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Environmentalists ask court to block construction of Atlantic Coast pipeline

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Environmentalists ask court to block construction of Atlantic Coast pipeline

Pipeline opponents asked a federal court to stop construction work on the 600-mile Atlantic Coast pipeline until the court decides on the project's validity.

Representing the opponents, which are mostly local conservation groups such as Shenandoah Valley Network and Virginia Wilderness Committee, attorneys from the Southern Environmental Law Center and Appalachian Mountain Advocates asked the U.S. Appeals Court for the 4th Circuit to halt construction activities on the project. The groups had challenged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's October 2017 certificate order for the 1.5-Bcf/d project. In the March 8 court filing, the groups said a temporary stop to construction should apply at least until the court determines if the FERC authorization was legal.

"If construction is allowed to go forward and the court later decides this permit is invalid, it will be impossible to undo the damage," Southern Environmental Law Center senior attorney Gregory Buppert said March 9.

The pipeline, a joint venture of Dominion Energy Inc., Duke Energy Corp. and Southern Co. Gas, has encountered similar legal obstacles from other pipeline opponents. Speaking for the developers, Dominion Energy has pointed out that the project went through a rigorous environmental review at FERC before it was approved.

The commission authorized early work such as tree felling on the project Jan. 19. (FERC docket CP15-554)