ROANOKE, Va. — A federal appeals court has thrown out government approvals for the Mountain Valley Pipeline through Jefferson National Forest for a second time. The Roanoke Times report that a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found unanimously that the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management failed to properly predict and prevent erosion and sedimentation problems. Judge Stephanie Thacker says the agencies “erroneously failed to account for real-world data suggesting increased sedimentation along the pipeline route.” The ruling sends the permit back to the agencies for reconsideration. The court also ruled that the Forest Service prematurely authorized crossings of some streams in the national forest.
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