MVP receives key permit, requests authorization to resume construction

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - The Mountain Valley Pipeline has received the final permit it needs to resume construction of the controversial project. Monday, the company asked federal regulators for full authorization to begin the work.

The provision Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) authored and the Biden administration supported in the recent debt limit deal expedited approvals for the 300-mile natural gas pipeline. Friday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a key permit for water crossings.

And now, the Mountain Valley Pipeline is asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for timely approval of full authorization to resume construction activities project-wide.

Pipeline opponents are still weighing whether they can challenge the constitutionality of Congressional action fast-tracking the project, but they say they will be watching closely if and when construction resumes to make sure MVP, and state and federal regulators, meet all of the requirements of the pipeline permits.

David Sligh is Conservation Director for the group Wild Virginia.

“They are facing some of the most difficult parts of this route for the construction. Crossing many of these water bodies is going to be really tough to do it safely and to do it without causing significant problems,” Sligh told WDBJ7 in an interview.

A spokesperson for the Mountain Valley Pipeline provided the following comment:

“Mountain Valley received the project’s 404 permit on Friday, June 23, 2023. We will request the administrative authorizations necessary for full construction in the near future and are currently developing our construction mobilization schedule. Project completion is targeted for year-end 2023.”

In another development Monday, two members of Congress from North Carolina have gone on record opposing construction of the MVP Southgate project. Southgate is a 75-mile extension that would carry the pipeline from Pittsylvania County into North Central North Carolina.

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