US ruling on gas pipeline sparks winter fuel concerns: press
The US Supreme Court (USSC) has ruled against an appeal by a Missouri-based pipeline company to keep gas flowing through a 65-mile line, The Associated Press reported October 15.
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled in July that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) failed to “balance public benefits and adverse impacts” when approving the STL natural gas pipeline for St. Louis-based Spire, the AP noted.
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Without comment, USSC chief justice John Roberts rejected an appeal filed by Spire, meaning the pipeline may be forced to close by December 13 unless FERC steps in with an emergency extension.
A temporary certificate to continue operations came “after a June 22 decision by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which vacated the STL Pipeline's FERC authorization and remanded it back to the agency for further review,” Spire said in September. “On July 26, Spire filed an application for a temporary emergency certificate stating that if the STL Pipeline is removed from service, Spire Missouri customers in the St. Louis region would not have adequate gas supply and may see serious service disruptions during extreme cold weather periods.”
The US Energy Information Administration warned earlier this week that consumers could face a tough winter heating season given the exponential rise in prices for natural gas and heating fuels.
The AP noted that groups opposing the pipeline said the company had overstated its concerns, adding FERC was likely to allow the 65-mile network to continue working through the winter.
FERC signed off on the pipeline in 2018.