Fearing More Spills, 114 Groups Demand Halt to Ohio Pipeline Project

"The activists also called on federal regulators to 'initiate an immediate review of horizontal drilling plans and procedures on all open pipeline dockets.'"

"More than 100 local and environmental groups are demanding federal regulators immediately halt all construction on Energy Transfer Partners' Rover gas pipeline after a series of environmental violations, including a massive spill that fouled sensitive wetlands in Ohio with several million gallons of construction mud.

The groups' concerns go beyond the Rover pipeline. They also urged federal officials to "initiate an immediate review of horizontal drilling plans and procedures on all open pipeline dockets."

"We think that FERC's review process has been delinquent so far and not thorough enough, both on this issue with respect to the horizontal drilling practices and other construction processes, but also on broader environmental issues, as well such as the climate impacts of the pipelines like Rover," said David Turnbull, campaigns director for the research and advocacy group Oil Change International, one of 114 groups that signed a letter sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Wednesday."

Zahra Hirji reports for InsideClimate News May 17, 2017.