Mountain Valley Pipeline construction won't jeopardize protected species, federal review says

Construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, should it continue, is not likely to jeopardize five endangered or threatened species of fish, bats and plants, a long-awaited federal authorization has concluded.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Friday issued a revised biological opinion, which was essentially a rewrite of its finding in 2017.

After a legal challenge was filed by Wild Virginia and six other environmental groups last August, a federal appeals court stayed the original opinion. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission then issued a stop-work order in October.

Following a nearly year-long reconsideration, the Fish and Wildlife Service released a 226-page opinion that found the massive project — which has run into repeated problems with erosion on steep mountain slopes — would not jeopardize protected species.

Read more: https://roanoke.com/business/local/mountain-valley-pipeline-construction-wont-jeopardize-protected-species-federal-review-says/article_fe7bc356-c02b-5ffc-886f-3d77089b320c.html