Mountain Valley Pipeline Seeks Ruling From Supreme Court

The builders of the Mountain Valley Pipeline have filed an emergency application to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In a filing Friday, Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC asked Chief Justice John Roberts to reverse two recent federal appeals court decisions blocking construction of the project.

Congress last month passed a law that was supposed to allow construction to resume on the 300-mile natural gas pipeline.

But environmental groups and landowners convinced the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to put the project on hold again.

Opponents say the pipeline threatens hundreds of streams and could cause soil erosion and methane leaks. They say the federal agencies tasked with permitting the project have not done a sufficient examination of those impacts. 

Supporters say Congress unambiguously authorized the project to proceed. They’ve asked the court to make a decision by July 27.