Thursday, July 01, 2021

THE POVERTY OF STUDENT LIFE
Lebanon's banking crisis keeps students from going abroad




Shirine Khaled, a communications arts graduate from the Lebanese-American University in Beirut, was accepted into a master's program at The New School in New York, but her bank has rejected her requests to transfer funds she needs to attend. Photo courtesy of Shirene Khaled


By Dalal Saoud

BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 30 (UPI) -- Seeking higher education abroad has become out of reach for many Lebanese university students. With their savings accounts blocked by the banks since the latest financial crisis started in 2019 and the collapse of the Lebanese pound, families have been unable to pay the tuition.

It's another ugly side of Lebanon's multifaceted crisis, which has pushed half the population into poverty, struggling to secure basic needs.

Parents, who have been saving for their children's education for years and lost it to the banks, have spared no effort to prevent their eviction from overseas universities. Some have organized protests outside Lebanon's central bank and private banks and exerted pressure on politicians.

In October, the parliament passed a law, which became known as the "Student Dollar" law, forcing the commercial banks to transfer up to $10,000 a year at the official rate of 1,515 Lebanese pound to the U.S. dollar to cover tuition and expenses for students who were studying abroad before 2020-21.

(The U.S. dollar reached 18,000 LL over the weekend, with the Lebanese pound losing 90 percent of its value since 2019).


But their ordeal was not over. Fighting with the banks continues, as many complained foreign transfers remain heavily restricted.

Dina Abou Zour, a lawyer with the Depositors Union, which advocates for Lebanese bank depositors, said not all the banks abided by the "Student Dollar" law, prompting some parents and students to file suit.

"Even the law is no more protecting people's rights. We don't know how the judiciary is dealing with those lawsuits, sometimes delaying its decisions so not to rule on these cases," Abou Zour told UPI, noting that the Depositors Union's legal committee has filed nearly 100 lawsuits on behalf of students studying abroad.

"A great number of students and parents were hesitant at the beginning, but when they became desperate, they decided to file a lawsuit, even though their bank threatened to close their account if they would do so," she said.

Some banks, she explained, eventually were forced to transfer the money, while properties of at least two others, which continued to refuse to abide by the law, were seized.

But not all Lebanese overseas students were as lucky. Some 20 of them enrolled in universities in Russia and Belarus were kicked out when they could not transfer money to cover their fees.

"For those, we are preparing lawsuits so that the banks, which deprived them from pursuing their studies, pay them compensation," Abou Zour said. "It is so unfair... The banks are acting randomly and in a discriminatory way, making transfers to some and not others, while refusing to bring their money deposited in correspondent banks abroad to help solve the issue."

Elie Jabbour, a 23-year-old Lebanese math and mechanics student at the Sorbonne University in Paris, has been fighting with his bank for more than a year.

"Even when the parliament passed the law, the bank where my parents have a savings account continued to refuse sending me any money, so we decided to sue it," Jabbour told UPI in a phone interview from Paris.

After six months of delay due to the spread of the COVID-19 in Lebanon and subsequent lockdowns, the judge working on his case ruled in his favor.

"The law was clear, and the bank swiftly transferred $10,000 to my account in France," he said. "That amount would cover my 2020-21 academic year, and I am trying to live on it as long as I can, so I would cover my 500 Euro monthly expenses and have some money spared for next year."

At some point last year, Jabbour was desperate and seriously thinking of packing and returning home. Now, he is encouraging his fellow Lebanese students in France to sue their banks.

Battle for funds


Shirine Khaled, a communications arts graduate from the Lebanese-American University in Beirut, decided to pursue her master's degree with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020.

A distinguished student, Khaled won a President's Scholarship from The New School, a private research university in New York City, covering 75 percent of her fees. Thrilled for being accepted at the school, whose famous alumni include Marlon Brando, Tennessee Williams and Bradley Cooper, she soon realized that she won't be able to even cover the $500 deposit.

Her battle to transfer her tuition fees has just started. While The New School waived her deposit fee -- as it did for other students due to the pandemic -- and offered her an easy payment plan, the banks in Beirut kept rejecting her transfer requests.

Khaled refused to be intimidated and insisted on meeting top bank executives to plead her case and tell them, "This is a lifetime opportunity, and no doubt you are making exceptions to the politicians' children."

She managed to cover part of her tuition, succeeding in convincing one bank owner, a woman who "happened to be very passionate about art," and completed two semesters online. But Khaled could not further delay traveling to New York for her practical courses.

With finally her visa in her pocket, she had to engage in a new round of negotiations with the bank over a $4,000 transfer for the university and $3,000 to cover expenses for three or four months.

"The worst I heard from some bank employees is 'Sell your gold,' or, 'You chose to pursue your master degree in such circumstances,'" she told UPI angrily.

Shortage of money


In fact, bank employees are also helpless and are bearing the brunt of the depositors' anger over their blocked bank accounts.

