The Mountain Valley Pipeline was first proposed in 2014. It was initially estimated to cost $3.5 billion and begin operation in 2018. As of May 2021, EQT Midstream Partners revised the total estimated cost to $6.2 billion and said it hoped to finish by summer of 2022.

The 303-mile, 42 inch pipeline project is half owned by Equitrans, with the rest owned by NextEra Energy, Consolidated Edison, AltaGas, and RGC Resources. Building it would mean clearing of a 125 foot-wide right-of-way for essentially the full length, with a 50 foot right-of-way remaining cleared for the life of the pipeline. It would cross 1,000 streams and wetlands MVP would also have to build three compressor stations.

It would cut across the Appalachian Trail and part of the Jefferson National Forest, and cut through some of the region’s most treasured rivers, sensitive trout streams, and endangered species habitat.

If finished, it would carry 2 billion cubic feet of methane gas per day from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia at pressures up to 1,480 pounds per square inch. According to Oil Change International, expected leakage and the burning of the methane would have the same climate change impact as 26 coal plants or 19 million passenger vehicles – in all equivalent to about 90 million metric tons of CO2 per year.