Virginia state regulators have approved a water permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate pipeline. It’s the latest in a series of favorable rulings regulators have made in the past month for two separate projects, both aimed to move natural gas from existing pipelines in Virginia to markets throughout the Southeast.
On Jan. 13, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality issued its ruling that MVP Southgate “will comply with water quality requirements, will protect instream beneficial uses, will not violate applicable water quality standards, and will not cause or contribute to a significant impairment of state waters or fish and wildlife resources.”
Last month DEQ issued a similar water permit approval for the Transco Southeast Supply Enhancement Project. Both SSEP and MVP Southgate would begin in Pittsylvania County, where they would follow similar routes into North Carolina.
MVP spokesperson Shawn Day issued a statement following the approval, saying "Mountain Valley’s permitted work will continue to be protective of waterbodies and wetlands and comply with all state water quality requirements.”
At least seven environmental and community advocacy groups responded with criticism to Tuesday’s permit approval, saying the move puts Virginia’s waters, as well as the health and safety of its residents, at risk. Appalachian Voices released a statement saying their group is concerned that the co-location of two high-pressure, large-diameter pipelines poses additional safety concerns for residents.
North Carolina DEQ approved a water permit for MVP Southgate in November 2025, a reversal of course after that state denied an earlier version of the pipeline a permit in 2020.
MVP submitted an amended version of their Southgate pipeline last year, and their proposed version was approved last month by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
MVP Southgate still requires a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and approval from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
MVP is also proposing a separate project, called MVP Boost, to build a new natural gas compressor station in Montgomery County and expand three of their existing stations in West Virginia.
