FERC Should Stand by its Order

Charlottesville, VA—Today, Atlantic Coast Pipeline developers submitted a response to a Federal Regulatory Energy Commission request for more information after the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a permit issued by the Fish and Wildlife Service for the project. Following the Court’s order, developers asked FERC for the right to continue construction despite the potential harm to endangered species. The Southern Environmental Law Center is issuing the following statement in response to that letter and has submitted a letter to FERC: 

“No argument or map from Dominion and Duke Energy can remove the liability of undertaking construction without a valid permit from the Fish and Wildlife Service,” said Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney Greg Buppert. “This permit is a mandatory condition for three major federal permits held by ACP developers.  If FERC looks the other way and grants this request to Dominion and Duke, it is rewriting its own permit on the fly.”

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For more than 30 years, the Southern Environmental Law Center has used the power of the law to champion the environment of the Southeast. With over 70 attorneys and nine offices across the region, SELC is widely recognized as the Southeast’s foremost environmental organization and regional leader. SELC works on a full range of environmental issues to protect our natural resources and the health and well-being of all the people in our region.www.SouthernEnvironment.org