Developers of Mountain Valley Pipeline are seeking an “emergency” permit to disturb 17 acres of wetlands as part of a plan to extend the pipeline from southern Virginia to northern North Carolina.

Taking advantage of the Trump Administration’s “energy emergency” order to speed up permitting for fossil fuel projects, the company is working to complete a 31-mile extension of natural gas pipeline from east of Chatham, Virginia, to southeast of Burlington, North Carolina. The extension is known as the Southgate Project.

The main Mountain Valley Pipeline is a more than 300-mile natural gas pipeline through West Virginia and Virginia that drew intense opposition before being completed last year. Gas began flowing through the pipeline in June 2024.