Mountain Valley Pipeline sues protesters for obstructing construction

RGC Resources

10/11/2023 20:03

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      Developer said protesters attached themselves to
construction
equipment
    

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      The 303-mile pipeline is set to be finished in 2024
    

  
    By Clark Mindock
       Nov 10 (Reuters) - The developer of the Mountain Valley
Pipeline has sued two protesters it says blocked construction on
the $7.2 billion natural gas project, seeking compensation and
orders barring them from interfering in the future.
    Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC sued Daniel Guidry and Ashley
Stecher Wagner on Wednesday in federal court in Roanoke,
Virginia, claiming they coordinated with others to illegally
attach themselves to the land and construction equipment being
used to build a segment of the pipeline in the Jefferson
National Forest last month.
    The lawsuit said law enforcement ultimately removed the
protesters after sawing through devices anchoring them in place,
and said the removal process caused "substantial delays and
expenses" for the developer.
    The developer said it has a right to build the pipeline in
the Virginia forest and that the obstruction violated that
right. The lawsuit noted Congress expressly ratified federal
approvals for the 303-mile (488-km) pipeline running through
West Virginia and Virginia earlier this year.
    The developer is asking for undisclosed compensatory and
punitive damages, and an injunction barring Guidry and Wagner
from entering the construction area, blocking access to it or
helping others interfere with construction.
     Mountain Valley is owned by units of Equitrans Midstream,
as well as NextEra Energy  NEE.N , Consolidated Edison  ED.N 
and RGC Resources  RGCO.O  among others.
        Guidry and Wagner, who allegedly worked in coordination
with others to obstruct the construction, could not immediately
be reached for comment on Friday. 
    The pipeline was initially projected to be finished by late
2018 but was delayed by numerous legal challenges filed by
environmental groups that claimed it would cause environmental
damage and increase the use of climate change-causing natural
gas. Supporters of the project have said it is key to further
unlocking Appalachian gas and bolstering American energy
security.
    The Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ended
most of the remaining legal challenges to the project in August,
months after Democrats and Republicans in Congress struck a debt
limit deal that included express authorizations for the
pipeline. The project is now expected to be finished in the
first quarter of 2024. 
    This past summer, the developer also sued protesters in
state court for obstructing construction on remaining portions
of the pipeline.
    The case is Mountain Valley Pipeline v. Daniel Guidry and
Ashley Stecher Wagner, in the U.S. District Court for the
Western District of Virginia, case No. 7:23-cv-00727.
    For Mountain Valley: Wade Massie and Seth Land of Penn
Stuart & Eskridge
    For the protesters: Counsel information not immediately
available
    
    Read more:
    *         US appeals court rejects challenge to Mountain
Valley
pipeline
      
    *         Biden signs debt limit bill, avoiding U.S. default
      


 (Reporting by Clark Mindock)
 ((Clark.Mindock@thomsonreuters.com;))