Pipeline-sector observers are watching whether a U.S. appellate court ruling, which last month canceled federal approval of a $3.2-billion Florida natural-gas line and two others for not adequately considering the projects’ contribution to greenhouse-gas emissions, could affect approvals of other planned projects.
The Aug. 22 decision by the Washington, D.C., federal appeals court vacated a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission certificate, issued in early 2016, for the Southeast Market Pipelines Project, comprising the three pipelines that began operations earlier this summer. They include the 515-mile Sabal Trail pipeline, running from Alabama to near Orlando, Fla., that was developed by Spectra Energy, which Enbridge acquired last February.