Regulators’ Pipeline Order Seen as Olive Branch to Manchin (1)

A new order from federal energy regulators on the Mountain Valley Pipeline doesn’t mean the project will be completed—but it boosts the long-delayed pipeline’s prospects and is being seen as an olive branch to a powerful lawmaker: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission order allows the Mountain Valley Pipeline to change its construction methods and is just one of the key authorizations sought by the much-debated $6.2 billion, 304-mile natural gas pipeline project. Yet FERC’s unanimous approval, issued late Friday, appeased Manchin, the chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

The West Virginia senator holds ...