WASHINGTON (WV News) — The U.S. Supreme Court has vacated stays placed on the Mountain Valley Pipeline, allowing the pipeline’s construction to resume as legal battles continue.

Project developers Equitrans Midstream Corporation petitioned Chief Justice John Roberts to lift the orders handed down July 10 and 11 by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

“The application to vacate stays presented to The Chief Justice and by him referred to the Court is granted,” Roberts wrote in the order issued Thursday, adding that both stays issued by the Fourth Circuit “are hereby vacated.”

The stays prevented construction from resuming at a 3.5-mile stretch in the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia, as well as several stream crossings in West Virginia.

The stays were issued after a lawsuit was filed by environmental groups challenging the constitutionality of the law that allowed the project to move forward.

Several West Virginia officials have advocated for the pipeline project, with West Virginia’s congressional delegation, state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Gov. Jim Justice all filing amicus briefs in support of the project.

Many of those officials celebrated the court’s decision Thursday.

“The Supreme Court has spoken, and this decision to let construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline move forward again is the correct one. I am relieved that the highest court in the land has upheld the law Congress passed and the president signed,” said U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.

“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,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.

“All three branches of government agree: The completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline is legal and must be finished immediately,” said U.S. Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va. “The American people are tired of politics interfering with domestic energy production in the name of climate change, and I am looking forward to Mountain Valley Pipeline’s swift completion, which will lower energy costs and provide jobs across West Virginia.”

“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.”

On X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., called the announcement, “A win for American energy independence!”

Gov. Justice also responded to the court’s order on the platform, writing, “Good news!”

“As important as the Mountain Valley Pipeline is for the jobs, royalties, and revenues so important to our economy, however, the natural gas that will be available once this project is completed is of even greater importance to this Nation’s energy security, and therefore to this Nation’s national security. This interest is paramount,” the governor wrote in his amicus brief.

The decision also was applauded by the The Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia.

“As the U.S. Department of Justice and now the Supreme Court have confirmed, Congress was well within its authority to expedite Mountain Valley Pipeline’s completion,” said Charlie Burd, executive director of GO-WV. “Congress and federal regulators have both concluded this pipeline project is in the public’s best interest.

“We’re pleased with the outcome of today’s ruling and look forward to seeing this important infrastructure project begin generating the environmental, energy and national security benefits America desperately needs.”

The Fiscal Responsibility Act, the debt ceiling compromise measure passed earlier this year, included provisions that directed all federal permits to be issued in a short timeframe in order to allow the long-delayed pipeline project to continue.

The law also moved the jurisdiction of any remaining or new legal challenges to the pipeline out of the Fourth Circuit, where many of the legal battles that have plagued the pipeline have taken place.

The ongoing lawsuit alleges that provision of the law violates the separation of powers between the legislative and judicial branches.

MVP’s developers hope to have the project completed by the end of the year.

The pipeline’s route in West Virginia includes Braxton, Doddridge, Fayette, Greenbrier, Harrison, Lewis, Monroe, Nicholas, Summers, Webster and Wetzel counties.

The project has faced repeated delays, setbacks and halts due to regulatory challenges brought by environmental activists and other stakeholders opposed to the pipeline.

When the project was initially announced in 2014, developers said it was expected to cost around $3.5 billion and would be completed by the end of 2018.

The cost of the project, which is around 94% complete, is now expected to have a price tag in excess of $6.5 billion, according to its developers.