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Page Number: 27.0

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PENNEAST PIPELINE CO. v. NEW JERSEY 

Opinion of the Court 

quirement when the Federal Government authorizes a pri-
vate party to exercise its eminent domain power.  The re-
spondents do not dispute that the federal eminent domain 
power can be delegated, or that §717f(h) speaks with suffi-
cient  clarity  to  delegate  the  power  to  condemn  privately
owned land.  They argue only that §717f(h) fails to delegate 
the power to condemn States’ property interests.  But the 
federal eminent domain power is “complete in itself,” Kohl, 
91 U. S., at 374, and the States consented to the exercise of 
that power—in its entirety—in the plan of the Convention.
The States thus have no immunity left to waive or abrogate 
when it comes to condemnation suits by the Federal Gov-
ernment and its delegatees. 

V 

When the Framers met in Philadelphia in the summer of 
1787, they sought to create a cohesive national sovereign in 
response  to  the  failings  of  the  Articles  of  Confederation. 
Over the course of the Nation’s history, the Federal Govern-
ment and its delegatees have exercised the eminent domain
power to give effect to that vision, connecting our country
through  turnpikes,  bridges,  and  railroads—and  more  re-
cently  pipelines,  telecommunications  infrastructure,  and
electric transmission facilities.  And we have repeatedly up-
held these exercises of the federal eminent domain power—
whether  by  the  Government  or  a  private  corporation, 
whether through an upfront taking or a direct condemna-
tion  proceeding,  and  whether  against  private  property  or 
state-owned land. 

The  NGA  fits  well  within  this  tradition.    From  humble 
beginnings in central Indiana, the Nation’s interstate pipe-
line  system  has  grown  to  span  hundreds  of  thousands  of
miles.  This development was made possible by the enact-
ment of §717f(h) in 1947.  By its terms, §717f(h) authorizes 
FERC certificate holders to condemn all necessary rights-
of-way, whether owned by private parties or States.  Such