Mountain Valley secures water permits for pipeline project in Virginia
(UI) — The $6.2 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline project in Virginia received approval for construction on Wednesday from a federal appeals court, which found that state officials had carefully examined the project's environmental implications.
The 303-mile proposed pipeline is permitted to pass through the state's streams and wetlands thanks to a permit issued by Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality, according to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Reuters reported.
Environmental organizations, including as the Sierra Club, requested that the Clean Water Act permit be revoked in court in 2021, arguing that the state had largely rubber-stamped the project without taking a number of environmental issues into account.
But, the three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit rejected those arguments, concluding that before awarding the permit, the state had looked at alternate routes and taken into account tens of thousands of public comments on the pipeline's effects.
Despite claims to the contrary, Chief Judge Roger Gregory concluded that "material in the record indicates the agencies did not merely 'rubber stamp' MVP's suggested crossing procedures."
Natalie Cox, a spokesperson for MVP developer Equitrans Midstream Corp, told Reuters in a statement that the decision backed the company's plan to construct the pipeline “with the least possible impact on the environment.” The company is continuing to make progress toward obtaining the remaining approvals needed to complete the pipeline, Cox added.
One of the last remaining obstacles is the Virginia permission for the multibillion-dollar project that would transport natural gas from West Virginia to Virginia. It is 94% finished, according to Equitrans.
A general water construction permit given by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was challenged earlier, and the 4th Circuit revoked that permission in 2018. The pipeline has been the focus of multiple lawsuits.
Equitrans asked Virginia and West Virginia authorities for specific Clean Water Act licenses after the court revoked the overall permit. The 4th Circuit is currently considering a challenge to the West Virginia permitting.
The case is Sierra Club et al. v. State Water Control Board, 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, case No. 21-2425.
This story was originally reported by Reuters.
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