Fourth Circuit Court denies Stay for Southeast Supply Enhancement Project 

RICHMOND, Va. – The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals denied a motion to stay the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Clean Water Act Section 404 permit for Transcontinental’s Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP) in Virginia and North Carolina pending further review. The permit would allow the pipeline to trench through more than 150 streams and wetlands in Virginia and North Carolina using a destructive “dry-ditch” construction method known to damage aquatic ecosystems.  

The Southern Environmental Law Center and Appalachian Mountain Advocates filed the 404-permit challenge on behalf of Appalachian Voices, Haw River Assembly Sierra Club, 7 Directions of Service, and Wild Virginia. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the Project on January 29, 2026, and issued a Notice to Proceed with Construction on February 24, 2026, shortly after receiving the permit from the Corps of Engineers on February 19.  

Transco proposes to construct 55 miles of 42-inch-wide pipeline in Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Rockingham, Guilford, Forsyth, and Davidson counties in North Carolina. SSEP will cross the Dan River, recently named one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers by American Rivers because of the threat of major pipeline projects. The Dan River and other waterways crossed by this project supply drinking water to residents throughout central North Carolina.  

Community and Environmental Organizations have released the following statement in response: 
 
“This project threatens critical waters, like the endangered Dan River, with excessive sediment from construction runoff and other pollution. These waters provide clean drinking water, support wildlife, and are part of the way of life for Virginians and Carolinians. We will continue working to ensure that these streams and wetlands are not sacrificed for polluter profits.”