The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals court on Thursday dismissed a challenge from fishermen and environmentalists against a water permit for NextDecade's ( NASDAQ: NEXT ) proposed Rio Grande liquefied natural gas export terminal and associated pipeline in south Texas.
The court ruled the Army Corps of Engineers had chosen the "least environmentally damaging" option when it approved a modified permit in 2021 for the Rio Grande LNG project, and did not violate Clean Water Act protections against the discharge of pollutants into federally protected waters.
NextDecade's ( NEXT ) project was challenged by the Sierra Club, Shrimpers and Fishermen of the RGV and other petitioners through a lawsuit filed in 2021 claiming the project posed an environmental danger to low-income communities, fishers and shrimpers in the Rio Grande Valley region.
NextDecade ( NEXT ) recently announced a long-term supply deal with Portuguese refiner Galp for LNG from the Rio Grande LNG project .
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Appeals court upholds water permit for NextDecade's Rio Grande LNG project