Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/20pdf/19-1039_8n5a.pdf
Page Number: 11.0

6 

PENNEAST PIPELINE CO. v. NEW JERSEY 

Opinion of the Court 

ability  to  sue  nonconsenting  States,  the  court  held  that 
PennEast  was  not  authorized  to  condemn  New  Jersey’s 
property.  938 F. 3d, at 111–113. 

We granted certiorari to determine whether the NGA au-
thorizes  certificate  holders  to  condemn  land  in  which  a 
State claims an interest.  592 U. S. ___ (2021). 

II 
We  begin  by  addressing  a  jurisdictional  issue  raised  by
the United States.  As just noted, the Third Circuit ruled in
New Jersey’s favor based on the State’s statutory argument
that  the  NGA  did  not  delegate  to  certificate  holders  the 
right  to  file  condemnation  actions  against  nonconsenting 
States.  The United States now argues that the Third Cir-
cuit  lacked  jurisdiction  to  decide  that  question  under  15
U. S. C. §717r(b), which gives the court of appeals review-
ing FERC’s certificate order (here, the D. C. Circuit) “exclu-
sive” jurisdiction to “affirm, modify, or set aside such order.”
According to the United States, New Jersey’s statutory ar-
gument,  if  accepted,  would  modify  FERC’s  order  because 
FERC “expressly stated” in the order that PennEast “would
have authority to acquire the necessary land or property to
construct the approved facilities by exercising the right of 
eminent domain.”  Brief for United States as Amicus Curiae 
15 (internal quotation marks omitted). 

PennEast  and  the  respondents  both  argue  that  the
United  States  is  wrong.  We  agree.   New  Jersey  does  not
seek  to  modify  FERC’s  order;  it  asserts  a  defense  against 
the  condemnation  proceedings  initiated  by  PennEast.    To 
determine  whether  the  District  Court  correctly  rejected
New  Jersey’s  defense,  the  Third  Circuit  needed  to  decide 
whether §717f(h) grants natural gas companies the right to
bring  condemnation  suits  against  States.    Its  conclusion 
that §717f(h) does not authorize such suits did not “modify” 
or “set aside” FERC’s order, which neither purports to grant
PennEast  the  right  to  file  a  condemnation  suit  against