MVP Basics
What is it?
The Mountain Valley PIpeline is a 303-mile, 42-inch diameter fracked gas pipeline traveling over the steep slopes and pristine waters of West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina.
Why We Resist
The gas is not needed
MVP is reckless
MVP is a climate nightmare
Pipes lying on the Mountain Valley Pipeline route on a steep slope.
Timeline
2014
October, 2014
MVP First Proposed
2015
October 23rd, 2015
MVP Asks For Key Permit
MVP files an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) with a goal to complete the project by late 2018.
2017
October-December, 2017
MVP Receives Key Permits
MVP receives key permits from FERC, the Virginia State Water Control Board, the Bureau of Land Management, and the US Army Corps of Engineers.
2018
Early 2018
Pipeline Construction Begins
MVP moves its target completion date to the fourth quarter of 2019.
April 1, 2018
Landowner Lives in a Tree to Protest Pipeline
61 year old Red Terry began living in a tree on her land in Bent Mountain, VA to protest construction of the Mountain Valley PiIpeline.
July 23, 2018
Grandmother Locks Down to Protest Pipeline
Becky Crabtree, a sixty-four-year-old grandmother, sets up a blockade on her own property in her 1978 Ford Pinto stilted on cinder blocks. A portion of her land was acquired by MVP through eminent domain, and the pipeline now runs through the site.
July 27, 2018
MVP Loses Ability to Go Through Federal Land
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals takes away MVP’s ability to go through federal land because of their failure to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act, National Forest Management Act, and Mineral Leasing Act.
September 5, 2018
Yellow Finch Tree Sit Begins
This aerial occupation lasted 932 days and has been lauded by activists as the longest tree sit on the East Coast in US history. The blockade is said to have cost the MVP $213,000.
October 2, 2018
MVP Loses Permit
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals takes away a permit from MVP because the permit overlooked the West Virginian requirement that pipeline stream crossings be completed in seventy-two hours to limit harm to the environment.
December, 2018
State of Virginia Sues MVP
The State of Virginia sues MVP for environmental violations. MVP ultimately pays Virginia $2.15 million.
2019
October 11, 2019
MVP Loses Two Key Permits
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals takes away two key permits from MVP: the Biological Opinion and Incidental Take Statement.
October 15, 2019
MVP Work Stops
FERC orders all work on MVP stop except stabilization and restoration activities, largely because MVP lost its Biological Opinion and Incidental Take Statement due to concerns about the five endangered species further threatened by pipeline construction.
2020
June, 2020
MVP Claims Completion by Early 2021
August 11, 2020
Key MVP Water Permit is Denied
North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality denies MVP’s request for a water quality certification for its Southgate extension.
August 25, 2020
MVP Asks for More Time to Build
MVP applies for a two-year extension on the original permit it received from FERC, which expired in mid-October 2020.
September 4, 2020
Regulators Say MVP Won’t Hurt Endangered Species
MVP’s Biological Opinion and Incidental Take Statement is reinstated by federal regulators who claim the pipeline will not jeopardize the five endangered species that live in its path.
September 11, 2020
MVP Gets Key Permits
The US Army Corps of Engineers gives MVP back three permits after the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals took them away. This allows MVP to cross almost 1,000 streams and wetlands.
October 9, 2020
Regulators Extend MVP Timeline
FERC extends MVP’s key original permit for four more years.
2021
March 24, 2021
Yellow Finch Tree Sit Ends
The Yellow Finch tree sit officially ends after two activists are extracted from the site by law enforcement with the help of a hydraulic crane that was hauled in piece by piece and constructed on site.
April 25, 2021
Protesters Run Entire MVP Route
Three people ran the entire 303 mile route of the MVP to protest the project. It took them 10 days.
June 30, 2021
Elders Lock Down to Pipeline Route
Three elders sitting in rocking chairs chained themselves to a car that read “Old Hills & Old Folks Resist” for over ten hours.
2022
February 21, 2022
Biggest MVP Investor Steps Back
The biggest backer of the MVP, NextEra Energy, writes off its investment in the pipeline, due to “a very low probability of pipeline completion.”
