The pipeline would permanently deface national natural treasures like the Appalachian Trail.

View this email in your browser ([link removed])
[link removed]



** For Immediate Release: February 7, 2020
------------------------------------------------------------


** Citing Harm to Environment, Rutherford Institute Urges U.S. Supreme Court to Stop Construction of Gas Pipeline Through Appalachian Trail
------------------------------------------------------------

WASHINGTON, DC — Taking a stand for environmental justice for minority communities that have historically borne the brunt of the damaging effects of corporate development, The Rutherford Institute has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm a lower court ruling that halted construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline on a path that includes crossing the Appalachian Trail ([link removed]) and national forests.

In an amicus brief filed with the Supreme Court in U.S. Forest Service v. Cowpasture River Preservation Association ([link removed]) , Rutherford Institute attorneys point out that the planned pipeline construction would not only permanently deface national natural treasures like the Appalachian Trail but also would have disproportionate adverse environmental and health effects on predominantly African-American communities.

“All across the country, power companies have been given the green light by the government to build massive gas and oil pipelines that crisscross the country, cutting through private and public lands, as well as unspoiled wilderness,” said constitutional attorney John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute and author of Battlefield America: The War on the American People ([link removed]) . “These pipeline projects are a prime example of eminent domain being employed for corporate gain with no regard for how these projects might negatively impact the environment or the health and welfare of those in impacted communities.”
MAKE THE GOVERNMENT PLAY BY THE RULES OF THE CONSTITUTION: SUPPORT THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM ([link removed])

The Appalachian Trail, created in the 1930s and running from the hills of Georgia to the mountains of Maine, is an iconic symbol of the American wilderness. As described by one of its planners, the Trail “leads not merely north and south, but up to the body, soul and mind of man.” In 1968, the Appalachian Trail was officially recognized by Congress in the Trails Act, which charged the Secretary of the Interior with administration of the Trail. Administration of the Trail was thereafter delegated to the National Park Service, making the Trail part of the National Park System. In 2015, an application was made to the federal government for the construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which would transport natural gas along a 604-mile route from West Virginia southeast to North Carolina. The proposed route would run through the Appalachian Trail in Virginia, as well as through 21 miles of National Forest lands. Additionally, construction of the pipeline would entail clear-cutting 125 feet
of forest on either side of the pipeline route on lands visible from the Trail.

As part of the approval process, the National Forest Service granted the pipeline developers rights-of-way to cross the Trail. A group of environmental organizations brought a legal challenge to the approval of the pipeline, raising several irregularities in the approval process. The Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld the challenge on several grounds, including a ruling that the Forest Service did not have statutory authority to grant rights-of-way over the Appalachian Trail because it is a unit of the Park System. The U.S. Supreme Court granted the request of the government and pipeline developer to review that ruling. In an amicus brief urging the Court to affirm the decision stopping construction of the pipeline, Rutherford Institute attorneys argue that the pipeline development, with its toxic emissions and noise pollution, will impose a disproportionate burden on minority communities
([link removed]) and violates a 1994 Executive Order requiring federal agencies to prioritize environmental justice by identifying and addressing projects that have significant human health or environmental effects on minority populations.

Attorney Christopher Moriarty assisted in advancing The Rutherford Institute’s legal arguments in U.S. Forest Service v. Cowpasture River Preservation Assn. ([link removed])

The Rutherford Institute ([link removed]) , a nonprofit civil liberties organization, provides legal assistance at no charge to individuals whose constitutional rights have been threatened or violated.

Source: [link removed]
[link removed] Share ([link removed])
[link removed] https%3A%2F%2Fmailchi.mp%2Frutherford%2Ftri-urges-us-supreme-court-to-stop-construction-of-gas-pipeline-through-appalachian-trail Tweet ([link removed] https%3A%2F%2Fmailchi.mp%2Frutherford%2Ftri-urges-us-supreme-court-to-stop-construction-of-gas-pipeline-through-appalachian-trail)
[link removed] Forward ([link removed])
CLICK HERE TO MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION ([link removed])

To donate via PayPal, please click below:
[link removed]

============================================================
** Follow us on Facebook ([link removed])
** Follow us on Facebook ([link removed])
** Follow us on Twitter ([link removed])
** Follow us on Twitter ([link removed])
** YouTube ([link removed])
** YouTube ([link removed])
CONTACT INFORMATION
Nisha Whitehead
(434) 978-3888 ext. 604
** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

THE RUTHERFORD INSTITUTE
Post Office Box 7482
Charlottesville, VA 22906-7482
Phone: (434) 978-3888
** www.rutherford.org ([link removed])

Copyright © 2020 The Rutherford Institute, All rights reserved.

You are receiving this email because of your interest in the work of The Rutherford Institute. Founded in 1982 by constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead, The Rutherford Institute is a civil liberties organization that provides free legal services to people whose constitutional and human rights have been threatened or violated. To discontinue your membership electronically, or if you feel you are receiving this message in error, please follow the link below.

Under the regulations of the United States Internal Revenue Service, The Rutherford Institute is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit organization. Donations to support The Rutherford Institute’s legal and educational work help to safeguard the constitutional rights of all Americans. Donations are tax-deductible. In compliance with general industry standards of a nonprofit organization, the Institute is audited annually by an independent accounting firm.

** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])

** update subscription preferences ([link removed])