For the second time in a week, the Biden administration has backed the Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline, which a leading Democratic senator has introduced into legislation to speed up approvals for fossil fuel and power transmission projects.
Equitrans Midstream Corp. ’s $6.6 billion Mountain Valley pipeline is opposed by environmentalists but has the support of officials in the Biden administration, including Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. He has said that the United States should focus on energy security and transitioning to renewable energy.
“The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today issued a Record of Decision for the Mountain Valley Pipeline,” the agency, part of the Department of the Interior, said in a statement. “BLM is moving to the next stage, processing a revised right-of-way application for the project.”
Senator Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat from West Virginia, has introduced a bill to speed up transmission lines to carry energy away from fossil fuel projects and renewable projects. His bill calls for the Biden administration to allow the pipeline to pass through his state. The Munchin Act is one of several licensing proposals in Congress.
A pipeline that would unlock gas resources from Appalachia, the nation’s largest shale gas basin, is still under review and approval, including in West Virginia.
Manchin said the BLM’s move is “the next step toward completing this critical energy infrastructure that will strengthen our energy and national security, boost the West Virginia economy and benefit the nation of more than 2 billion.” cubic feet of natural gas each day to power homes and businesses.
The U.S. Forest Service on Tuesday issued a permit to run the pipeline through the Jefferson National Forest between Virginia and West Virginia.
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