Court Battle Intensifies Over Southeast Gas Pipeline Expansion
A federal appeals court is weighing whether to halt Transco’s Southeast Supply Enhancement pipeline project as environmental groups challenge federal water permits tied to the expansion.
(P&GJ) — A federal appeals court is considering whether construction should continue on Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line’s Southeast Supply Enhancement Project, a proposed 55-mile natural gas expansion crossing parts of Virginia and North Carolina, according to reporting from Carolina Journal.
The case centers on a water permit issued earlier this year by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that allows the project to move forward. Environmental groups are asking the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to temporarily halt construction while legal challenges continue.
The Southeast Supply Enhancement Program would add pipeline looping and compression infrastructure designed to increase natural gas deliveries for Duke Energy customers in the Southeast. The North Carolina portion includes roughly 28 miles of new pipeline looping alongside existing Transco corridors, along with compressor upgrades in several counties.
Environmental organizations, including Appalachian Voices and the Sierra Club, argue the Army Corps failed to adequately evaluate stream and wetland crossing impacts tied to the project. The groups specifically object to the use of dry-ditch, open-cut crossing methods and claim regulators did not fully assess cumulative environmental effects.
During oral arguments, judges questioned both the environmental concerns and the potential financial impact of delaying construction. According to Carolina Journal, one judge suggested environmental groups should potentially post a bond if they seek to stop the project after construction crews and equipment have already mobilized across the route.
Lawyers representing Transco argued the project has already advanced significantly, with hundreds of workers active across the corridor and tens of millions of dollars already invested. Company attorneys also maintained that delaying work could increase environmental disruption by prolonging construction activity.
Federal attorneys defending the permit said the Army Corps followed standard review procedures and determined the project would create only minimal environmental impacts under the conditions included in the permit.
The appeals court is expected to decide whether construction can continue while the broader legal challenge proceeds.