The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers acted arbitrarily and capriciously when it didn’t develop a full environmental impact statement to appraise the effects the construction of 17 electricity towers would have on the historic character of the James River, the D.C. Circuit said March 1.
Virginia’s James River is “the nation’s only congressionally-protected water trail” and its surrounding region “boasts fifty-seven sites on the National Register or eligible for inclusion on it,” Judge David Tatel said, writing for the majority.
Dominion Energy Inc. requested a permit to construct new electricity stations and transmission lines that would replace two coal-powered ...