A federal appeals court denied environmental groups’ efforts Wednesday to pause construction of a natural gas project extending the Mountain Valley pipeline about 30 miles into North Carolina.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued two brief, nearly identical orders stating it would not freeze construction of the MVP Southgate pipeline while litigation over a pair of water quality permits is ongoing.
The decisions, which clear the way for preliminary work to begin on the gas conduit, come just a day after a three-judge panel heard back-to-back arguments from conservation groups saying North Carolina and Virginia environmental regulators had improperly certified that the pipeline’s construction plans would comply with the states’ water quality standards.
Appalachian Voices and the Sierra Club are leading the separate challenges to the Section 401 permits under the Clean Water Act. The state certifications are a necessary first step for the Army Corps of Engineers to issue a Section 404 permit to dredge waterways in the pipeline’s path.
