Administrative Watch: Feds Deny Unseasonal Clearing for Pipeline
Federal officials have refused a new clearing request for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP).
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) last week denied Dominion Energy’s request to extend its tree clearing work along the proposed pipeline route for another two months (to May 15). FERC’s original fall-to-spring date limits for pipeline clearing ended in March. The limits were established for the protection of migratory bats and birds, including species of owls and warblers.
Dominion asked for the extension so that it could continue on its desired fast-track timeline of pipeline construction. Instead, FERC concluded that environmental protections would be compromised by the later clearing, and rejected it. Clearing could begin again in the fall.
The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), representing Virginia-based citizen environmental groups fighting the pipeline, praised the FERC rejection. “FERC made the right decision today by holding ACP developers to their promise to protect migratory birds. Tree-cutting restrictions are a critical part of the measures FERC required to minimize the harmful effects of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline,” said SELC senior attorney, Greg Buppert. “Dominion’s last-minute request to renege on its commitments to environmental protection is another example of the company’s attempt to flex its political muscle for quick rubber-stamp approvals.”
Two weeks ago, a federal judge in the Eastern District of North Carolina ruled in favor of two landowners seeking to prevent tree-clearing of the pipeline’s route across their land prior to the settlement of payment claims for their condemned property. The ACP had sought court authorization to clear the land before court challenges were completed.
