Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org, 914-261-4626
Austin, TX -- Today, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas declined to require Kinder Morgan to stop construction of the Permian Highway fracked gas pipeline across 129 waterways, allowing for the destruction of hundreds of acres of habitat for endangered species.
This spring, the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit arguing that the Army Corps failed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when it approved the project without first conducting the required analysis of environmental impacts, providing for public participation, or considering alternative routes. Today’s ruling comes in response to a motion for preliminary injunction filed by the Sierra Club in late June.
Kinder Morgan has already had multiple spills and violations during construction of the pipeline, including an incident that spilled drilling fluid into local water wells and multiple complaints about erosion and wastewater runoff.
In response, Sierra Club Staff Attorney Joshua Smith released the following statement:
"Construction of the Permian Highway pipeline has already done significant damage to waterways and communities along its route, and will do even greater damage if completed. Indeed, the Court itself recognized that the pipeline has caused a ‘great deal’ of harm to the environment. We are disappointed that the court declined to put an immediate stop to this illegal construction, and we are evaluating our options going forward. We believe we are right on the law, and we are confident we would ultimately be successful in our challenge to this dangerous fracked gas pipeline."
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.