Federal judge dismisses legal effort to stop gas pipeline in Ohio

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — A federal judge has delivered a blow to some Ohio property owners’ efforts to stop construction of a high-pressure natural gas pipeline.

U.S. District Judge John Adams in Akron today dismissed a lawsuit filed in May by more than 60 property owners. They want the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission prevented from approving construction plans for the 250-mile-long NEXUS pipeline.

The judge accepted a magistrate’s recommendation the court in northern Ohio lacks jurisdiction to consider the challenge.

The $2 billion project is designed to carry 1.5 billion cubic feet of gas daily from the Utica and Marcellus shale fields in Appalachia across northern Ohio into Michigan and Ontario, Canada.

Atty. Aaron Ridenbaugh, a lawyer representing the property owners, declined to comment.