Biden, Manchin, GOP Back Gas Pipeline Amid Environmental Challenge
A legal battle over the construction of a new natural gas pipeline in West Virginia has brought together an unlikely alliance. President Joe Biden’s administration, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), and a group of Republican lawmakers have found common ground.
The deal to increase the U.S. debt limit last month included a provision to approve the construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a natural gas project set to run between Virginia and West Virginia. However, the Wilderness Society, an environmental group, has challenged the pipeline’s construction and obtained a court order that temporarily halts the project.
The developers of the Mountain Valley Pipeline have now turned to the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the appeals court’s decision and proceed with the pipeline. In support of this request, Sen. Joe Manchin filed an amicus curiae brief, followed by nine Republican lawmakers who also submitted their own amicus brief expressing their support for the pipeline project.
Notably, the Biden administration has also voiced its support for the pipeline project. U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar argued that the debt limit bill passed by Congress had removed the power of lower courts to stop the pipeline’s construction.
While President Biden, Sen. Manchin, and the Republican lawmakers stand united in their support for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, some Democratic lawmakers have taken the side of the Wilderness Society in opposing the project. They argue that the pipeline poses risks to the environment and private property rights.
Fossil Fuel Projects Divide Democrats
While the battle over the Mountain Valley Pipeline has brought together unlikely allies, it has also highlighted divisions within the Democratic Party. Several Democratic lawmakers have sided with the Wilderness Society in opposing the pipeline project.
In a joint amicus brief, Democratic Virginia Reps. Jennifer McClellan, Don Beyer, Gerry Connolly, Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, and Jennifer Wexton expressed their concerns about the pipeline’s potential impact on streams, wetlands, and private property. They urged the Fourth Circuit Court to consider these challenges.
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