just a year after so-called “climate” President Joe Biden signed legislation to raise the debt ceiling. Stemming from a deal with Democratic Senate leaders, the bipartisan debt ceiling agreement included a congressional mandate to expedite the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline despite environmental compliance issues and associated legal setbacks. Beyond being a quid pro quo to advance Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito’s fossil fuel interests, this legislation demonstrated the fragility of our country’s government in both executive and legislative overreach of its regulatory and judicial decisions.
The Mountain Valley Pipeline poses unique risks to local communities and ecosystems going into service this summer due to the steel pipes used and then neglected in development. Steel pipes are particularly prone to corrosion when exposed to oxygen, sunlight, and water even coated with epoxy. Equitrans Midstream left sections of pipes out to the elements for years increasing concerns of explosion potential.
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This safety risk is not theoretical — during hydrostatic testing on May 1 in Virginia, a section of the pipeline installed in 2018 ruptured and released water and sediment into local streams and properties. Residents near the burst shared that there is a lack of communication from federal and state agencies about the pipe failure. If the pipeline fails this standard pressure test mere weeks before requesting to go into service, can it truly be safe to transport highly flammable fracked gas through the places where West Virginians live, play and work?
Even more, the pumping of fracked gas through corroded pipelines poses an additional risk of groundwater infiltration of methane and radioactive materials produced in fracking, along with significant greenhouse gas emissions. This environmental pollution threatens the air and water of local residents, landowners, farmers, and business owners.
At a national and global scale, we know that climate change is not just a distant threat but happening now. It is well established science that extracting and burning fossil fuels are the source of human caused climate change. The only way to avoid even worse impacts is to stop approving and advancing fossil fuel projects. Even the International Energy Agency, an intergovernmental organization created in response to the 1973-1974 oil crisis and with deep roots in the oil and gas industry, made clear in 2021 that new oil and gas projects must stop immediately.
It should not be controversial to say that people residing along the Mountain Valley Pipeline deserve to live without fear of a pipeline explosion or the leakage of methane and radioactive waste, and we all deserve a livable future in the face of climate change. It is not too late for the federal government to remedy their rash decision to circumvent judicial review, dismiss the separation of powers, and expedite permits for a pipeline proven to cause harm.
The fight against the Mountain Valley Pipeline and fossil fuels, in general, is far from over. While the Biden Administration has taken more climate action than any president in American history, the bar of success is as low as the depths of the Marcellus and Utica Shale, where gas from the Mountain Valley Pipeline is said to be sourced.
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By declaring climate change the emergency it is and following through on his commitment to address climate change as the “number one issue facing humanity,” President Biden has a responsibility to answer for his detrimental decisions shaped by fossil fuel interests. If he doesn’t, young voters, like myself, will ensure that his administration pays that price through this November’s election.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Winners of their last eleven games inside the Coliseum, the WVU women’s basketball team will step onto their biggest broadcast stage during the regular season Sunday afternoon. The No. 20 Mountaineers (14-3, 4-2 Big 12) will host Iowa State at 1 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast by FOX.
Mark Kellogg looks on. Photo by Greg Carey
“We have five national TV games and this is one of those. I would love to let everybody see what they have here, what it looks like and put the environment on TV. Obviously, we need to do our part against a quality, quality, really good basketball team and one of the best coaches [Bill Fennelly] in the country who I have a ton of respect for,” said WVU head coach Mark Kellogg.
“It will be huge. We feed off it. We’ve had a great home identity for a couple years, a year and a half since I have been here. For the most part, we’ve had great crowds all year long. Hopefully we will have the best one of the season.”
“It is everything,” said WVU senior forward Kylee Blacksten. “We absolutely love our fans. It is going to mean so much to be able to kind of reach even more audiences and show them everything we can do.”
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The Mountaineers are coming off a 73-46 win over Colorado on Wednesday night at the Coliseum. West Virginia and Iowa State are in a tie for fourth-place in the Big 12 through six of 18 league games. WVU is 12th in the latest NCAA NET ratings.
