A 75-mile natural gas pipeline project that would extend the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) to North Carolina advanced at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) with the release of a favorable final environmental impact statement.
According to SPG Global, FERC concluded that the additional pipeline, MVP Southgate, would result in limited adverse environmental impacts. Even so, MVP Southgate has drawn strong pushback from environmental groups. The environmental review has also attracted notes of caution from some federal and state agencies and from competing pipelines.
According to the report, some commenters highlighted problems with erosion that occurred during construction of the MVP. FERC, on the other hand, said the plan and its procedures are sufficient to minimize impacts to resources. The project is unlikely to permanently affect surface or groundwater resources.
Construction on the pipeline, estimated to cost $468 million, will begin this year and be completed in 2021.
Source: S&P Global
