Pipeline goes CO2 neutral: Innovative or green washing? By Carlos Anchondo | 07/13/2021 10:53 AM GMT Lengths of pipe placed on the ground along the under-construction Mountain Valley pipeline near Elliston, Va., in September 2019. Charles Mostoller/REUTERS/Newscom Developers of the Mountain Valley pipeline will buy more than $150 million in carbon offsets to make the conduit carbon-neutral during its first decade in service, according to an announcement yesterday that spurred allegations of green washing. The project — which aims to carry natural gas roughly 300 miles from West Virginia to southern Virginia — will make the pipeline “one of the first interstate natural gas transmission pipelines to acquire carbon offsets for its operational emissions,” according to Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC, a joint venture of energy companies. The company said the plan is part of a long-term commitment to counter emissions from its operations and purchases of electricity.