Iowa State (13-6, 4-2 Big 12) opened the season ranked No. 8 in the AP preseason poll. However, non-conference losses to Final Four teams UConn, Iowa and South Carolina represent half of their six losses.
Iowa State Cyclones’ forward Addy Brown (24) goes for a layup around Texas Tech Lady Raiders center Achol Magot (10) during the fourth quarter in the Big-12 women’s basketball showdown at Hilton Coliseum on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Ames, Iowa.
The Cyclones are led by sophomore center and Preseason All-Big 12 selection Audi Crooks. She leads the Big 12 in scoring at 22.6 points per game. She is also tops on ISU in rebounding (7.7)
“I think teams have tried probably everything from doubles to fronts to play-behinds to different types of size. She’s a matchup problem every night probably against about every team in the country. I think when you play teams like this, there is some sort of ‘pick your poison’ approach to it. You don’t want to give up anything necessarily. But what are you willing to maybe give up a hair or sacrifice? We’ll continue to work through that,” Kellogg said.
“We’re deeper there. We’re in a better position. There’s more bodies. There’s a little bit more size to throw at her. It is resistance and different looks and different personnel to try to slow her down. You are not going to stop her. She is going to get points.”
Senior guard Emily Ryan is Iowa State’s all-time assist leader and she is averaging 6.4 assists per game this season.
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“She is a veteran. She has been around. She keeps her cool. She is very level-headed. She’s a fantastic passer, obviously,” Kellogg said.
6-foot-2 sophomore forward Addy Brown is second on the Cyclones in points per game (13.8) and rebounds per game (7.5).
“I just think Brown is an unbelievably good basketball player. Her mind, her IQ, she is very, very skilled. She scores at every level and she plays off of Audi really well,” Kellogg said.
WVU senior guard JJ Quinerly (1,659 points) needs seven points to pass Meg Bulger for eighth place on WVU’s all-time scoring list.
Game Preview: West Virginia men’s basketball vs. No 2 Iowa State
West Virginia returns home after a two-game road swing when they host No. 2 Iowa State at the WVU Coliseum on Saturday.
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WVSports.com offers a look at some key elements of the match-up to get you ready for tip-off.
SERIES: West Virginia leads 14-10
LAST MEETING: Feb. 24, 2024 in Ames — Iowa State 71, WVU 64
TELEVISION: ESPN+ (Chuckie Kempf / King McClure)
Tip-off: 5:00 PM ET
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COACHES
Darian DeVries, West Virginia
12-4 (1st season at WVU), 162-59 (7th season overall)
T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State
85-36 (4th season at ISU), 184-99 (9th season overall)
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LAST TIME OUT
Iowa State enters Saturday, coming off a 74-57 win over Kansas on Wednesday. The Cyclones held the Jayhawks to 41 percent from the field, forcing 17 turnovers, which led to 23 points. Iowa State shot 41 percent from the field but went 8-for-13 from beyond the arc. Curtis Jones made just his second start of the season as he scored 25 points on 9-for-17 shooting. Dishon Jackson added 17 points and four rebounds off the bench, while Joshua Jackson had 10 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
West Virginia enters Saturday having also played on Wednesday night but was on the wrong side of a 70-54 loss to No. 10 Houston on the road. The Mountaineers trailed by 13 at halftime but cut it to a one-possession game at one point in the second half and had the Cougar lead down to single digits multiple times. From that point on though Houston would take over, as WVU’s leading scorer Javon Small was held scoreless in the second half. Amani Hansberry led WVU with 16 points, and the Mountaineers’ 12 turnovers led to 25 points for the Cougars.
By The Numbers — Iowa State (15-1, 5-0 Big 12)
Iowa State enters Saturday on the nation’s longest win streak, currently sitting at 12 games.
Iowa State is averaging 85.4 points per game this year, which is best in the Big 12 and 8th in the country. Defensively, they are 5th in the conference in points per game, allowing 65.3 per game.