May 3, 2022
MVP Timeline and Cost Increases
MVP revises completion to the end of 2023, increasing the project’s cost to $6.6 billion.
July 27, 2022
Manchin, Biden, and the “Dirty Deal”
Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia hinges his support of President Biden’s historic climate bill on a future bill that would fast-track completion of the MVP (dubbed the “Dirty Deal” by MVP opposition). He strikes this deal with Biden and Democratic leadership.
September 8, 2022
Mass Protests in Washington DC
Mass Indigenous and frontline-led protests take place in Washington, DC, in response to Manchin’s “Dirty Deal” with Democrats.
September 27, 2022
Senator Manchin withdraws “Dirty Deal” Bill
Senator Manchin withdraws his “Dirty Deal” from a must-pass bill in the Senate.
October 20, 2022
Eminent Domain Dismissal in NC
MVP voluntarily dismisses all eminent domain proceedings in North Carolina.
November and December, 2022
Manchin Tries to Bring His “Dirty Deal” Back
Senator Manchin tries to pass his “Dirty Deal” again by attempting to get it into the must-pass National Defense Authority Act (NDAA). The “Dirty Deal” is dropped from the NDAA. Manchin then tries to add it as an amendment. This attempt is rejected.
2023
January through June, 2023
Manchin Succeeds in Passing the “Dirty Deal”
Manchin and Republicans try twice more to pass the “Dirty Deal.” Ultimately, they put it in the Fiscal Responsibility Act. Congress passes the bill, fast-tracking the MVP.
June 8, 2023
Mass Protest in DC
Mass protest to Congress’ decision takes place in Washington, DC.
July 9, 2023
Federal Regulators Restart MVP construction
July 9, 2023
Federal Regulators Restart MVP construction
July, 2023
MVP Forced to Stop Construction, Then SCOTUS Overrules Decision
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals stops construction until other key permits are reviewed. MVP asks the Supreme Court to restart construction. The Supreme Court restarts all MVP construction. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rules that Congress was stripped of jurisdiction to make a decision on the case through the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
October, 2023
More MVP Delay and Cost Increase
MVP announces its budget has ballooned to twice the initial budget, from $3.7 billion to $7.2 billion, and they will not complete construction until six years after the initial completion date, stretching from 2018 to 2024.
December, 2023
MVP Halves Plans for Extension
MVP announces it will halve its plans for an extension of the pipeline into northern North Carolina, from 72 miles to 31 miles.
2024
February, 2024
MVP Causes Major Pollution Disaster, Landslide, Increases Cost and Timeline
MVP caused a catastrophic pollution disaster in Sinking Creek in Newport, Virginia, by dumping heavy sediment into groundwater, leading to the pollution entering Sinking Creek, a local water source. MVP caused a significant landslide next to a major road and two historic sites. MVP increased its cost to nearly $8 billion and delayed its timeline.
March, 2024
MVP Fined for Environmental Violations in Virginia
May 2, 2024
MVP Causes Pipe Explosion During Testing, Increases Cost
A MVP pipe explodes during hydrostatic testing, discharging significant pollution to local water sources. Another cost increase continues to edge the project towards $8 billion.
May 8, 2024
Activists Demand Accountability for MVP Disasters from Financiers
One hundred frontline activists and allies gather in Charlotte, NC–the headquarters of Bank of America, one of the biggest backers of MVP– to demand accountability from financiers for the MVP pipe explosion. Activists demand Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Chase, and Vanguard stop backing fossil fuel projects like MVP.
June 10, 2024
MVP Reports Hundreds of Problems and Claims Completion
MVP reports to federal regulators that it has found more than one hundred problems that require repair and analysis and asks the government to allow it to start pumping methane gas in 24 hours.
June 11, 2024
Regulators Allow MVP to Start Pumping Methane Gas
July, 2024
MVP Causes Pollution Disasters
MVP continues to cause pollution disasters in local waterways along the route as it pumps methane gas.
MVP Resistance Continues
Resistance to the methane gas MVP continues along the route. Community members continue to monitor the pipeline route to ensure community and environmental safety. Community members also continue to fight the MVP Southgate extension and Williams’ Transco Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP), which run the same route in southern Virginia and northern North Carolina.