Major natural gas pipeline construction may resume, Supreme Court rules — environmental groups vow to 'exhaust every effort to stop it'

On Thursday, the Supreme Court paved the way for construction to resume on a major natural gas pipeline, despite relentless pushback from environmental groups.

The 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline's construction was halted after a lower court ruling that sided with environmental organizations Wilderness Society and Appalachian Voices, which filed a lawsuit to stop the project.

The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling received bipartisan pushback and was opposed by the Biden administration.

In a recent amicus brief to the Supreme Court, Biden's Department of Justice wrote, "Whatever benefit respondents or the court of appeals might believe would be gained by having the agencies again reconsider the challenged actions, Congress has determined that further reconsideration is unwarranted and has prioritized MVP's 'timely' completion over interests addressed by any other federal statutes."

In June, the Biden administration signed a debt ceiling bill, the Fiscal Responsibility Act, that approved permits to expedite the stalled project. Additionally, the bill transferred authority to review approval of the pipeline away from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, given its history of siding with environmental groups.

This week, with no noted dissents, the Supreme Court lifted stays issued by the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in July.

While the construction is now allowed to resume, Wilderness Society President Jamie Williams vowed to "exhaust every effort to stop it."

"Allowing construction of this destructive and unnecessary fracked gas pipeline to proceed puts the profits of a few corporations ahead of the health and safety of Appalachian communities," Williams stated.

The environmental groups have claimed that the pipeline, a 3.5-mile portion of which will run through the Jefferson National Forest, will degrade water quality, cause pollution, contribute to climate change, and harm endangered species.

Despite numerous legal challenges presented by environmental organizations, most of the pipeline's construction is already complete.

The Mountain Valley Pipeline is expected to generate $40 million in tax revenue for West Virginia and $10 million for Virginia.

Democratic West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who has been a supporter of the MVP project, released a statement Thursday regarding the Supreme Court's ruling.

"The Supreme Court has spoken and this decision to let construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline move forward again is the correct one. I am relieved that the highest court in the land has upheld the law Congress passed and the president signed," he said.

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