The company building a controversial natural gas pipeline across the Virginias wants to add to the project. On Wednesday, Mountain Valley Pipeline announced plans to extend its project into North Carolina.

David Seidel reports

The pipeline currently under construction will run from West Virginia to Pittsylvania County, Virginia. The proposal for what is called MVP Southgate would run another 70 miles into Rockingham and Alamance Counties in North Carolina.

The company says the project underscores the demand for lower-cost natural gas.

The extension needs approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. MVP said it hopes to have the extension in operation by late 2020.

Click here to read the full announcement from MVP

Environmental groups, like the Sierra Club, say developers overstate the demand for natural gas. And they argue that there are "serious public health and environmental justice concerns around these pipelines."