Conservation groups are heading to court to challenge federal energy regulators’ approval of a delayed construction deadline for the redesigned Southgate extension of the Mountain Valley pipeline.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave the green light last December for the pipeline developer to build the pared-down natural gas project through the middle of 2026.
Also last December, the Southgate developer announced that it would be shortening the planned 75-mile pipeline into North Carolina to just 31 miles.
The conservation groups, led by Appalachian Voices, said in their new lawsuit filed late Monday that the developer had not made clear what water crossings might be affected by the project, with a pipe they said is nearly 50 percent larger in diameter than the original design.
