An appeals court on Tuesday dismissed claims that federal energy regulators should have considered alternatives to building new gas infrastructure before approving a pipeline expansion project in Indiana.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had provided “ample explanation and analysis” of both the economic benefits and environmental effects of Texas Gas Transmission’s Henderson County Expansion Project.
The 24-mile pipeline is slated to deliver gas to serve as a backup source for wind and solar energy. Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana, which challenged the FERC approval in 2023, claimed the commission should have considered the purpose of the project to be the expansion of the electric grid’s use of renewable power.
The D.C. Circuit disagreed, finding that FERC’s responsibility was narrowly focused on development of the gas pipeline component of the project meant to replace retiring coal infrastructure.
