Published by the Washington Examiner – 8.16.23. Authored by Breanne Deppisch. 

A group of 28 House Democrats asked Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Secretary Kimberly Bose to deny a request from the developers of the Mountain Valley Pipeline to extend the project into North Carolina, arguing in a letter this week that its construction would pose serious climate and environmental risks to affected states.

“As Members of Congress committed to addressing the climate crisis, we … urge the Commission to deny an extension of the Certificate for MVP Southgate,” said the lawmakers, led by Reps. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA), Valerie Foushee (D-NC), Kathy Manning (D-NC), and Robert Scott (D-VA).

The lawmakers cited a study from the North Carolina Department of Environment Quality that found that, if approved, the MVP Southgate extension would affect 301,994 square feet of regulated riparian buffers, 13,986 linear feet of streams, and 12.4 acres of wetlands, causing serious environmental risks, including risks to drinking water quality.

“If built, this pipeline would lock homes and businesses in the Southeast into the long-term use of natural gas during a critical moment in which we must transition away from fossil fuels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change,” the lawmakers added.

In the letter, lawmakers noted that the Southgate extension, which would expand the Mountain Valley Pipeline by an additional 73 miles, was not included in the debt ceiling deal negotiated this summer by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

The Fiscal Responsibility Act, which Biden signed in June, directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to authorize the completion of the 303-mile natural gas pipeline and prevented any litigation that might have challenged the pipeline.

Before that, construction had been halted on MVP for the past five years due to a series of court delays. The project has generated fierce debate and pushback from environmental groups and Democrats, who have argued that it will degrade the environment and make climate change worse.

“In the five years since the Southgate extension was proposed, the energy landscape has continued to evolve, further diminishing the need for additional gas for residential purposes,” the lawmakers said in their letter. “Clean energy generation continues to grow, and home electrification has become more accessible through the passage of federal climate and clean energy legislation.”

Once fully operational, the pipeline is expected to have a capacity of 2 billion cubic feet per day, said project developer Equitrans. It hopes to finish construction of the pipeline as early as this year.

Link to article: House Democrats ask Biden administration to deny 73-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline extension | Washington Examiner

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