WASHINGTON, DC (December 18, 2023) — Today, Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Congresswoman Kathy Manning (NC-06), Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), and Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) sent a second letter to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Secretary Kimberly Bose, requesting that the Commission deny an extension of the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) Southgate project. The certificate is needed for construction of a 73-mile proposed extension of the MVP, which would span from southern Virginia into northwestern North Carolina. FERC plans to review the MVP Southgate extension request at their upcoming Commission meeting Tuesday, December 19, 2023.

“MVP has demonstrated alarming disregard for community safety as it has proceeded with installation of the mainline project, and FERC should not grant another extension while the company has yet to prove whether it can comply with the consent agreement and safety measures,” the Members said.

“As Members of Congress committed to addressing the climate crisis, we echo the requests of impacted community members and leaders,” continued the lawmakers. “If built, this pipeline would lock homes and businesses in the Southeast into the long-term use of natural gas during a critical moment in which we must transition away from fossil fuels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.”

The Mountain Valley Pipeline was issued the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity in June of 2020 from FERC and in the years since, neighbors, residents and citizen groups have expressed significant concerns about environmental impacts, public safety, ecotourism, and nearby communities of color.

This letter is following up on a similar request the Members sent to FERC on August 15, 2023. Additionally, McClellan and Foushee and Manning led separate, successful efforts to extend the public comment period for the Southgate certificate extension. The Southgate project was not covered under the Fiscal Responsibility Act provisions for the automatic approval of the MVP mainline.

The full text of the letter can be viewed here.