WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit on March 8 denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against Millennium Pipeline regarding the construction of the controversial compressor station in the Town of Minisink. The lawsuit was brought by the group Stop the Minisink Compression Station (StopMCS) whose members live in the suburban community surrounding the site of the proposed station.

The court also refused to halt construction on the project, which has been underway for several months. The project split members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) who voted three to two to allow the project to move forward.

Dissenting commissioners argued that the majority failed to follow FERC guidelines in approving the project. They supported a community-backed alternative that would site a smaller station on a remote property already owned by the pipeline company.

“Although we are disappointed, we know these types of injunctions are rare,” said Pramilla Malick, a spokesperson for the community. “We still believe that the decision was wrong because there already has been and will continue to be irreparable damage from this facility. However, we are confident that we will eventually win our case on the merits because we have the law and common sense on our side.”