Construction of the proposed $8-billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline overcame a major hurdle June 15 when the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed U.S. Forest Service authority to allow it to cross under the AppalachianTrail, but the 604-mile natural gas line has other obstacles to overcome including a challenge to its main permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The Forest Service challenged a lower court decision to reject its permission granted in 2018 for a 16-mile segment of the project 600-feet below the trail in Virginia. The lower court said the trail had become part of the National Park system and under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Park Service