SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (AP) A federal judge has rejected another attempt by South Portland to dismiss a lawsuit by the Portland Pipe Line Corp. over a ban on crude oil exports.
The lawsuit challenges the Clear Skies ordinance, which bans the loading of crude oil into tankers in South Portland. The ordinance effectively prevents a proposal by Portland Pipe Line to reverse the flow of its 236-mile pipeline to bring crude oil from Canada through South Portland.
The Portland Press Herald reports the city contends there’s no longer a source of crude oil after plans for a separate pipeline bringing crude from western Canada were abandoned.
Judge John Woodcock Jr. ruled Tuesday the company has the right to sue because it could find other sources of Canadian crude to justify reversing the pipeline flow.
