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MVP Work Restarts in Summers County, WV – Joe Manchin Field Trip

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin hangin’ with the MVP boys in Summers County, WV

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 (see MVP Restarted Va. Construction Aug 4th, 8 Stream Crossings So Far). However, we’d not heard anything about work restarting in West Virginia–until now.
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WV County Court Judge Orders MVP to Stop Work at River Crossing

On again, off again, on again, off again. Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), EQT Midstream’s 303-mile pipeline from Wetzel County, WV to the Transco Pipeline in Pittsylvania County, has had its share of ups and downs. A myriad of lawsuits have been filed against the project. Wacky radicals took to sitting in trees and poles to try and stop it. Most of the illegal protests and lawsuits only served to slow down the project, not stop it. But then a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club (and a few other colluding Big Green groups) yielded fruit in July when a federal court pulled permits for 3.5 miles of the pipeline where it runs through Jefferson National Forest (see Court Cancels Permits for Mountain Valley Pipe on Fed Land). Based on that court action, in early August the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission told MVP to stop work everywhere, on all 303 miles (see FERC Shuts Down ALL Work on Mountain Valley Pipeline in WV, VA). FERC’s stop-work order resulted in thousands of layoffs (thank you, jobs-destroying Sierra Club). A few weeks later, FERC reversed itself and allowed work to restart everywhere, except for the 3.5 miles in JNF (see FERC Lifts Mountain Valley Pipe Stop-Work Order, Rehiring). And now, here we go again. This time a county judge ordered MVP to stop work at the Greenbrier River. Yes, it’s just one isolated location and the stoppage is “temporary”–at least until the next hearing on Oct. 23. But given the way antis have leveraged such minor incidents in the past into larger work stoppages, we’re always weary when it happens. Here’s the latest in the MVP soap opera…
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