A senior banking industry source said the banks are not completely responsible for the crisis and the "disappearance" of the depositors' money.

"They are putting the depositors against the banks, while the main problem is somewhere else," the source told UPI on the condition of anonymity. "It is no more an issue of who's right or who has rights...It is about the fact that that's how much money is left."

Banque du Liban, Lebanon's central bank, whose losses were estimated at $50 billion, has barely $15 billion left as required reserves. However, it is bowing to pressures by the country's ruling leaders to keep funding a subsidy program at the expense of the depositors' savings.

The source explained that $80 billion of the banks' estimated $110 billion-$120 billion in deposits are with the central bank, and they don't have access to the funds. Even the estimated $3 billion-$4 billion raised by the banks to boost their capital by 20 percent is not enough to restore depositors' money in the absence of any recovery plan that would help the heavily indebted country address its multiple troubles and open the door for outside financial assistance.

The overseas students were the only ones to benefit from a law that helped ease their ordeal and establish a legal framework for penalizing violators.

In April, the Association of Banks in Lebanon confirmed that $240 million has been transferred during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic years to 30,000 Lebanese students studying abroad who met the applicable conditions.

"But still, there is no capital control law and no comprehensive plan to rescue the country," the banking source said. "But what is more urgent: the issue of the students studying abroad or importing wheat? How fair and ethical to pay in foreign currency for this or that? That needs to be more organized."

But Khaled is not willing to give up on her dreams and, like Jabbour and many other students, she will continue to fight for her rights and "a better future."
Supreme Court says U.S. gov't can detain certain immigrants indefinitely


The decision sets a nationwide rule for detention of migrants who have previously been deported, but experts say that amounts to a rather small subset of the total refugee population. Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI | License Photo


June 29 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled along partisan lines on Tuesday in deciding that the federal government can detain certain immigrants and refugees for an indefinite period of time while they await possible entry to the United States.


In a 6-3 vote, the high court ruled that certain undocumented immigrants have no right to a bond hearing for release while the government weighs claims that they face torture or persecution if they return to their native land.

In a split that displayed the court's conservative majority, justices voted that migrants re-entering the United States after they'd previously been deported can be held indefinitely. In some cases, such detention could last for months.


THE TERM 'ALIENS' IS USED BY THE COURT TO DESCRIBE MIGRANTS

Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said current immigration law dictates that "those aliens are not entitled to a bond hearing while they pursue withholding of removal



Justice Stephen Breyer, in a dissent joined by Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, argued that there is no rationale to hold migrants without a chance to be released for a hearing that could take more than a year to arrive.

"Why would Congress want to deny a bond hearing to individuals who reasonably fear persecution or torture, and who, as a result, face proceedings that may last for many months or years? I can find no satisfactory answer to this question," Breyer wrote.

The decision sets a nationwide rule for detention of migrants who have previously been deported, but experts say that amounts to a rather small subset of the total refugee population.

A federal appellate court in Virginia had ruled in favor of the migrants, who argued they should receive a bond hearing for potential release while awaiting the evaluation process.

Tuesday's decision marked the third time in recent years the high court has overturned lower court rulings that allowed at least some immigrants facing possible deportation to seek release on bond.

Advocates criticized the ruling.

"Horrifying outcome in this case, written by the worst possible justice you could want to write an immigration case," Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy counsel for the American Immigration Council, tweeted.


"I'm dreading a close read because I guarantee you there is terrible dicta in here."
US Supreme Court upholds CDC's national COVID-19-related ban on evictions


Members of the U.S. Supreme Court pose for a group photo at the court in Washington, D.C., on Friday. Seated, from left to right, are Associate Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor. Standing, from left to right, are Associate Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett. Pool Photo by Erin Schaff/UPI | License Photo


June 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday against lifting a nationwide moratorium on evictions that was put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The highest court of the United States voted 5-4 on Tuesday against a request by the Alabama Association of Realtors filed in early June to lift the ban on landlords from evicting certain tenants.

Liberal-leaning Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan were joined by President Donald Trump-nominated Brett Kavanaugh in supporting the moratorium without giving an explanation.

Kavanaugh, in a brief concurring opinion, wrote that he agreed that the CDC exceeded its authority in issuing the moratorium but voted to deny the request for its stay as it is set to end July 31 and "those few weeks will allow for additional and more orderly distribution of the congressionally appropriated rental assistance funds."

"In my view, clear and specific congressional authorization (via legislation) would be necessary for the CDC to extend the moratorium past July 31," he wrote.

Congress last year had adopted a temporary moratorium on evictions that elapsed last July but Trump tasked the CDC in September of that year to prohibit evictions. That order was extended in March and then again on June 24.

The White House said last week that the moratorium will be extended "for one final month" after which the Biden administration plans to announce "a series of actions to help state and local governments prevent evictions."

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett voted in favor of lifting the ban.


The case made its way to the supreme court at the request of the realtors group in early June after a federal district judge in Washington, D.C., ruled in their favor against the moratorium but issued a stay on lifting it to allow the government to seek an appeal a month earlier.

