The Shadow
The Mountain Valley Pipeline is an under-construction natural gas pipeline that will run a little over 300 miles from northwest West Virginia through southern Virginia once it is finished. However, some are wondering if that is ever going to happen.
Since the initial request to begin construction, the Mountain Valley Pipeline has been met with continuous opposition for a number of reasons: some are concerned about the location and the fact that it cuts across the Appalachian Trail, while others are worried about the damage it could do to wildlife and nature. One protestor went so far as to chain themselves to the construction equipment.
For the most part, those opposed to the building of the Mountain Valley Pipeline seem to agree that environmental laws are being ignored and that Congress has overstepped and violated the separation of powers clause in the Constitution. “Congress cannot mandate that federal regulators throw caution to the wind,” Ben Jealous, Sierra Club Executive Director, said in a recent statement. “Environmental laws are more than just mere suggestions, and must be adhered to.”
Although the Biden administration has approved the permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, construction on it was recently halted by a court in Richmond. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va) reacted to the halted construction on Twitter. “The law passed by Congress & signed by POTUS is clear – the 4th Circuit no longer has jurisdiction over MVP’s construction permits,” Manchin tweeted. “This new order halting construction is unlawful, & regardless of your position on MVP, it should alarm every American when a court ignores the law.”
While bumper stickers saying “no pipeline” are sprouting up across Virginia and West Virginia, the battle over the Mountain Valley Pipeline could end up in the Supreme Court. At this point, it is unclear how this fight —which has raged on for over a decade— will end.
