[20200626]LSB10503_最高法院访问阿巴拉契亚小道以解决管道许可纠纷.pdf

CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal SidebarLegal Sidebari i Supreme Court Visits Appalachian Trail to Address Pipeline Permitting Dispute June 26, 2020 A proposed interstate natural gas pipeline in the mid-Atlantic is one step closer to reality after obtaining one of the federal permits needed for construction and operation, thanks to a decision last week from the U.S. Supreme Court. In U.S. Forest Service v. Cowpasture River Preservation Association, the Court tackled a complex web of federal legislation and regulations that ultimately boiled down to a simple question: who has the authority to issue a permit for an infrastructure project to cross the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (Appalachian Trail or Trail)? The Court found that the U.S. Forest Service (FS) had acted properly when it issued a special use permit for the construction and operation of a subsurface pipeline segment passing under the Trail. The Court reversed a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which had held that the FS lacked statutory authority to issue the permit. The decision involves the Atlantic Coast Pipelinea proposed 604 mile natural gas pip