May 15, 2023 8:22pm EDT
Biden admin clears major West Virginia gas pipeline after weeks of criticism from Joe Manchin
West Virginia pipeline cannot be built 'without lasting damage to sensitive forests, habitats and waters,' eco group claims
By Thomas Catenacci | Fox News
The Biden administration cleared a large West Virginia-to-Virginia natural gas pipeline project to be constructed through federal forest land, a key step in approving it to resume construction.
The Department of Agriculture's Forest Service issued a record of decision Monday afternoon, allowing the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project to cut through a 3.5-mile stretch of the Jefferson National Forest (JNF) along the West Virginia-Virginia border. The determination clears the way for the project — which is 94% complete, but has been mired in a lengthy permitting process for years — to finish construction.
"Under the proposed action, the Forest Service would amend the JNF Forest Plan as necessary to allow for the MVP to cross the JNF and concur in a decision by the [Bureau of Land Management] to grant a [right of way permit] and a [temporary use permit] under the [Mineral Leasing Act]," Agriculture Under Secretary Homer Wilkes wrote in the decision.
While the decision allows MVP developer Equitrans Midstream, a Pennsylvania-based natural gas transmission company, to construct the pipeline in the 3.5-mile stretch through the JNF, the Forest Service is requiring it to obtain any outstanding federal and state permits before beginning on construction.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-clears-major-west-virginia-gas-pipeline-weeks-criticism-joe-manchin
