FERC Issues Updated MVP Approval in Potential Sign of Shifting Policy Priorities

FERC on Friday amended Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC’s (MVP) certificate order to allow for changes to the natural gas conduit’s construction plans for 183 waterbody and wetlands crossings along the project route.

The latest Federal Energy Regulatory Commission action does not itself clear the way for the embattled 303-mile, 2 million Dth/d pipeline to resume construction. MVP must still obtain permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and from the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management — all either pending or tied up in court. 

Nonetheless, analysts viewed FERC’s latest move as potentially significant in the context of political pressure on the agency’s Democratic leadership and shifting energy policy priorities...