Environmental groups sued the federal government Monday over allowing the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, arguing the project violates environmental law. The Sierra Club, Northern Plains Resource Council, Bold Alliance, and other groups filed the suit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, saying that it violated the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
Those environmental groups sent separate notices of intent to sue to the Army Corps, Trump administration, and TransCanada Energy over violations to the Endangered Species Act through the pipeline’s construction.
They argued that construction would allow for the unlawful killing and destruction of endangered species habitats. The suit also argues that the federal government’s permit to allow the construction of the pipeline between Canada and the U.S. was done without assessing its environmental effects.
A court ruling from last winter said that the U.S. State Department violated environmental laws by “failing to supplement its 2014 enviornmental impact statement,” according to The Hill.
Another ruling placed a stay on construction from going forward, but the Trump administration rescinded that 2017 permit in late March, and issued a new one in its place. The administration argued that the new permit, which aimed to circumvent the environmental impact statement issues, nullified the construction ban.
Source: The Hill
