A divided federal appeals court has ordered a temporary freeze on key water permits for a gas pipeline in Tennessee, throwing into question the timeline for the project’s completion.
On Friday, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 2-1 decision freezing two Clean Water Act permits for the Cumberland gas pipeline, while judges consider environmentalists’ claims that the plans for the pipe to cross waterways would likely violate water quality standards.
Construction on the 32-mile conduit was set to begin as soon as this week.
Clinton-appointed judges Karen Nelson Moore and Eric Clay agreed that Appalachian Voices and the Sierra Club had provided preliminary evidence that the project should remain on hold pending their legal challenge. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and Army Corps of Engineers issued the permits under Section 401 and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which ensure that construction activity such as dredging does not violate state and federal water quality standards.
