Key Federal Regulator Attempts to Clear Path for Fracked Gas Pipeline

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a tolling order for the fracked gas Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). Although the Natural Gas Act requires that FERC act on rehearing requests within 30 days so that parties challenging a pipeline can quickly go to court, FERC uses tolling orders to extend the deadline for it to decide the rehearing request. Typically, FERC then allows construction to begin on pipelines before legal challenges to its approval have been heard. The proposed ACP would run over 600 miles from West Virginia through Virginia and into North Carolina, though leaked audio recently revealed its backers plan to build it into South Carolina, as well.

In response, Sierra Club Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign Director Kelly Martin released the following statement:

"FERC has once again lived up to its reputation as a rubber stamp for the fossil fuel industry by fast-tracking the fracked gas Atlantic Coast Pipeline while it is still in legal limbo. The people whose water, air, and communities are threatened by this dirty and dangerous pipeline deserve their day in court, but today’s decision reminds everyone that FERC has an express lane for corporate polluters. Construction of the ACP would severely damage our health, communities, and climate, and not a single foot should be built until all legal challenges are settled.”