Consumer Energy and Environmental Advocate Applauds Ruling
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in favor the PennEast pipeline, which reversed a lower-court decision that placed the political and ideological motivations of the State of New Jersey over the needs of consumers there and in neighboring states, is a massive victory for families and small businesses and affirms the need for consistent, transparent rules in regulating interstate commerce, Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) President David Holt said.
“This decision is monumental because it is about something far more important than a single pipeline. The Supreme Court has affirmed the federal government’s power to regulate interstate commerce, one of the few explicit authorities it is given in the Constitution.”
“The framers, early in our history, understood that it would be very easy for individual states to place their needs and political motivations above those of neighboring states and the greater national good if left unchecked. That’s exactly what would have happened had the State of New Jersey’s spurious and legally unsound attempt to block PennEast if it had been left unchallenged.”
“CEA believed strongly that New Jersey’s actions would harm consumers, families and senior citizens across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, and filed a friend of the court amicus brief in March 2020 urging the Supreme Court to reverse the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in favor of New Jersey.”
“Along with the Supreme Court ruling, we are equally pleased that the Biden Administration placed national concerns above partisan ones in asking the Court to overturn the Third Circuit decision. For far too long, consumers in the region have been saddled with high energy prices, largely because of state-level obstruction and activism that disregards common sense, science and concern for costs for ordinary people and businesses.”
“This case is equally a vindication of a pipeline project that has already met and exceeded America’s stringent environmental regulations. We hope this decision will create more opportunities for environmentally responsible infrastructure projects like PennEast to move forward, putting our skilled union tradespeople to work, and reducing costs for communities who face high energy bills.”
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About Consumer Energy Alliance
Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) is the leading voice for sensible energy and environmental policies for consumers, bringing together families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers, and manufacturers to support America’s environmentally sustainable energy future. With more than 550,000 members nationwide, we are committed to leading the nation’s dialogue around energy, its critical role in the economy, and how it supports the vital supply chains for the families and businesses that depend on them. CEA works daily to encourage communities across the nation to seek sensible, realistic, and environmentally responsible solutions to meet our nation’s energy needs.
Contact:
Bryson Hull
(202) 657-2855
bhull@consumerenergyalliance.org
