GAIN Applauds SCOTUS PennEast Ruling
In a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court today reversed a lower court’s ruling blocking developers of the PennEast natural gas pipeline from seizing New Jersey-owned land – a key step forward in the completion of the 116-mile conduit connecting Pennsylvania with New Jersey. The high court determined the Natural Gas Act authorizes private companies that had received a certificate from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to condemn “all necessary rights-of-way, whether owned by private parties or States.” The project has faced a series of legal challenges since receiving FERC approval in January 2018.
Below is a statement that can be attributed to me, Craig Stevens, spokesman for the GAIN Coalition:
“The GAIN Coalition welcomes the Supreme Court’s ruling allowing the PennEast pipeline to build on state-owned land necessary for the critical infrastructure project’s completion. Federal regulators carefully reviewed the proposed project, and ultimately issued the necessary permits for its construction. From railroads and highways to pipelines and transmission lines, the ability to invoke eminent domain after receiving all approvals is key to successfully building any large-scale infrastructure project.
“With a renewed focus on our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, the private sector is poised to play a prominent role in its modernization, development, and continued investment. Today’s decision ensures an ongoing precedent for regulatory certainty and future development.”