West Virginia senators applaud Mountain Valley Pipeline approval in debt limit deal

West Virginia senators are applauding House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for including the Mountain Valley Pipeline approval in the debt limit deal he negotiated with President Joe Biden.

The full text of the Fiscal Responsibly Act, the bill resulting from negotiations between congressional leaders and the White House on the nation's debt limit, includes a provision that fast-tracks approval of the pipeline.

The bill also contains reforms to the permitting process for energy-related projects.

"Despite delay after delay, we continued to fight to get this critical natural gas pipeline up and running, and its inclusion in this deal is a significant victory for the future of West Virginia," said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.).

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, had tried to move legislation reforming the energy permitting process through the Senate after voting in favor of the $740 billion Inflation Reduction Act in December but failed to gain steam.

"I am pleased Speaker McCarthy and his leadership team see the tremendous value in completing the MVP to increase domestic energy production and drive down costs across America and especially in West Virginia," he said in a statement. "I am proud to have fought for this critical project and to have secured the bipartisan support necessary to get it across the finish line."

Environmental groups have been outspoken in their opposition to the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

President Biden ended the Keystone XL Pipeline project through executive order when he took office in 2021. However, the Biden administration had shown support for the Mountain Valley Pipeline project prior to its inclusion in the debt limit legislation. In May, the administration issued a permit for the project.