Mountain Valley Pipeline project scores regulatory victories

The pipeline’s route crosses 3.5 miles of lands managed by the Forest Service in Monroe County, West Virginia, and Giles and Montgomery counties in Virginia within the Jefferson National Forest, according to the agency.

The MVP route also crosses about 60 feet of the Weston and Gauley Bridge Turnpike Trail in Braxton County, West Virginia, managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The decision, which was made following “extensive environmental analysis, consideration of agency, Tribal, and public comments, and application of pertinent Federal laws and policies,” authorizes a 30-year right-of-way and temporary use permit.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said the decision is the “second time this week that the administration (of President Joe Biden) has supported the Mountain Valley Pipeline.”

“Yesterday’s approval by the Bureau of Land Management of MVP’s right-of-way is the next step in the process to finally complete this vital piece of energy infrastructure that will strengthen our energy and national security, boost the economy in West Virginia and benefit the entire nation by bringing more than 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas online daily that will help power homes and businesses,” said Manchin, chair of the U.S. Senate Energy Committee. “The process to finally finish MVP has been long, and it isn’t over yet — but yesterday’s announcement and the Forest Service’s approval earlier this week is a sign that the Administration is finally realizing that the completion of MVP is vital for our nation.”

The 303-mile-long natural gas pipeline has faced repeated delays, setbacks and halts due to regulatory challenges brought by environmental activists and other stakeholders opposed to the pipeline.

When the project was initially announced in 2014, developers said it was expected to cost around $3.5 billion and would be completed by the end of 2018.

The cost is now expected to be in excess of $6.5 billion and remains approximately 94% complete, according to its developers.

Members of West Virginia’s congressional delegation have backed numerous efforts over the past year to aid completion of the stalled pipeline, including multiple attempts to pass legislation overhauling the federal permitting process for energy projects.

Manchin recently introduced the Building American Energy Security Act of 2023, while Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has introduced Revitalizing the Economy by Simplifying Timelines and Assuring Regulatory Transparency (RESTART) Act.

“Sen. Capito continues to push for and welcomes advancements of the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s completion, which is why she included a provision in her RESTART Act to expedite the critical natural gas project that will create jobs and boost American energy,” said Peter Hoffman, communications director for Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Republicans.

The week before the pair of decisions were announced, Manchin vowed he would see the MVP project completed.

“We’re committed, and the MVP is going to be built,” he said during a press conference. “It must be for the security of our nation.”

At the end of April, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission all but urging the body to aid the completion of the pipeline.

“While the Department takes no position regarding the outstanding agency actions required under federal or state law related to the construction of the MVP project, nor on any pending litigation, we submit the view that the MVP project will enhance the Nation’s critical infrastructure for energy and national security,” Granholm wrote. “We appreciate the Commission’s prompt actions to fulfill its regulatory responsibilities regarding natural gas infrastructure under the Natural Gas Act, and the interagency coordination it provides as the lead federal agency for the project under FAST-41.”