Mountain Valley Pipeline Battle Has Court Questioning Authority

A panel of federal judges seemed unsure Monday whether the court has the authority to hear a dispute over the federal government’s approvals allowing construction on the Mountain Valley Pipeline to continue.

The hearing in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit centered on a petition by environmental groups to suspend reinstated water permits for the pipeline by the Army Corps of Engineers. The agency authorized the pipeline under Nationwide Permit 12, which was reissued in 2017.

Derek Teaney, an attorney at Appalachian Mountain Advocates who argued on behalf of the environmental groups, said the Corps violated the ...