Permits approved for two controversial pipelines

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted important permits for two controversial gas pipelines on Oct. 13. Getting a "Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity" means, effectively, that both pipelines can now claim private land for easements through eminent domain.

For the $3.7 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline, "securing FERC’s blessing moved the venture a giant step forward toward launching construction of the 42-inch diameter, 303-mile buried pipeline. The project would transport about 2 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas that has been extracted by fracking in the Appalachian Basin," Duncan Adams reports for The Roanoke Times.

Some private land owners were upset about the MVP. The late Clarence Givens of Giles County, Virginia, was so upset about it that he talked about halting pipeline construction in his obituary.

Other stakeholders support the pipeline, saying it's an important step in growing the region's economy.

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which secured the same type of permit on Oct. 13, would run 600 miles from West Virginia through eight counties of rural North Carolina, Lauren Ohnesorge reports for the Triangle Business Journal.