U.S. Appeals Court Denies Challenge To Mountain Valley Pipeline Extension

A federal appeals court has cleared the way for an extension of the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

In 2023, the Mountain Valley Pipeline received a three-year extension of its federal approval to build the Southgate Extension from Virginia into North Carolina.

Groups challenged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission decision in the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals.

On Friday, a three-judge panel denied their petition, clearing the way for MVP to complete the 31-mile Southgate project.

The ruling is the latest in a nearly decade-long saga of MVP, the 303-mile gas pipeline from north-central West Virginia to southern Virginia that was finished a year ago.

Construction began in 2018 but was held up numerous times by court challenges to its permitting approvals. Congress enabled its completion in legislation two years ago.

The Southgate project could cost as much as $500 million in addition to the $10 billion it took to build the MVP.

MVP was purchased last year by EQT, the largest gas producer in Appalachia. Speaking to state lawmakers in West Virginia in March, EQT CEO Toby Rice said more pipelines would be built in the region to enable the expansion of data centers and increased electricity demand.

Peter Anderson, director of state energy policy for Appalachian Voices, the lead plaintiff, called the D.C. Circuit’s decision “disappointing.”

“The risks that MVP’s proposed Southgate pipeline poses to land, water and communities along the route persist,” he said in a statement. “We’re committed to making sure the people who would be affected by this unnecessary and polluting project are heard.”