The U.S. Forest Service has approved a key permit for the proposed $6.6 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline to run through part of the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia and West Virginia. Conservation and climate groups have been trying to block the fracked gas pipeline for years. In a statement, the Wilderness Society said, “The Forest Service has bent to the will of the oil and gas industry, and is placing fossil fuel profits above our environment and public safety.” One key backer of the pipeline has been West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin.