Atlantic Coast Pipeline Permit Under Fire from Environmental Advocates

Environmental advocates asked a federal court Tuesday to review a federal permit for the 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

Appalachian Mountain Advocates, a law firm representing a coalition of environmental and citizen groups, filed a petition with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The groups, which include the Sierra Club, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, Appalachian Voices and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, are asking the court to review a federal permit issued by the Army Corps of Engineers.

The Nationwide Permit 12, which falls under Section 404 of the federal Clean Water Act, sets out how the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) must be built through streams and wetlands in West Virginia.

In a letter sent last month to Army Corps’ Huntington District, the groups argue the pipeline developer has admitted it cannot cross parts of the Greenbrier, West Fork and Buckhannon rivers in the 72-hour time frame mandated by the permit, and thus its Nationwide Permit 12 should be revoked.

The request comes days after the 4th Circuit stayed the same permit issued to the Mountain Valley Pipeline for failing to complete construction quickly enough.

Once completed, the 600-mile, 42-inch ACP pipeline will bring natural gas from West Virginia through Virginia to North Carolina. The ACP is being jointly developed by Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas and Southern Company Gas.

A spokesperson for the ACP could not be reached for comment.