FERC: Consititution Pipeline Would Have Little Negative Impact

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has finally weighed in on the proposed Constitution Pipeline project. After months of review, the agency believes that the project would have minimal environmental impact.

The Final Environmental Impact Study, released son Friday, believes that the method of construction would be appropriate for the local ecology:

Constitution would use specialized crossing methods for several waterbodies and wetlands, would cross other waterbodies using dry crossing methods, and would be required to obtain applicable permits and provide mitigation for unavoidable impacts on waterbodies and wetlands through coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

The agency's determination read in part, "Iroquois would minimize impacts on natural and cultural resources during construction and operation of its project." This came after months of research and public comment.

It is unclear if this will directly lead to the construction of the 124 mile pipeline, but it comes as a blow to local efforts to stop the project.