Manchin furious with climate activists after court order halts pipeline

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin is livid with climate activists for interfering in the completion of a major pipeline after an appeals court blocked construction.

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals recently determined that the Mountain Valley Pipeline may not resume construction until the state of West Virginia reconsiders a permit that would allow the pipeline to pass through state waters, the Washington Times reported. The pipeline is largely complete but is four years behind schedule due to repeated delays.

Machin for his part, took aim at climate activists who had worked against the project, saying "[i]t is infuriating to see the same 4th Circuit Court panel deal yet another setback for the Mountain Valley Pipeline project and once again side with activists who seem hell-bent on killing any fossil energy that will make our country energy independent and secure."

He further asserted, per the outlet, that they are "standing in the way of restoring land to its natural beauty, getting more product to market to bolster our energy security and bring down prices and allowing West Virginians to benefit from the natural resources they own."

Last year, Manchin tried unsuccessfully to expedite the process by striking a deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in which the West Virginia Democrat would throw his support behind the $740 billion Inflation Reduction Act in exchange for a measure that would curb local review of key energy projects.

Manchin followed through on his end, but stiff Democratic opposition from the party's environmentalist wing forced Schumer to pull the permitting reform from a continuing resolution.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.