Mountain Valley Pipeline greenlit to resume construction, restoration efforts in Virginia and West Virginia

The Mountain Valley Pipeline was given the go-ahead this week by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Office of Energy Projects (OEP) to resume construction and restoration efforts on around 200 miles of its Virginia and West Virginia project.

Around 65 percent of the area has already been graded and cleared of vegetation. Temporary erosion control devices have also been installed.

Terry Turpin, director of the OEP, warns that long-term control measures could lead to more erosion and soil movement and pose threats to plant and wildlife, as well as local water bodies. For that reason, the OEP is pushing for quick construction activity to avoid as many long-term environmental impacts as possible.

The OEP authorization only applies to certain lands, however. Those federally owned lands for which the Mountain Valley Pipeline has not yet gained right-of-way and temporary use permits for are not covered by the authorization. Such roadblocks include lands owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and two watersheds in the Jefferson National Forest region in the two states.

Construction will resume between mileposts 77 and 303.