A pipeline operator has abandoned a long-running lawsuit that sought to end a South Portland law that bans the loading of crude oil into tankers along its waterfront to minimize pollution, effectively preventing the company from proceeding with plans to reverse the flow of its operation to bring crude oil from Canada to the Maine coastal town.
, a decision that comes two weeks after the United States filed a brief in support of South Portland.
PPLC's executive Chris Gillies told Reuters that the South Portland-based company was dismissing its appeal because it does "not currently have any plans to reverse the flow of crude oil in the Portland-Montreal Pipe Line system." In 2015, PPLC and American Waterways Operators kicked off a legal battle with a complaint that accused South Portland of violating the U.S. Constitution's so-called Dormant Commerce Clause, which generally bars states from regulating interstate commerce.
Kristen van de Biezenbos, an assistant professor of energy law at the University of Calgary, said that the case illustrates the ability of cities to adopt bylaws and ordinances that effectively challenge energy infrastructure projects where there is no conflicting state or federal law.
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