Fourteen AGs Filed Amicus Brief in Support of City of South Portland in Pipeline Dispute

APRIL 12, 2019

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey led a coalition of 14 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in support of the City of South Portland, Maine in litigation over a city zoning ordinance that prohibits the export and bulk loading of crude oil from its waterfront. The attorneys general objected to Portland Pipe Line Corporation’s contention that federal and state law preempt the city’s zoning ordinance, and warned that a court decision for the plaintiffs would set a dangerous precedent limiting state and local power to set basic environmental standards and land use laws. On July 15, 2021, Portland Pipe Line Corp. dropped its challenge to a District Court’s decision that the Clear Skies Ordinance – the South Portland city ordinance which prevented the company from reversing the oil flow of an existing pipeline – was constitutional.