FERC gives the Mountain Valley Pipeline the all-clear—again

The contentious Mountain Valley Pipeline that threatens waterways and ecosystems across West Virginia and Virginia was given another thumbs up by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission this week. FERC had already greenlighted the project but faced opposition by those who argued that it posed significant environmental risks (to our wildlife, waterways, and surrounding communities), that it would bring fewer jobs than expected, and that it wasn’t serving a pressing public need. But it seems like the commission wasn’t listening. The Mountain Valley Pipeline is one of two new pipelines—the other being the Atlantic Coast Pipeline—that plan to run roughshod through Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina, crossing waterways more than a thousand times, threatening streams with pollution, and endangering nearby low-income communities of color. Legal battles will undoubtedly come about over both, as groups take aim at agencies involved in the lengthy permitting process.