The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on March 29 denied a petition to review Mountain Valley Pipeline’s (MVP) water quality permit from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, leaving the permit in place. The permit was issued in December 2021 after a yearslong review process and would have allowed MVP to complete crucial waterbody crossings in the state. But the approval was immediately challenged by environmental groups.
In upholding the permit, Wednesday’s decision removes one of several major obstacles keeping the developers from completing construction. It also marks the first ruling from the Fourth Circuit that favors MVP, after years of decisions favoring the environmental groups that blanketly oppose the project.
