https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/politics/manchin-capito-mckinley-weigh-in... Manchin, Capito, McKinley weigh in on stopped pipelines

- By Kate Mishkin Staff writer https://www.wvgazettemail.com/users/profile/Kate%20Mishkin - 2 hrs ago - (0) https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/politics/manchin-capito-mckinley-weigh-in-on-stopped-pipelines/article_6be6ed39-83e4-58f6-8e74-a3a1df053b58.html#comments

Three members of West Virginia's congressional delegation have weighed in on two controversial natural gas pipelines, urging federal regulators to keep building them.

In a letter dated Monday https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4757076-Manchin-Capito-McKinley-Pipeline.html, Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va. urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to allow construction to resume on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Mountain Valley Pipeline as quickly as possible.

Construction on both natural gas pipelines was recently halted after the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that various federal agencies had skirted environmental protections when they approved the projects. FERC issued a stop work order on the Mountain Valley Pipeline late on Aug. 3, and then ordered a halt to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline exactly one week later, on Aug. 10.

Environmental and citizen groups called the decision to stop work on both pipelines, at least until federal agencies can issue new permits and resolve the environmental problems, a victory.

But in their letter, the lawmakers focused on the jobs and tax revenue that's now on hold.

"We write to bring our concerns to your attention, as well as to encourage FERC and the relevant permitting agencies to quickly reconsider, correct and reissue the necessary permits for these projects," they wrote.

None of the lawmakers responded to an interview request Tuesday, though. Reps. Alex Mooney and Evan Jenkins didn't sign the letter but their constituents have written to FERC about the pipelines. Mooney wasn't available for a comment, but a spokeswoman for Jenkins responded in an email.

"I understand that many people have concerns about these pipelines, but I am confident that FERC and the pipeline developers will find an environmentally-friendly way to move these projects forward in a manner that is fair to landowners.” Jenkins said through a spokeswoman.

Gov. Jim Justice, who, in June, said he'd "determine what role the state may play in expediting the construction" of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, also did not respond to a request for comment.

Both pipelines will cross all three congressional districts -- the 300-mile-long Mountain Valley Pipeline from Wetzel County, West Virginia to Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and the 600-mile-long Atlantic Coast Pipeline from Harrison County, West Virginia to eastern North Carolina.

In the letter, the lawmakers pointed to natural gas as a solution to the state's economic challenges.

"We strongly encourage you to work with the permitting agencies in question to resolve the outstanding issues as quickly as possible in a manner that allows for re-issuance of these permits and recommencement of construction," the letter says. "We also ask that you consider amending or lifting the stop work orders on these projects to ensure that the shortest possible portions of the proposed routes are affected by these delays."

FERC tapped the brakes on the Mountain Valley Pipeline https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4757123-FERC-MVP-Stop-Work-Order.html after an appeals court vacated the Bureau of Land Management’s decision to grant a right of way and the U.S. Forest Service’s decision to allow a right of way and construction through the Jefferson National Forest.

In the unanimous decision, Judge Stephanie Thacker wrote that American citizens put their faith in the Forest Service "to protect and preserve this country's forests, and they deserve more than silent acquiescence to a pipeline company's justification for upending large swaths of national forestlands."

Then, the appeals court issued an order pulling a right-of-way permit for the National Park Service that authorized construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4742097-FERC-ACP-stop-work-order.html across the Blue Ridge Parkway and issued a longer explanation for its May 15 decision to pull the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's Incidental Take Statement for the pipeline.

On Friday, FERC issued an order stopping that pipeline, too.

Per FERC's order, Mountain Valley Pipeline has submitted a 16-page temporary stabilization plan that suggests, among other things, that pipe should be lowered into the ground to avoid UV exposure.

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline hasn't yet submitted its stabilization plan.

Reach Kate Mishkin at kate.mishkin@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4843 or follow @katemishkin on Twitter.