Court throws out gas pipeline’s West Virginia water permit

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A company building a long-delayed natural gas pipeline has lost a key water permit. A federal appeals court ruled that West Virginia didn’t adequately assess the impact of building the Mountain Valley Pipeline across streams and wetlands. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with environmental groups Monday. The court said the West Virginia’s justifications for its 2021 water quality certification were “deficient.” Among other things, the court said the agency didn’t adequately address the project’s history of water quality violations and relied on the wrong standards. The permit is required under the federal Clean Water Act.