Contested natural gas pipeline granted permanent certificate

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Federal officials on Thursday granted Spire Inc. a permanent certificate to operate a natural gas pipeline in Missouri and Illinois, angering the environmental group that had sued over the project. The pipeline carries natural gas to the St. Louis region, where Spire serves around 650,000 customers. But the Environmental Defense Fund sued in 2020, raising concerns that the pipeline was approved without adequate review. For the past year, the pipeline had been operating under a temporary certificate while FERC conducted a court-ordered review. The Environmental Defense Fund said that some landowners, ratepayers and stakeholders were shut out of the review. Spire called the process “thorough.”