Connecticut fights natural gas pipeline

Developers of the proposed Islander East natural gas pipeline have filed a federal lawsuit in an effort to prevent state and local governments in Connecticut from interfering with their test drilling.

Connecticut contends that the drilling off Branford, scheduled to begin May 22, will harm the environment, and argues it cannot go forward without permits from the state Department of Environmental Protection.

But in a lawsuit filed May 9 in U.S. District Court, Islander East Pipeline Co. LLC, a partnership between Duke Energy and Key Span, argues that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has given them authority to bypass state regulators and drill without a state permit. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal called Islander East’s lawsuit an attempt to usurp state environmental laws.

If Islander East prevails, work on the pipeline, which would run from Branford to Eastern Long Island, could begin as early as this winter, company spokesman John Sheridan said.

—The Associated Press