In a split 2-1 decision, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel delivered a ruling that, for now, prevents Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company LLC from starting to build its 32-mile pipeline through Dickson, Houston and Stewart counties.
A spokesman for the leftist environmental group, Sierra Club, praised the decision saying it provides " a crucial opportunity to rethink the risks of fossil fuel development."
The project would fuel the Tennessee Valley Authority's combined-cycle natural gas facility at the site of the coal-fired Cumberland Fossil Plant that is being retired.
TVA, meanwhile, plans to mothball its two-unit coal plant in two stages — one, by the end of 2026, to be replaced the same year by the 1,450-megawatt natural gas plant; and the second, shuttered by the end of 2028, with options still open on its replacement.
“We do not agree with the court’s temporary stay and are evaluating our options to ensure this project can be constructed in a timely manner,” the pipeline firm's parent company, Kinder Morgan, said in a statement Monday.
TVA CEO Jeff Lyash has said repeatedly that gas is needed because it can provide power regardless of whether the sun is shining or the wind is blowing. He added that it will improve on emissions from coal and provide the flexibility needed to add 10,000 megawatts of solar to its overall system by 2035. TVA has a goal of 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2035 over 2005 levels and net-zero emissions by 2050.
TVA provides power to 10 million people across seven Southern states.
