Judges slow Sunoco’s march to the sea
“Judges in Pennsylvania have dealt a setback to a major energy company’s plans to use eminent domain for a natural gas-related pipeline, a novel corporate maneuver that could set a precedent if it were approved.
In a July 23 decision published on Wednesday, two administrative law judges working for the state’s Public Utility Commission (PUC) ruled that a subsidiary of Sunoco Logistics Partners could not sidestep local zoning rules in its drive to build a statewide pipeline that would carry so-called “natural gas liquids” including propane and ethane.
The judges, Elizabeth Barnes and David Salpa, ruled that Sunoco did not meet the definition of a “public utility” in Pennsylvania because its business involves transporting natural gas liquids for other energy companies at premium rates, not supplying natural gas or other essential products directly to the public.”
Hill, Evan. Aljazeera America 31 July 2014.