A split FERC on Wednesday upheld a recent decision to allow Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC (MVP) to partially resume construction near national forest lands, denying a stay request filed by a coalition of environmental groups.

MVP

Divided three to two along party lines, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rebuffed efforts to overturn a December order allowing MVP, developers of a 303-mile, 2 million Dth/d Appalachia-to-Southeast natural gas conduit, to resume construction in part of an exclusion zone near the Jefferson National Forest.

Republican Commissioners James Danly, Neil Chatterjee and Mark Christie provided the support needed to pass the order over the dissent of the body’s two Democrats, Chairman Richard Glick and Commissioner Allison Clements.

The debate centered...