Canonsburg, Pa.-based Equitrans Midstream said the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) will move forward thanks to language in the national debt limit bill signed into law by President Joe Biden on Saturday.
The bill ratified and approved all permits and authorizations necessary for the construction and initial operation of the pipeline and directs all applicable federal officials and agencies to maintain those authorizations. Additionally, the bill requires the Secretary of the Army to issue permits and verifications necessary to complete project construction by June 24 to allow for the pipeline’s operation and maintenance.
In light of the legislation, Equitrans Midstream, the operator of the pipeline, expects to work with its project partners to complete the pipeline’s construction by the end of 2023, for an estimated $6.6 billion.
“The MVP project has gone through more environmental review and scrutiny than any natural gas pipeline project in U.S. history, having been issued the same state and federal authorizations two and three times, only to have those authorizations be routinely challenged and vacated in court,” Thomas F. Karam, chairman and chief executive officer of Equitrans Midstream, said. “Congressional involvement to legislate the approval of this project only magnifies the critical need for more robust and comprehensive permitting reform that goes beyond the important initial steps in this legislation. Absent a more certain regulatory review and approval process, we are impeding companies’ ability to invest capital, including in renewable projects, for the benefit of our Nation’s economy, energy security, and energy affordability.”
Spanning an estimated 303 miles across West Virginia and Virginia, the pipeline is expected to provide cost-saving access to natural gas for use by distribution companies, industrial users and power generation facilities across the mid-Atlantic and southeast regions. With the enactment of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (the debt limit act), pipeline officials said they would work with all relevant agencies in reissuing the projects outstanding permits and will maintain a “steadfast commitment to environmental protection to ensure the responsible completion of the project’s remaining construction.”