{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://ross.house.gov/2023/8/ross-joins-mcclellan-foushee-manning-scott-in-urging-ferc-to-deny-mountain-valley-pipeline-southgate-certificate-extension", "Ross Joins McClellan, Foushee, Manning, Scott in Urging FERC to Deny Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate Certificate Extension", "2023-08-17", "2023", "2023-08", "Democrat", "House", "NC", "Deborah K. Ross", "R000305", "ross.house.gov", "ross", "https://ross.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) joined Representatives Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Kathy Manning (NC-06), Robert C. \u201cBobby\u201d Scott (VA-03), and 27 House Democrats in a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) urging the Commission to deny Mountain Valley Pipeline\u2019s (MVP) requested extension of its Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the Southgate project. The certificate is needed for construction of a 73-mile proposed extension of the MVP, which would span from southern Virginia into northwestern North Carolina.\n\nConstruction of MVP Southgate poses serious climate and environmental justice risks, including risks to drinking water quality. According to the North Carolina Department of Environment Quality (DEQ), MVP Southgate would impact 301,994 square feet of regulated riparian buffers; 13,986 linear feet of streams; and 12.4 acres of wetlands.\n\n\u201cAs Members of Congress committed to addressing the climate crisis, we\u2026 urge the Commission to deny an extension of the Certificate for MVP Southgate,\u201d wrote the lawmakers. \u201cIf built, this pipeline would lock homes and businesses in the Southeast into the long-term use of natural gas during a critical moment in which we must transition away from fossil fuels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.\u201d\n\nSince the initial filing for Southgate, Congress has taken historic action to fight climate change and advance clean energy technologies through passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. The law invests billions of federal dollars to support residential and commercial alternatives to natural gas.\n\n\u201cIn the five years since the Southgate extension was proposed, the energy landscape has continued to evolve, further diminishing the need for additional gas for residential purposes,\u201d continued the lawmakers. \u201cClean energy generation continues to grow, and home electrification has become more accessible through the passage of federal climate and clean energy legislation\u2026 Given this changed landscape, the Commission should not rely on its previous and now outdated determination that there is a market need for this pipeline.\u201d\n\nThe Southgate project was not covered under the Fiscal Responsibility Act provisions for the automatic approval of the MVP mainline.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://ross.house.gov/2023/8/ross-joins-mcclellan-foushee-manning-scott-in-urging-ferc-to-deny-mountain-valley-pipeline-southgate-certificate-extension"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.997804269194603, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}