The PennEast pipeline project took a step forward late Friday when federal regulators decided the company could start construction and potentially use eminent domain to take private land in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Other permits from New Jersey and the Delaware River Basin Commission are needed before construction can begin.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted the PennEast Pipeline Co. a “certificate of public convenience and necessity” to build the pipeline, and said it accepts that the company has obtained commitments from 12 named customers to buy about 90 percent of the natural gas that would be carried by the line.