In keeping with an extensive history of persistent legal opposition to Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC (MVP), environmental groups have asked a federal appeals court to stay recently updated waterbody-crossing permits for the 303-mile, 2 million Dth/d natural gas conduit.

MVP route

In petitions filed Monday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, a coalition of plaintiffs including the Sierra Club has asked the court to put a hold on MVP’s Nationwide Permit 12 (NWP 12) approvals, issued by the Huntington, WV, and Norfolk, VA, districts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The groups have asked the Fourth Circuit to issue a stay while the court reviews the approvals, arguing that the Army Corps has failed to meet standards laid out in the federal Endangered Species Act and...