Putting the Pieces of the Puzzle Together: The Natural Gas Pipeline Approval Process is a Procedural Jigsaw

This Comment examines recent appellate decisions involving the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company and argues that the interstate natural gas pipeline approval process increasingly favors pipeline developers over affected landowners. Analyzing the interaction of the Natural Gas Act, eminent domain authority, environmental permitting, and judicial review, the Comment contends that courts have broadened pipeline companies’ access to private property while narrowing practical opportunities for landowners to challenge projects. It concludes that Congress and FERC should reform the approval process to improve fairness, transparency, and landowner protections.[This abstract was written by Microsoft Copilot, a generative artificial intelligence.]