The Fourth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals on November 7 issued a stay on the ability of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP)to cross streams in West Virginia. The Court’s order was issued in connection with a legal challenge to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Nationalwide 12 permit governing stream crossings for the ACP and will remain in effect until the Court renders an opinion on that challenge. The legal challenge was made by Appalachian Mountain Advocates (Appalmad), representing as plaintiffs the Sierra Cub, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, Appalachian Voices, and Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
Commenting on the stay, Appalmad stated: “ACP had threatened to start blasting through streams in Pocahontas and Randolph Counties as soon as tomorrow (November 8), so lawyers from Appalmad worked hard this week to stop them.”