FERC Issues Order Allowing MVP to Restart ALL Construction
ENERGY SERVICES | EQUITRANS/EQT MIDSTREAM | INDUSTRYWIDE ISSUES | LITIGATION | PIPELINES| REGULATION | STATEWIDE VA | STATEWIDE WV | VIRGINIA | WEST VIRGINIA June 29, 2023
FERC Issues Order Allowing MVP to Restart ALL Construction
ENERGY SERVICES | EQUITRANS/EQT MIDSTREAM | INDUSTRYWIDE ISSUES | LITIGATION | PIPELINES| REGULATION | STATEWIDE VA | STATEWIDE WV | VIRGINIA | WEST VIRGINIA
June 29, 2023
Finally! On Monday, Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) builder Equitrans asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for permission to restart all remaining construction to install the final 6% of MVP in West Virginia and Virginia. Yesterday, FERC issued that permission. Ladies and gentlemen, start your bulldozers! Company spokeswoman Natalie Cox said crews will begin work “shortly” on all remaining construction. We don’t know what shortly means, but we hope it means this week.
Meanwhile, Big Green groups have asked the corrupt judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to NOT dismiss two lingering lawsuits that, by law (the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023) must be dismissed (see Radicals File Lawsuit Response Challenging MVP Debt Ceiling Law). Even though the 4th Circuit no longer has the right to continue the lawsuits, the court asked MVP for a response. MVP asked the court to give it until July 10 to respond.
Meanwhile, construction on MVP will happen regardless of what the court says.
The lead agency overseeing construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline authorized work to resume Wednesday.
As expected, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s order came after last week’s approval of the final permit needed by Mountain Valley, an approval by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to cross streams and wetlands in the pipeline’s path.
Long delayed by legal challenges that cited its poor environmental track record, Mountain Valley was jump-started earlier this month when Congress passed a law that suspended the federal debt ceiling — and included a surprise provision declaring the project was in the national interest.
Company spokeswoman Natalie Cox said crews will begin work “shortly” on the unfinished portions of the 303-mile pipeline.
“Mountain Valley looks forward to flowing domestic natural gas this winter for the benefits of reliability and affordability in the form of lower natural gas prices for consumers,” Cox wrote in an email, “while also benefiting national energy security and helping to achieve state and national goals for lowering carbon emissions.”
Pipeline opponents blasted a deal struck by President Joe Biden and Democratic leaders to push the pipeline to completion even while legal challenges were pending.
“The Biden administration just green lit a reckless, unnecessary fossil fuel project during a deadly heat wave caused by climate change,” Russell Chisholm, the managing director of the Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights coalition, said in a statement.
“The gas from the pipeline is unnecessary, the permanent local jobs provided are minimal, the endangerment to precious species is irreversible, water sources will be polluted, and earthquake and landslide prone areas stand in its wake,” Chisholm said.
“We are devastated but we will never give up on protecting our home.”
A provision in the debt ceiling law ordered federal agencies to approve all permits within 21 days for a buried pipeline that crosses through the New River and Roanoke Valleys.
The law also largely insulates Mountain Valley from lawsuits that have long delayed its completion.
A coalition of environmental and community groups are challenging the law. By substituting its judgement for that of regulatory agencies and the courts, Congress violated the separation of powers doctrine, documents filed late Monday in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals state.
In a filing Tuesday, Mountain Valley asked that it be given until July 10 to respond. A decision is expected some time after that.*
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*Roanoke (VA) Times (Jun 28, 2023) – Mountain Valley Pipeline gets authorization to resume construction