SEPT. REPORT TO CARBON COUNTY STAKEHOLDERS
By SAVE CARBON COUNTY
PennEast/UGI Pipeline Project- Prepared 9/29/2019
The big news: On September 10th, a three-judge panel of the 3rd District Appeals Court, overturned an earlier ruling and upheld the State of New Jersey’s appeal. New Jersey had argued that PennEast, as a private company, did not have the right to use Eminent Domain to take easements across state-owned or state-conserved properties. New Jersey argued that under the Constitution, the State has sovereign rights that cannot be usurped by a private company. If the ruling stands, it means that PennEast will not be able to cross approximately 75 state owned or conserved properties. This leaves PennEast with some difficult choices: (1) major rerouting of the project around these properties with the huge delays that would be involved or (2) appeal to the Supreme Court which takes less than 3% of the cases presented. The ruling by the District Court is in line with another recent ruling in favor of the State of Maryland versus a pipeline company seeking to take easements from state properties. Since this ruling was by a three-judge panel of the Court, the first move for PennEast will probably be to ask for all nine judges of the Court to consider the case. I am told that it is very likely the Court will agree to a full-panel hearing.
In the meantime, all of the impacted landowners and pipeline fighters are enjoying the win.
Last month PennEast resubmitted their application to NJDEP. This month, it was again rejected by NJDEP for a lack of information.
The Fourth Annual Pipeline Blowout, hosted by Roy and Linda Christman, is scheduled for October 27th at the Big Creek Grange near Beltzville State Park. The party will begin at 1PM and end at 2:30PM. There will be good food, drinks, desserts and a live bluegrass band to entertain. We will also have a few speeches, a basket auction, and activities for the kids. You are cordially invited. The event is free.
Save Carbon County is a member of a regional and two-state effort to stop the PennEast/UGI pipeline. Local information can be found on FaceBook at “Stop the Fracking Pipeline.” Regional Information can be found on FaceBook at “Stop PennEast Pipeline.”
HALT PennEast 