In December, the United States District Court of New Jersey ruled that the PennEast Pipeline Co. LLC was granted access to use eminent domain to seize properties it requires in New Jersey in order to perform surveys.
With the latest ruling, there have been questions regarding what this means for the future of the PennEast pipeline and the individuals still fighting it.
Shareholder Tim Duggan of Stark & Stark is representing several nonprofit organizations, government entities, and several dozen private property owners who are defending the lawsuit filed by PennEast to take the aforementioned properties.
In the past two months, several local news outlets have interviewed Tim regarding PennEast and the ruling.
“When you have a case that’s so close to people — a natural gas pipeline in their backyard — it’s an emotional case and it requires a lot of hand-holding and contact,” Duggan said in his interview with ROI-NJ. You can read more about his interview here.
“Because so many people said ‘no’ and held their ground, PennEast doesn’t have the ability to submit the necessary information. I think that’s what’s different about this case. [PennEast] picked an area where there are environmental groups, townships and people who are really concerned about the impact,” Duggan said in his interview with The Morning Call. You can read more about his interview here.
“This is a temporary setback for the property owners,” Duggan said in an interview with NJBIZ. “PennEast is a long ways off from getting a shovel in the ground and needs numerous approvals and permits to actually construct the pipeline, including getting approvals from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The property owners that are against the pipeline know this is a tough battle, but they are willing to go the distance.” You can read more on the article here.
