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7 New Pipeline Projects Planned to Handle 2 Bcf/d from MVP

Last week, MDN brought you information about what happens next when (not if) the mighty 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline gets completed (see MVP Prompts New Pipe Expansions for Hungry Downstream Customers). MVP is built to flow 2 Bcf/d (billion cubic feet per day) of Marcellus/Utica gas southward. The problem is there isn’t (yet) enough takeaway capacity at the end of MVP to handle a full 2 Bcf/d of gas. Nor will there be when MVP gets completed by the end of this year (or the beginning of next year). Howeever, there are seven new pipeline projects actively being planned that can help handle the extra load. We have the list.
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Analysts Say MVP Southgate Pipe in NC Not Likely to Get Built

Equitrans Midstream, the builder of the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project, proposed to extend the pipeline by an extra 75 miles from the current terminus in Pittsylvania County, VA, to Alamance County, NC, to provide natural gas for heating and electric generation. The extension is called MVP Southgate. In typical fashion, Democrats oppose it (see NC Leftist Gov. Cooper Asks FERC to Deny MVP Southgate More Time and 52 NC Legislators Join Gov. in Seeking to Block MVP Southgate). Some energy analysts are chiming in with their view that MVP Southgate will never get built.
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Analyst Says MVP Not Ready Until Mid-2024; Won’t Spur New Drilling

East Daley Analytics, based in Colorado, is a consulting firm that specializes in identifying, understanding, and monitoring operational risk throughout the oil and gas value chain. A “Daley Note” published yesterday by the company focused on the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), providing a status update and a couple of intriguing (some might say controversial) comments. East Daley says while Equitrans, the builder of MVP, says it will finish the project by the end of this year, East Daley’s analysts don’t think so. East Daley also says when (not if) the pipeline gets done and comes online, the newly available capacity won’t translate into new/more shale drilling in the Marcellus/Utica–at least not initially.
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MVP Restarted Va. Construction Aug 4th, 8 Stream Crossings So Far

An Act of Congress (the Fiscal Responsibility Act) cleared away the remaining obstacles to completing the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (see Equitrans Announces Mountain Valley Pipe to Get Completed in 2023). After a final appeal by antis with their colluding buddies of the 4th Circuit threatened to block the Fiscal Responsibility Act’s MVP provisions, the U.S. Supreme Court stepped in and overruled the 4th Circuit (see Supreme Court Overturns 4th Circuit, MVP to Restart Construction). Following the Supremes’ decision, MVP restarted construction–on August 4 in Virginia. Since then, MVP has installed pipelines through (or under) eight streams and wetlands, and the work continues at a brisk pace.
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MVP Prompts New Pipe Expansions for Hungry Downstream Customers

With the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) now in construction high gear to finish the final 6% of the project, the question becomes can and how will an extra 2 Bcf/d (billion cubic feet per day) of Marcellus/Utica gas make it to the end of the pipeline, and from there, onward to other destinations in the Southeast? The short answer is yes; there’s certainly enough demand for an extra 2 Bcf/d of gas. The longer answer is that it will take time to ramp up to the point a full 2 Bcf/d is being transported and sold. If MVP comes online by the end of this year, it’s doubtful a full 2 Bcf/d will flow. Not because of supply issues–there are plenty of customers, and the pipeline has contracts to fill it to capacity. And not because of technical issues–the pipeline is rated for a full 2 Bcf/d. More gas won’t flow initially because connecting pipelines on the other end currently can’t handle the extra 2 Bcf/d that will come at them. Right now, there’s not enough capacity on other pipelines, which means when MVP begins to flow, it may be flowing only one-third of its rated capacity of 2 Bcf/d.
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Final Lawsuit Against MVP Holds on by a Thread in DC Circuit

In April, the U.S. Supreme Court breathed new life into a long-running lawsuit funded by Big Green groups using (abusing) a small group of uppity Virginia landowners who argue the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) had no right to delegate authority to Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) to use eminent domain to cross land, including the land owned by the small group of uppity landowners in Virginia (see US Supreme Court Keeps MVP Eminent Domain Case Alive in Lower Court). The aim of the lawsuit is to prevent any private company from using eminent domain ever again to build public infrastructure. That lawsuit still hangs on by a thread in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (D.C. Circuit). It is the last remaining lawsuit that could spell trouble for MVP and all pipelines.
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PHMSA Orders Safety Inspections of Buried & Unburied MVP Pipe

Yesterday we told you the liars of the left are doing their best to sew disinformation and fear about Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and the installation of the remaining 6% of the pipeline that’s not already in the ground (see MVP Antis Spread Lies About Pipes Sitting in the Sun Too Long). The fearmongering has had the desired effect. The Biden Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued orders to Equitrans Midstream, the builder of MVP, to undertake a series of safety inspections along the entire 303-mile project. The inspections include some segments already in the ground and pipeline segments stored aboveground.
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4th Circuit Sees the Light, Dismisses Remaining Two MVP Lawsuits

