"Federal regulators have found unsafe construction practices at work sites on the Atlantic Coast pipeline, spelling more trouble for a project that's already facing setbacks in court.
Inspectors in December found crews laying pipe in ditches lined with rocks, which make the line more vulnerable to damage or stresses as a result of movement or settlement.
The inspection took place in Doddridge and Lewis counties in West Virginia, about 100 miles northeast of Charleston, according to the warning letter sent late last month to Dominion Energy Inc., the lead company on the pipeline.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration decided against seeking a fine, according to the letter from Robert Burrough, director of PHMSA's Eastern Region."
