A coalition of environmental groups is taking the Army Corps of Engineers to court over a water permit the agency issued for a Southeast gas pipeline project, asking a federal appeals court to toss out the authorization.
The five groups — represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) and Appalachian Mountain Advocates — are challenging a Section 404 water permit the Army Corps issued in February for the Southeast Supply Enhancement project (SSEP), which involves building 55 miles of new natural gas pipeline in parts of Virginia and North Carolina.
In granting the 404 permit for the SSEP, the Army Corps has “failed in its vital mission, threatening great harms to the waters and the communities that would be affected by this destructive project,” said David Sligh, director of the water quality program at Wild Virginia, in a statement released with the lawsuit Monday.
Wild Virginia is one of the groups behind the lawsuit, a cohort that also includes the Sierra Club. The groups took issue with the pipeline installation technique the project would use, asserting it could “permanently damage aquatic ecosystems,” according to a Sierra Club news release.
