The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Friday rebuffed a challenge mounted by environmental groups seeking to stop Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC from restarting construction in areas reauthorized by FERC.

A coalition including the Sierra Club, Appalachian Voices and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network late last month filed an emergency motion asking the court to stay recent orders from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission clearing MVP to resume construction along much of the route outside of a portion near the Jefferson National Forest.

The groups also asked the D.C. Circuit to stay FERC’s decision to grant a two-year extension of the original deadline for the project to complete construction.

However, the court denied the motion, issuing a one-page order...