Pipeline Suit

A newly filed lawsuit is seeking to stop federal regulators from granting the developers of the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline the power of eminent domain. The lawsuit was filed yesterday in federal court in Roanoke, Virginia, on behalf of property owners in the pipeline’s path. It challenges the constitutional authority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which oversees interstate natural gas pipelines, to grant eminent domain powers to private profit-seeking parties. Spokeswomen for FERC and the pipeline said they could not comment on pending litigation. The 303-mile project would transport natural gas from fracking drill fields through West Virginia before connecting to another pipeline in Virginia’s southside.