Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia publicly criticized judges from the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday, ripping their decision to impose a pause on construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP).
Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy’s debt ceiling deal with President Joe Biden included a compromise that the federal government would issue all outstanding permits for the MVP so that construction could proceed to completion. Manchin took to Twitter to condemn the Monday order to halt construction on the project as “unlawful.”
“The law passed by Congress & signed by POTUS is clear – the 4th Circuit no longer has jurisdiction over MVP’s construction permits,” Manchin wrote in a tweet. “This new order halting construction is unlawful, & regardless of your position on MVP, it should alarm every American when a court ignores the law.”
A panel of judges for the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals paused construction of the pipeline in the Jefferson National Forest while litigation against the construction proceeds, according to The Roanoke Times. The panel included Judges Stephanie Thacker and James Wynn, who were appointed by former President Barack Obama, and Chief Justice Roger Gregory, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush. (RELATED: ‘Political Malpractice’: Joe Manchin Tears Into Biden Over Climate Spending In Fiery Op-Ed)
As more Americans are starting to feel high costs at the gas pump, Senator Joe Manchin is reiterating a call for Biden to reinstate the Keystone XL pipeline. https://t.co/UdJKvg1vrv
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) November 23, 2021
The Wilderness Society filed a challenge of the Fiscal Responsibility Act provision, according to The Roanoke Times. It asserts that the Fourth Circuit should continue to hear the case because the underlying law which deprived them of jurisdiction is reportedly unconstitutional.
“The Court’s decisions defy the will and clear intent of a bipartisan Congress and this Administration in passing legislation to expedite completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline project, which was deemed to be in the national interest,” a spokesperson from Equitrans, a company involved in the pipeline’s construction, said in a statement shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Additionally, we believe the Court exceeded its authority, as Congress expressly and plainly removed its jurisdiction.”
The debt ceiling deal that initially granted expedition of the pipeline’s construction was a victory for fossil fuel interests under the Biden administration, which has aggressively regulated the industry as a part of its wider push for green energy. Left-wing climate protesters opposed to construction of the MVP have frequently targeted Manchin for his support of the pipeline.