Mountain Valley Pipeline requests variance to tunnel under Roanoke River

The

is asking for permission to tunnel under the Roanoke River.

In a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission this week, the company requested a variance to change the crossing method.

The route of the pipeline crosses the river near Lafayette in Montgomery County.

Pipeline construction stalled after a federal appeals court invalidated key environmental permits, but the company says it plans to complete the work by the end of the year.