As reported by Energywire, The Biden administration has agreed to advance the controversial Mountain Valley pipeline project as part of a broader permitting reform plan in Congress, a spokesperson for Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin said earlier this month.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Joe Biden all agreed to pursue permitting reform legislation this year so that Resources Chair Manchin would support a budget reconciliation package on items including climate, taxes and health care.
The pipeline was originally supposed to be completed by 2018 but environmental groups have successfully challenged a series of federal permits for the project in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth District in Richmond, Va.
The side deal cut by Mr. Manchin and Democratic leaders would give the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit jurisdiction over all future legal challenges, taking the case away from the Fourth District, where environmentalists had found success.
According to the website, The pipeline project has a total estimated cost of $3-to-$3.5 billion dollars.
It would create approximately 5,250 jobs over the course of its construction; 2600 jobs directly related to the construction of the pipeline including positions such as equipment operators, laborers, welders while on-going maintenance would create 34 jobs.
