Statement: GAIN Coalition Troubled by District Court Ruling regarding Atlantic Sunrise pipeline

On Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia appeared to have ordered a temporary halt on work on the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline in response to an emergency motion filed by opposition groups.  The Court’s order is attached. The legal recourse and next steps in this decision remain unclear, and project representatives have now asked the panel for clarification of the order. The panel’s three judges approved the emergency motion while it considers a longer-term stay on construction for the project after asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to review the lifecycle GHG emissions associated with the interstate pipeline project.

Please note, the Atlantic Sunrise project was comprehensively studied and approved over a multi-year process headed by FERC.  FERC approved the construction of the project in February, and the project has received all necessary state permits to allow for construction, which has underway in Pennsylvania since September.

The following is a statement you can quote from me, Craig Stevens, the spokesperson for the Grow America’s Infrastructure Now (GAIN) coalition:

“The DC Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to halt construction of the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline, if verified, is troubling.  The project underwent nearly four years of comprehensive review and study, and has received all necessary state and federal approvals.  This roadblock – even if just temporary – sends a chilling message to an industry that is looking to invest billions of dollars in private infrastructure projects, not to mention to the thousands of Pennsylvania workers who may not have a job to go to tomorrow  – an especially tough blow to these families on the eve of the holiday season.”