Home » News » Lawmakers urge extension to complete the Mountain Valley Pipeline
A contingent of federal lawmakers from neighboring West Virginia is calling on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve a four-year extension for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP).
The 304-mile natural gas pipeline system runs from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia. Once completed, the 42-inch pipeline will be regulated by FERC as an interstate pipeline. Canonsburg, Pa.-based EQM Midstream Partners will operate the pipeline, which is expected to flow 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day from the Marcellus and Utica shales.
FERC issued a two-year extension on the MVP’s permits, ending on Oct. 13, 2022. The operator is asking for a four-year extension as they complete the project.
“At a time when energy prices are soaring, it is imperative that FERC works to accelerate the development of domestic energy infrastructure so that Americans may have access to a reliable and affordable supply of natural gas,” the lawmakers wrote to FERC Chair Richard Glick. “We, therefore, urge FERC to support the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and approve its pending request for a four-year extension.”
The letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), and U.S. Reps. David McKinley (R-WV) and Carol Miller (R-WV).
“MVP is nearly 94 percent constructed but is still subject to ongoing litigation and permit challenges, to the detriment of American consumers, our national security, communities along the pipeline route, and the environment. This project must be completed…,” they added.
The pipeline is located in the Appalachian Basin, which would have been the world’s third-largest natural gas producing nation through the first half of 2021, according to the Energy Information Act. Once completed, the MVP will be designed to transport 2 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas per day over a distance of 304 miles from West Virginia to southern Virginia.
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