Today, a unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit vacated the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Clean Water Act § 401 certification for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, finding that the agency’s justification behind its conclusion that the pipeline would not violate the state’s water quality standards was deficient.
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.
On Saturday, May 28, more than 65 community members, advocates and allies fighting the Mountain Valley Pipeline celebrated the treasured Appalachian Trail — and the return of the annual “Hands Across the Appalachian Trail” event.
The fight against MVP continues with a coalition committed to ending this dangerous and unnecessary project.
A lot of irreparable harm can be inflicted during a fossil fuel pipeline fight. Just because a pipeline is eventually canceled, doesn’t stop it from bulldozing through precious land and water and exhausting community members to the bone as they fight for their lives.
Community members from across Appalachia are joining together to fight the construction of the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines, but critics cite flaws with the ongoing environmental review process.
Recent studies have challenged the economic benefit of the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines, two natural gas pipelines proposed for the Appalachian region.
