In a unanimous order issued Wednesday, the commission said that all work on the 303-mile pipeline could proceed. That includes portions of the project that will run through the Jefferson National Forest and cross hundreds of waterways and wetlands in West Virginia and Virginia.

The commission also authorized FERC’s Office of Energy Projects to approve any future modifications to the Mountain Valley project as proposed by its sponsors — as long as the director of the office finds them “to be needed to complete construction.”

FERC’s order cites the debt ceiling bill that President Joe Biden signed into law earlier this month. It included provisions backed by West Virginia Sens. Joe Manchin (D) and Shelley Moore Capito (R) mandating completion of the pipeline.

“Mountain Valley looks forward to flowing domestic natural gas this winter for the benefits of reliability and affordability in the form of lower natural gas prices for consumers, while also benefiting national energy security and helping to achieve state and national goals for lowering carbon emissions,” Natalie Cox, spokesperson for lead developer Equitrans Midstream Corp., said in an email.

Russell Chisholm, managing director of the Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights coalition that has fought against the pipeline, said in a statement that he was “devastated” by Wednesday’s decision and vowed to continue the fight.

“The gas from the pipeline is unnecessary, the permanent local jobs provided are minimal, the endangerment to precious species is irreversible, water sources will be polluted, and earthquake and landslide prone areas stand in its wake,” Chisholm said.

Groups such as Appalachian Voices and Wild Virginia argued in a recent court filing that Congress overstepped when it used the new debt ceiling law to clear the way for the Mountain Valley pipeline to be completed.

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