The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s in-service request on Tuesday evening after six years of construction.
Pipeline operator Equitrans Midstream originally expected MVP to start pumping gas in 2018 at a project cost of $3.5 billion.
Years of court-ordered work stoppages, hundreds of environmental violations, struggles with weather and an activism campaign that included public demonstrations, worksite blockades and tree-sits slowed construction for years. The final reported price tag rose to $7.85 billion.
Challenges in the Richmond-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit were superseded by Congress and President Joe Biden, who passed the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act requiring all federal permits for the project to be granted.
Now that it’s complete, MVP will begin pumping natural gas 303 miles from Wetzel County, West Virginia, to Pittsylvania County, Virginia.
At full capacity, the pipeline developer said it will deliver 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily — which, when burned, would produce the carbon emissions equivalent to driving a gasoline-powered car 280 million miles, according to an Environmental Protection Agency greenhouse gas equivalencies calculator. That’s enough natural gas to cover the yearly energy use of 14,338 homes.
An East Daley Analytics report said there’s not enough demand for the gas and expects the pipeline to begin operating at about one-third of its capacity while building toward full flows over time.
A coalition of environmental groups released statements following the Tuesday approval.
“Since developers first proposed the ruinous Mountain Valley Pipeline, their disregard for community and environmental safety has been clear,” wrote Jess Sims, of Appalachian Voices. “Community members and environmental watchdogs have pointed out the flaws in this project for years, and these fundamental problems with the pipeline remain.”
In its request to take the project in-service, the MVP developer said it had met all requirements of its FERC certificate order and a consent agreement it entered into with the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
Matthew Eggerding, the developer’s attorney, said there was a strong demand for natural gas in the region.
“Multiple shippers have executed agreements to commence transporting volumes using the Project facilities beginning the day after the Project declares in-service, which further heightens the need for prompt authorization to meet market demands,” Eggerding wrote in the company’s request for in-service approval.
Terry Turpin, director of FERC’s Office of Energy Projects, said the agency was satisfied that MVP had met environmental and structural requirements to go in-service.
“We find that Mountain Valley has adequately stabilized the areas disturbed by construction and that restoration and stabilization of the construction work area is proceeding satisfactorily,” Turpin wrote in the approval letter.
Supporters of the project say MVP will support economic growth and reliable electricity in Southwest Virginia as the commonwealth struggles to match increasing electric demand.
