Constitution Pipeline Project Scrapped

Victory

Decision is a major win for advocates fighting to protect clean water and our climate

Contacts

Moneen Nasmith, Earthjustice, (202) 468-8153

One of the companies behind the Constitution Pipeline has reportedly abandoned the project, following a series of legal challenges by Earthjustice and our partners. The proposed 124-mile gas pipeline was slated to run through Pennsylvania and New York, threatening water quality, wildlife, and public health. The project also would have increased demand for fracked gas, locking in more climate pollution. 

The following is a statement from staff attorney Moneen Nasmith, who led Earthjustice’s work to stop the pipeline: 

“Defeating the Constitution Pipeline is an enormous victory for advocates who have been fighting for eight years to protect New York State and its waterways. At this critical moment for our climate, we cannot afford unnecessary fossil fuel projects that will lead to more fracking and exacerbate our climate crisis. It’s time to embrace a 100% clean energy future, and today’s news is an important step in the right direction.” 

On behalf of clients such as Catskill Mountainkeeper, Riverkeeper, and Sierra Club, Earthjustice has been engaged in close partnership with other groups in numerous legal battles to stop the project, including challenging the original approval of the pipeline by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and helping to defend the State of New York’s decision to deny Constitution’s application for a critical permit under the Clean Water Act.

 

Aigars Reinholds/Shutterstock
A federal agency upheld a decision by State leaders in Albany, NY, rejecting a key permit for a large fossil fuel infrastructure project that would have created a 124-mile pipeline to transport natural gas from Pennsylvania's hydraulic fracturing wells. (Aigars Reinholds/Shutterstock)

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