Granholm backs completion of embattled Mountain Valley Pipeline sought by Manchin
Jeremy Beaman
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Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm endorsed the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, the embattled natural gas pipeline facing immense pushback from many environmental groups and drove many congressional Democrats to oppose Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) permitting reform bill last Congress.
Granholm said MVP would be a strategic asset for the administration’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to “expeditiously” approve any further regulatory authorizations for the pipeline as they pop up.
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The pipeline can “play an important role as part of the clean energy transition” when paired with carbon capture technologies and could serve to transport captured carbon and hydrogen, she said in a letter to FERC on Friday.
MVP, a pipeline designed to transport gas from the rich Marcellus Shale from West Virginia to Virginia, has faced numerous lawsuits from local and national environmental groups arguing the project will degrade the environment, resulting in delays and cost increases for the project developer.
Manchin, who chairs the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has championed the project and sought for Congress to approve unilaterally its completion with his energy permitting reform proposal last year despite unresolved litigation and outstanding environmental authorizations.
Most Senate Democrats supported the bill when it came up for a vote, although a number of liberal members in the House and Senate opposed it because of the MVP provision and other pro-fossil fuel language.
Manchin said he is glad to see the Biden administration “finally joining me in recognizing the importance of completing the Mountain Valley Pipeline to American energy security and energy supply.”
“This project is vital to ensure the reliable, affordable energy America is blessed with can be used to benefit the country and our allies. We cannot afford additional delays,” Manchin said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
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President Joe Biden endorsed Manchin’s permitting bill in December, which failed to pass the Senate.