SCOTUS Sends Pipeline Eminent Domain Case Back to the District Court
Our blog (and law firm, for that matter) is no stranger to federal pipeline eminent domain cases. Here are some of our prior blog posts about the topic for your reading pleasure. The most recent news comes from the United States Supreme Court in a matter that challenges the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (“FERC”)...
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Oberlin Pipeline Challege Ends at DC Circuit Court of Appeal
“Tin soldiers and Nixon’s coming We’re finally on our own This summer I hear the drumming Four dead in Ohio….” Ohio, Crosby Stills Nash & Young (Neil Young). Well, it’s not as drastic as “four dead in Ohio”, but I love the tune and the City of Oberlin’s appeal is now dead (unless miraculously revived...
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SCOTUS Declines to Hear Dakota Access Pipeline Case
Image courtesy of researchgate.net With over 7,000 requests for review per year, the Supreme Court of the United States has its hands full and hears only about 100-150 cases in a given year. One case that recently did not make the cut was an appeal submitted by the operator of the Dakota Access Pipeline...
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PennEast Pipeline Prevails Because State Consented to Taking Under the “Plan of the Constitutional Convention” in 1787
In a 5-4 decision issued yesterday, the United States Supreme Court answered the question “whether the Federal Government can constitutionally confer on pipeline companies the authority to condemn necessary rights-of way in which a State has an interest. We hold that it can.” The full text of the opinion is here. By way of recap,...
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US Supreme Court Alert – PennEast Pipeline Cert Petition Granted !
All you SCOTUS watchers already know the news, but yesterday the United States Supreme Court granted PennEast Pipeline Company’s petition for certiorari. Petition GRANTED. In addition to the question presented by the petition, the parties are directed to brief and argue the following question: Did the Court of Appeals properly exercise jurisdiction over this case?...
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Property Owners Standing Strong Against Pipeline Companies
Just as President Trump moves to block Russia’s expansion of its natural gas pipeline infrastructure, local property owners continue to stand their ground against pipeline companies. PennEast Pipeline & the Supreme Court Several owners in Mercery County opposed the PennEast Pipeline project. NextCity just published an article detailing an owner’s years-long battle against PennEast. Back...
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Federal Appeals Court Rules PennEast Cannot Haul State into Federal Court for Pipeline Takings
We may be late to the party, as there has already been a lot of publicity over this decision, but thought we would add a few lines for our readers. The Circuit Court immediately explained that the District Court granted PennEast “orders of condemnation and preliminary injunctive relief for immediate access to the properties.” Slip...
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PennEast Pipeline Under Appeal to Federal Circuit Court of Appeal
On August 10, 2018, FERC issued an Order Denying Requests for Rehearing on its grant of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to PennEast Pipeline, LLC.2018-8-10 FERC Order Denying Rehearing. On August 13, 2018, New Jersey Conservation Foundation and Delaware Riverkeeper appealed. FERC issued its Certificate for the PennEast Pipeline in January of this...
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State Law Held to Apply in Federal Court Pipeline Taking
A Florida Federal District Court judge court recently held that Florida’s state eminent domain laws should be applied to a taking by a private pipeline company which relied upon the Natural Gas Act, federal law which allows private companies to use eminent domain in the federal courts “in matters relating to the transportation of natural gas...
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Property Owners Protest Penn East Pipeline at Delaware RiverKeeper Meeting
Legions of property owners turned out in opposition to the proposed Penn East Natural Gas pipeline at the at the quarterly meeting of Delaware River Basin Commission. Reported here. The general comments were consist with those of Doug O’Malleym director of Environment New Jersey: “PennEast is trying to peddle a pipeline to the residents of...
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