FERC grants Mountain Valley Pipeline four more years to complete project

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 24, 2022

CONTACT
Dan Radmacher, (540) 798-6683, dan@appvoices.org
Denali Nalamalapu, (207) 400-9932, denali@powhr.org

Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission accepted a request by Mountain Valley Pipeline to extend their original Certificate of Public Necessity and Convenience by an additional four years, ending October 13, 2026.

The agency had previously granted an extension request in 2020, but the total length of the certificate, nine years, reflects the ongoing roadblocks and volatility of the project. In the motion, the FERC acknowledged “the validity of our conclusions and environmental conditions cannot be sustained indefinitely.” Yet, their decision to grant a seemingly open-ended certificate renewal contradicts this statement.

Thousands of individuals, 27 Virginia state lawmakers and 270 organizations had asked FERC to deny MVP’s application, citing the harm the MVP has brought to West Virginia and Virginia communities and water resources since construction began in 2018.

FERC granted this request even though a decision is still pending in a lawsuit heard by the DC Circuit in April regarding the 2020 certificate extension. As work cannot resume without reinstatement of multiple federal authorizations, yesterday’s order does not bring the project any closer to completion.

“FERC’s decision disregards the experiences of those harmed by Mountain Valley Pipeline, the evidence of environmental degradation and the tens of thousands who weighed in asking for denial of the certificate extension” said Jessica Sims, Virginia Field Coordinator for Appalachian Voices. “Granting MVP more time to harm Appalachian communities and water resources is appalling, but FERC’s decision will only strengthen the growing national opposition against this unnecessary fracked-gas pipeline.”

“The fact that FERC granted MVP the certificate for the full four years emphasizes the brutal length and uncertainty of the project,” said Russell Chisholm of the Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights (POWHR) Coalition. “This project should never be built and this decision subjects our communities to prolonged harm. That’s why tens of thousands of people submitted comments to stop FERC from granting this extension. Now we’re taking our growing movement to DC to demand decisionmakers stop MVP and all pro-fossil fuel legislation.”

Members of the StopMVP Coalition and People Vs. Fossil Fuels will host a rally in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 8 in opposition to the Mountain Valley Pipeline and any legislation that would attempt to pave the way for the project and roll back key environmental and community protections.

MVP has been cited for hundreds of water quality violations, racking up millions of dollars in fines, and the project is currently missing authorizations from the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

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Appalachian Voices is a leading nonprofit advocate for a healthy environment and just economy in the Appalachian region, and a driving force in America’s shift from fossil fuels to a clean energy future.

Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights (POWHR) is an interstate coalition leading the fight to stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The coalition includes individuals and groups from counties in Virginia and West Virginia dedicated to protecting water, land, and communities from fossil fuel expansion and environmental injustice. For more information, visit our website: powhr.org.