Justice Department Secures Win for American Energy in Crow Creek Natural Gas Pipeline

In a win for American energy, ENRD’s Natural Resources Section and Appellate Section successfully convinced a district court to deny a request to pause construction of a new natural gas pipeline. The Crow Creek pipeline will run from Idaho to Wyoming, including through Caribou-Targhee National Forest. The pipeline’s construction will further the Trump Administration’s broad efforts to unleash American energy and lower energy prices for American homes and businesses.

The project follows from a yearslong series of careful reviews and analyses — most recently with the Forest Service completing a supplemental environmental impact statement supporting the project last December. In their lawsuit challenging the pipeline’s approval, environmental groups asked the court to prevent construction. The U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho sided with ENRD. Based on the Forest Service’s years of evaluation, the court determined that plaintiff groups were unlikely to show that the government did not adequately consider potential environmental impacts from the pipeline. Likewise, the court concluded that the plaintiffs did not demonstrate a likelihood of irreparable harm from the project.

Construction of the pipeline is expected to begin this month. ENRD’s Natural Resources Section and Appellate Section will continue handling the case.