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Iowa State is shooting 49.5 percent from the field which is the second-best in the Big 12 and is 11th in the country. They are also shooting 35.7 percent from beyond the arc this season, but in their five Big 12 games, that number is at 37.4 percent. Defensively, Iowa State is holding their opponents to 31.9 percent shooting from three, which is 8th in the Big 12.
Iowa State has the best turnover margin in the Big 12 at +5.69. They’re forcing 15.8 turnovers per game on average, while they are only turning the ball over 10.1 times per game which is the second-best in the league.
Iowa State’s only loss is to No. 1 Auburn, a game they lost 83-81.
Over their last five games, their most frequent lineup on the floor has been Keshon Gilbert, Tamin Lipsey, Milan Momcilovic, Joshua Jefferson, and Dishon Jackson. This lineup has been used 13.3 percent of the time while Momcilovic is currently out with an injury.
The second most-used lineup over their last five games has been Gilbert, Lipsey, Curtis Jones, Jefferson, and Brndton Chatfield, with this being used 12.3 percent of the time.
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Jones is the leading scorer in the Big 12 and ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring at 17.8 points per game. Jones has started only two games for Iowa State but is playing the second-most minutes on the team at 29.1 per game. Joshua Jefferson leads ISU in rebounding at 8.2 per game. Iowa State has six players averaging 9.9 points per game or more this season.
Iowa State comes into the game ranked 5th in the NET and 4th by KenPom. This is considered a Quad 1 game for Iowa State. The Cyclones are 5-1 in Quad 1 games this season.
By The Numbers — West Virginia (12-4, 3-2 Big 12)
West Virginia is scoring 73.2 points per game this season but giving up 64.3 points per game this season, which is fourth-best in the Big 12. They are 13th in the league in field goal percentage at 43.6 percent but are third in the league in opponent field goal percentage at 38.9 percent.
WVU is shooting 34.9 percent from beyond the arc, and opponents are shooting just 29.2 percent from beyond the arc against the Mountaineers this season, ranking third in the conference and 22nd in the nation. West Virginia is forcing 13.4 turnovers per game and is turning the ball over 11.2 times per game.
Over their last five games, their most frequent lineup on the floor has been Javon Small, Sencire Harris, Jonathan Powell, Toby Okani, and Eduardo Andre. This lineup has been used 28.6 percent of the time.
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WVU’s leading scorer is Small, who leads the Big 12 in scoring as well, averaging 19.4 points per game this season. Amani Hansberry leads WVU in rebounds with 5.6 per game.
In WVU’s four losses this season, the Mountaineers have averaged 11.5 turnovers per game and are shooting 40.5 percent from the field. In WVU’s 12 wins this season, they are shooting 44.6 percent from the field.
West Virginia is ranked 33rd in the NET, and 41st by KenPom. This is considered a Quad 1 game for WVU and they are 3-4 in such games this season.
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The No. 2 Iowa State Cyclones (15-1, 5-0 Big 12) will try to extend a 12-game winning run when visiting the No. 25 West Virginia Mountaineers (12-4, 3-2 Big 12) on Saturday, January 18, 2025 at WVU Coliseum. It airs at 5:00 PM ET on ESPN+.
In its previous game, Iowa State were winners at home over Kansas 74-57, with Curtis Jones (25 PTS, 2 STL, 52.94 FG%, 5-6 from 3PT) and Dishon Jackson (17 PTS, 44.44 FG%) the standout performers.
In its previous game, West Virginia lost to Houston, 70-54, on the road. Its top scorers were Amani Hansberry (16 PTS, 75 FG%, 3-5 from 3PT) and Javon Small (13 PTS, 8 AST, 36.36 FG%, 3-5 from 3PT).
Here’s what you need to get ready for Saturday’s college hoops action.
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Check out: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
Watch college basketball on ESPN+!
Iowa State Cyclones vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
Game day: Saturday, January 18, 2025
Game time: 5:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN+
Live stream: ESPN+ – Watch NOW
NCAA Basketball Odds and Betting Lines
Spread: Iowa State -6.5
Total: 137.5
College basketball odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 12:59 AM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
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