BALTIMORE — On Wednesday, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland blocked construction of a pipeline under State-owned land in Western Maryland.
Columbia Gas filed a lawsuit on May 17, after the Maryland Board of Public Works voted unanimously against granting an easement for a segment of the pipeline that would be drilled under the Western Maryland Rail Trail. This lawsuit would grant Columbia Gas immediate access to the State-owned property.
The Attorney General’s motion to dismiss was filed on June 17.
“We are pleased that the court has agreed that a private pipeline company cannot force the State to accept a pipeline under the Western Maryland Rail Trail,” said Attorney General Brian Frosh. “We will continue to defend Maryland’s right to control its public lands against any other efforts by the natural gas industry to move forward with this project.”
