Stopping the Mountain Valley Pipeline

Home to the prolific Marcellus and Utica shale formations, the northern Appalachia natural gas industry is so large that if it were its own country, it would rank as the third-largest fracked gas producer in the world, behind only Russia and the rest of the United States. 

The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) is a fracked gas pipeline, nearly completed, that runs almost 400 miles from West Virginia to Virginia and North Carolina, threatening communities and one of the most diverse temperate forests in the world. In June 2023, the U.S. Congress passed a law declaring MVP in the country’s “national interest,” enabling construction to recommence after legal delays.

This pipeline will likely carry annual emissions equivalent to 19 million new passenger vehicles and disproportionately affect low-income communities, elderly residents, and Indigenous populations.

Our Work

Frontline movements are seeking to delay pipeline completion in the area, including through filing lawsuits, targeting investors, and engaging in non-violent civil disobedience and media campaigns. CliDef’s sister organization, Equation Campaign, is supporting people who are working on frontline activism and CliDef is providing legal expertise.