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The NAM filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit supporting Constitutional Pipeline in an energy infrastructure litigation suit after New York state denied a permit for construction of a natural gas pipeline through part of the state, although the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the project. The Clean Water Act permit was denied after extensive environmental, safety and economic review, and approval by FERC. This litigation is important to manufacturers because state intervention can impede the efficient, transparent and predictable approval of natural gas pipelines even when those projects have been approved by other agencies. The NAM’s brief argued that FERC conducted a thorough review process that assessed the environmental impact of the pipeline as required by the National Environmental Policy Act and the Natural Gas Act and that although states should play an important role in the pipeline approval process, states should not be permitted to override FERC’s assessment of a pipeline’s benefits and environmental impact. Unfortunately, the court rejected the arguments and deferred to the judgment of state officials.