Looks like the three Democrat judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (4th Circuit) value their own jobs more than defeating the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project. On Friday, the three-judge panel that has opposed MVP in just about every decision they’ve issued since 2018 dismissed the remaining two cases against MVP after being overruled by the U.S. Supreme Court two weeks ago (see Supreme Court Overturns 4th Circuit, MVP to Restart Construction). Best not to further inflame the Supremes.
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MVP Antis Spread Lies About Pipes Sitting in the Sun Too Long

Even though the radicalized left has been defeated in their attempts to block the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project, they won’t go quietly (they never do). The liars of the left are trying to plant seeds of fear and doubt in the residents of West Virginia and Virginia that as soon as the remaining 6% of MVP pipe is buried in the ground and begins to flow, a piece of that newly installed pipeline will blow up because the pipe has been sitting above ground for years and the special epoxy coating that prevents corrosion has degraded by sitting in the sun. Yet another lie from the left.
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Equitrans Resumes Construction of MVP, Tweaking Southgate Plan

Equitrans Midstream issued its second quarter update yesterday, and WOW, what an update! The company had lots to talk about following the high drama surrounding its Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project over the past couple of months. Equitrans CEO Tom Karam said following the U.S. Supreme Court’s intervention, construction has now resumed on MVP and will likely take 4-5 months to finish up the 94% completed project. He expects MVP, barring any severe weather issues that might slow construction, will be online and flowing 2 Bcf/d of Marcellus/Utica molecules by the end of this year. Hallelujah!
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Radicalized Antis Sue Va. Gov. Youngkin to Block Exit from RGGI

In 2021 as he was running for the office of Governor in Virginia, Glenn Youngkin pledged if he won, he would remove the state from the onerous carbon tax on coal- and gas-fired power plants called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Following his recent review of a new regulation to remove the state from RGGI, Youngkin is on the cusp of keeping his promise this year (see Virginia on Track to Leave RGGI Carbon Tax Scheme by Dec. 31). However, right on cue, Big Green bullies are back, suing Youngkin to block the state’s exit from this onerous tax. So we’re not out of the woods just yet.
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Supreme Court Overturns 4th Circuit, MVP to Restart Construction

In an act of Supreme justice, the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, John Roberts, issued an order yesterday overturning the stays imposed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (4th Circuit) that were blocking the completion of the 94% done Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). Let the bulldozers start their engines! We expect work to resume immediately (today) to finish this critical link from the Marcellus/Utica to the Southeastern U.S. The best part is that the decision was announced as the three radicalized leftist judges of the 4th Circuit were hearing arguments that a portion of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023 forcing the completion of MVP is unconstitutional. Roberts’ order effectively shut down any further shenanigans by these three clowns.
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Biden Admin Finally Files Supreme Court Brief Supporting MVP

Better late than never. Last week U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (liberal Democrat from West Virginia) filed an amicus curiae “friend of the court” brief with the U.S. Supreme Court to show his support for Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) in its fight against the actions of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (see WV Sen. Joe Manchin Files Friend of Court Brief to Support MVP). Joe jumped the gun. A day later, nine other members of Congress, including the other U.S. Senator from WV, Shelley Moore Capito, and both of WV’s members of the U.S. House, Carol Miller and Alex Mooney (all Republicans), filed a joint amicus curiae (see Congressional Delegation Files Friend of Court Brief Supporting MVP). It wasn’t until Friday, a whole week after MVP filed its emergency request with the Supreme Court, that the Biden administration finally, after dragging its feet, filed its amicus curiae.
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MVP Asks Supreme Court Chief Justice to Overturn 4th Circuit Stay

Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts.

Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), in a move largely anticipated and expected, filed an “emergency application” on Friday with the U.S. Supreme Court, requesting the court block the recent “stay” on two key permits needed to complete the 94% completed MVP project recently imposed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (see All Construction of MVP Stopped as 4th Circuit Stays Second Permit). The request went to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who handles emergency appeals for the 4th Circuit. The gazillion question now is, When will he rule on MVP’s request?
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Virginia on Track to Leave RGGI Carbon Tax Scheme by Dec. 31

In 2021 as he was running for the office of Governor in Virginia, Glenn Youngkin pledged if he won, he would remove the state from the onerous carbon tax on coal- and gas-fired power plants called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Following his recent review of a new regulation to remove the state from RGGI, Youngkin is on the cusp of keeping his promise.
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All Construction of MVP Stopped as 4th Circuit Stays Second Permit

Yesterday MDN told you that on Monday, the clown judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (i.e., the 4th Circus) illegally stayed a THIRD permit issued by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) to traverse a piddly 3.5 miles of the federally-owned Jefferson National Forest (see Colluding 4th Circuit Judges Do It Again – MVP Halted in Jeff Forest). No sooner had we delivered that news than the clowns returned (cue Judy Collins, Send in the Clowns). Yesterday the 4th Circus judges slapped a stay on a second permit, a THIRD permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) concerning endangered species. Both stays, which are blocking new construction, are illegal according to the recently adopted law known as the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023 (see Equitrans Announces Mountain Valley Pipe to Get Completed in 2023).
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