US Court Rejects Bid to Block Jordan Cove LNG

The DC Circuit Court of Appeals on October 6 rejected a bid by Oregon landowners to have federal authorisations for Pembina Pipeline’s 7.8mn mt/yr Jordan Cove LNG and its accompanying Pacific Connector Pipeline declared null and void, according to Washington, DC media reports.

In July, the landowners had sought the ruling on the grounds that they were at risk of having their land taken away during the Covid-19 pandemic for a pipeline that might never be built.

The court denied the request on the grounds that the positions of the two parties were not clear enough to warrant such a judgement. A related request for a stay of the federal authorisations, awarded by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in March, was also rejected.

The court orders were issued without prejudice, leaving the door open for future action by landowners if actions to condemn their property become imminent.