White House adviser Podesta says controversial pipeline was ‘inevitable’

Story by Rachel Frazin • Yesterday 

The Hill

White House adviser John Podesta said Tuesday that the approval of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) was “inevitable” — defending President Biden’s signing of legislation that advanced the pipeline.

“MVP was on its way to being permitted anyway,” Podesta said Tuesday following an event announcing funds for sustainable upgrades to federal buildings. “I think MVP was inevitable.”

Democrats first agreed to pass legislation approving the pipeline, a 303-mile project that would carry natural gas from West Virginia to Virginia, as part of their deal with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) in exchange for his vote on their climate, tax and healthcare bill.

Their initial attempts to pass it as part of a permitting reform package flopped last year, but efforts to legislate the pipeline’s approval were recently revived in a deal between the White House and House Republican leadership to lift the debt ceiling.

The passage of the provision has rankled climate activists, who say the administration should not be bolstering additional fossil fuel infrastructure.