FERC Lifts Previous (August 10) “Stop Work Order” on Atlantic Coast Pipeline; Destruction…er, Dominion Energy Predictably Celebrates

Bad news; see below for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)’s letter to Dominion Energy informing the company that Atlantic Coast Pipeline “[c]onstruction activities along project areas which had previously received a notice to proceed may now continue.” Recall that back on August 10, as we reported, FERC had issued a “stop work order” on “all portions” of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, following the August 6, 2018 decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which had “issued an order vacating a right-of-way-permit by the Department of the Interior’s National Park Service (NPS) authorizing the construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) across the Blue Ridge Parkway and providing detailed reasoning for its May 15, 2018 order vacating the Incidental Take Statement issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) with respect to the project.” Of course, Dominion is thrilled with this order, saying that “We commend the Fish & Wildlife Service and National Park Service for promptly addressing the issues raised by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and FERC’s Stop Work Order. The agencies have reaffirmed that the project does not threaten any federally protected species and is consistent with the public use of the Blue Ridge Parkway.” Vomit.