The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has rejected a rehearing on unauthorized tree cutting associated with the $1 billion Constitution Pipeline in New York and Pennsylvania, Kallanish Energy reports.
The rehearing had been requested by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. He had filed his objections last May and FERC had rejected them in July.
Trees were cut along the route, not by the pipeline company, but largely by landowners wanting to make money from the sale of wood, observers had reported.
FERC had issued an order allowing limited tree clearing, even though New York had not approved the pipeline.
The rejection of the rehearing came last week in a six-page ruling by FERC.
In a separate action, FERC also rejected a request by the Catskill Mountainkeeper and five other eco-groups to rescind a two-year extension FERC had granted to the Constitution Pipeline. The pipeline is now scheduled to be completed by Dec. 2, 2018.
Constitution Pipeline Co. had requested the extension to build the 124-mile natural gas pipeline, after New York state refused to approve the project. A lawsuit against New York is pending in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
In December 2014, FERC approved the pipeline, contingent on the project winning state water-quality permits and completing work by December 2016.
The pipeline is a joint project by Williams, Cabot Oil and Gas, Piedmont Natural Gas and WGL Holdings.
It would run from Dimock, Pennsylvania, to Schoharie County in New York, and transport 650 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of Marcellus Shale natural gas, enough gas to heat 3 million homes.
