The Supreme Court revived a lawsuit filed by Virginia property owners challenging the seizure of their land to make way for a natural gas pipeline.
The court’s decision, which came April 24 in an unsigned order with no recorded dissents, is the latest development in a long-running legal battle between Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC and six landowners in Franklin, Montgomery, and Roanoke counties.
Under the federal Natural Gas Act, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) can delegate its authority to private companies to seize land for energy projects. It delegated authority to Mountain Valley. The landowners dispute the condemnation of their land for the pipeline, arguing that Congress improperly delegated its authority to FERC….