On June 28, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authorized the resumption of construction for the Mountain Valley pipeline.[1] Mountain Valley Pipeline, which is set to run about 300 miles from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia, was initially approved by FERC in 2017. However, the project has faced several court decisions rejecting its federal permits due to environmental concerns. FERC’s recent order follows the passage of the debt ceiling bill earlier in June, which required federal agencies to approve the pipeline. In FERC’s unanimous order, the commission said that all work, including portions of the project that will run through the Jefferson National Forest, could proceed. The order authorizes FERC’s Office of Energy Projects to approve any future changes to the project as long as the director of the office finds them “to be needed to complete construction.”

[1] https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/filelist?accession_number=20230628-3041&optimized=false