Nearly 1,000 Wintergreen property owners to sue Atlantic Coast Pipeline

NELLYSFORD, Va. – The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is about to be taken to court.

Friends of Wintergreen, which describes itself as a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to protecting and enhancing the value, beauty, integrity and sustainability of the Wintergreen area, announced Monday that nearly 1,000 Wintergreen property owners, and counting, are planning to individually sue the Atlantic Coast Pipeline for damage to their property if the pipeline company seizes land used by the Wintergreen community.

These actions follow a rare split decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve the pipeline and grant the private pipeline company the power to use eminent domain to seize private land, including 7 acres of common land at Wintergreen.

Most of the individual "inverse condemnation" lawsuits will be managed by the Norfolk-based eminent domain law firm, Waldo & Lyle PC. 

Separately, Friends of Wintergreen and the Wintergreen Property Owners Association (WPOA) filed a legal action with FERC to halt the construction of the pipeline until a full rehearing is completed.