MVP’s stream, wetland crossing permits put on hold by court

Conservation groups celebrated Monday following a ruling by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals that “issued an immediate stay of Mountain Valley Pipeline’s stream and wetland crossing permits in southern West Virginia and Virginia."

The permits, reissued by the Corps of Engineers, were challenged September 25 of two “Nationwide Permit 12″ approvals that would allow MVP, LLC to trench through some 1,000 streams, rivers, wetlands and other water bodies in the two states. The first round of permit approvals had been rejected by the 4th Circuit in 2018.

The groups that include Appalachian Voices, Center for Biological Diversity, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Indian Creek Watershed Association, Sierra Club, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, and Wild Virginia, asked for the stay while the merits of their challenge were considered.

According to Appalachian Voices, Mountain Valley Pipeline’s operator recently told investors it intends to blast and trench through “critical” streams “as quickly as possible before anything is challenged.”