CHARLESTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday lifted a federal court order blocking completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

In an order released Thursday morning, Chief Justice John Roberts lifted a stay nearly two weeks ago by a three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., that halted progress on the 304-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline that will transport natural gas from Wetzel County to central Virginia.

The Fourth Circuit’s three-judge panel issued a stay of the pipeline project in two different rulings after several environmental groups challenged the constitutionality of the permitting reform language in the debt ceiling agreement passed by Congress in June – the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.

The debt ceiling deal included language to require federal agencies to issue all remaining permits for the Mountain Valley.

It also moved legal jurisdiction for the project from the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, to the D.C. Circuit.

The environmental groups allege that Congress violated the separation of powers between the legislative and judicial branches by moving jurisdiction for the pipeline project to a different federal circuit. Equitrans Midstream Corporation, one of several natural gas companies involved with the Mountain Valley Pipeline project, appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and asked the justices to reverse the stay.

West Virginia’s congressional delegation – including U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va, Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and U.S. Reps. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., and Alex Mooney, R-W.Va. — filed briefs in support of lifting the stay.

“The Supreme Court has spoken and this decision to let construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline move forward again is the correct one,” Manchin said on social media. “I am relieved that the highest court in the land has upheld the law Congress passed and the President signed.”

“All necessary permits have been issued and approved, we passed bipartisan legislation in Congress, the president signed that legislation into law, and now the Supreme Court has spoken: construction on the Mountain Valley Pipeline can finally resume, which is a major win for American energy and American jobs,” Capito said in a statement.”

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Gov. Jim Justice also filed briefs in support of lifting the stay.”

“I am pleased the Supreme Court recognized the importance of this project not only for West Virginia, but for the nation,” Morrisey said. “The Mountain Valley Pipeline is vital to the survival of American energy independence and affects thousands of jobs in West Virginia–its completion is also critical to our national security, the urgent need is for it to be completed as soon as possible.”

“Great news,” Justice said on social media Thursday.

Parties in the two cases before the Fourth Circuit met Thursday for oral argument right as Roberts’ decision came down. The court must still decide whether to dismiss the challenges from the environmental groups and whether Congress has the right to change legal jurisdictions for the pipeline project.