Federal regulators have approved an extension of the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved an amended application for the MVP Southgate project Thursday.
MVP originally proposed the extension in 2018. In its now-approved form, the Southgate project would run from Pittsylvania County in Virginia into Rockingham County, North Carolina. The 30-inch diameter pipe would move natural gas for use by Duke Energy.
Regulators determined the need for the service outweighed environmental and construction concerns.
"The Commission recognizes that the proposed project would impact the environment and individuals living in the vicinity of the project facilities, but that the project impacts, as mitigated, would not be significant," the order reads.
Environmental groups said FERC got the decision wrong.
“FERC has allowed communities to be plagued by pollution and destruction by the mainline Mountain Valley Pipeline, without effective oversight or enforcement,” David Sligh, Water Quality Program Director at Wild Virginia, said in a news release. “Unfortunately, the commission seems willing to do the same on MVP Southgate, but the people of Virginia and North Carolina will continue to fight back.”
Virginia environmental regulators and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers must still sign off on water crossing permits.
Mountain Valley Pipeline is also working on a separate project to increase the capacity of the mainline pipeline, which runs from West Virginia to Pittsylvania County in Virginia.
