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Lawsuit Over Multi-State Pipeline

awarmerworld.com

A St. Louis-based environmental group has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for failing to provide information about a multi-state oil pipeline project that would go through west central Illinois.

The Missouri Coalition for the Environment said the Corps unlawfully withheld documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act.

We were interested in Enbridge's applications that showed the route of the pipeline

The group is trying to find out more about plans by the Canadian energy company Enbridge to build a 600-mile pipeline that would carry tar sands oil through parts of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

The project is known as the Flanagan South Pipeline Project. Its path includes Mason, Fulton, Schuyler, Brown and Adams counties.

"We were interested in Enbridge’s applications that showed the route of the pipeline, and the environmental impacts,” said Great Rivers Environmental Law Center attorney Henry Robertson, who is representing the Coalition in the suit.

“We were also interested in […] risk to endangered species. We were also concerned about plans for dealing with spills.”

Robertson said the Coalition wants to stop construction of the pipeline, which began last week. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it does not comment on pending litigation.