The realtors argued in their request that the moratorium shifted the pandemic's financial burden from upwards of 40 million renters to the 11 million landlords in the nation, resulting in them losing more than $13 billion in unpaid rent a month.
New Mexico allows recreational cannabis but no one can sell it
REMAINS BLACK MARKET



Image of cannabis leaf. New Mexico became the latest state to allow cannabis use, but no one can sell it there yet. File photo by lovingimages/Pixabay



June 29 (UPI) -- New Mexico started allowing the legal possession and recreational of cannabis on Tuesday for adults 21 and over despite not having a legal market to sell it.

Adults can possess up to 2 ounces of cannabis or 16 grams of a cannabis extract, or up to 800 milligrams of edible cannabis, at one time. At the same time, since the legal market is not established, sale of it is banned.

The state's Cannabis Regulation Act stipulates that the start of retail sale of cannabis will start no later than April 1, 2022.

Until then, one workaround is for consumers to purchase and bring in cannabis products from other states, like neighboring Colorado, which has a robust cannabis industry.

A second workaround is growing cannabis, with individuals being allowed to harvest six plants per individual and 12 for a household.

"It's important to know there's no place to buy it here, but certainly, it's not going to be illegal to possess it," Linda Trujillo, superintendent for the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, said, according to KOB-TV. "I've shared with folks that we'll do our best to move that [April 1] date as far forward as we can. But at this point, there are so many different moving pieces that I can't give any kind of an estimate."

The new law does not allow cannabis users to light up in public but does allow for the eventual establishment of "cannabis consumption areas" where it will be allowed. For now, consumers face a $50 civil penalty for smoking marijuana in public.
Justice Clarence Thomas says federal marijuana laws may no longer be needed



"A prohibition on interstate use or cultivation of marijuana may no longer be necessary or proper to support the federal government's piecemeal approach," Thomas wrote in an opinion Monday. File Photo by Gary C. Caskey/UPI | License Photo



June 28 (UPI) -- Federal regulations on marijuana may "no longer be necessary" as individual states enact their own laws on its use and sale, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in an opinion Monday.

Thomas, one of the high court's most conservative justices, cited what he called the federal government's "half-in, half-out" approach that "simultaneously tolerates and forbids local use of marijuana" and concludes that federal pot laws and policies may now be obsolete.

"A prohibition on intrastate use or cultivation of marijuana may no longer be necessary or proper to support the federal government's piecemeal approach," he wrote in dismissing the appeal of a Colorado medical marijuana dispensary that was denied federal tax breaks.

In the case, Standing Akimbo vs. United States, the dispensary argued that it is prohibited by the Internal Revenue Service from deducting certain business expenses -- as other businesses are allowed -- even though it operates in Colorado, where marijuana use is legal.

The reason is an IRS public policy provision that bars such deductions for companies dealing in controlled substances.

With 36 states now legally allowing marijuana for medical use and 18 for recreational use, Thomas wrote that the case illustrates a growing disconnect between federal and state laws.

Since the Supreme Court upheld federal marijuana laws in 2005, Thomas said the legal landscape has greatly changed. Further, he said, the Justice Department since 2009 has declined to intrude on state legalization efforts or prosecute those who comply with state laws.

"Suffice it to say, the federal government's current approach to marijuana bears little resemblance to the watertight nationwide prohibition that a closely divided Court found necessary to justify the government's blanket prohibition [in 2005]," he wrote.

Thomas noted that the federal government is sending "mixed signals" on marijuana use and cultivation, and producing confusion among legally operating businesses.

"Whatever the merits of [the 2005 case] when it was decided, federal policies of the past 16 years have greatly undermined its reasoning," he wrote.

"A prohibition on interstate use or cultivation of marijuana may no longer be necessary or proper to support the federal government's piecemeal approach."


HAPPY CANADA DAY 






  A CANADIAN ICON TAKES HIS REWARD FOR POSING
PHOTO ESSAY
Jeju, South Korea's island paradise, also is a high-tech testbed


The C-ITS system has resulted in a 12% reduction in road accidents, its operators say.  
Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI

By Thomas Maresca

JEJU ISLAND, South Korea, June 30 (UPI) -- The island of Jeju, a laid-back tourist getaway 60 miles off the southern coast of South Korea's mainland, is becoming known for smart city and green energy projects that are leading the way in the high-tech nation.

"Jeju's smart city infrastructure, experience and achievements are ahead of any other Korean city," Gov. Won Hee-ryong said in a recent interview with UPI and other media.

"As Korea's testbed for trying out new policies and pilot projects, Jeju is much like a smart city research center."

While South Korea as a whole has lagged other developed nations in terms of green energy, Jeju began to plan a decade ago to become carbon neutral by 2030, and it tops the country in renewable energy use, driven by the nation's first offshore wind farm and ample solar capacity.


"Jeju's renewable energy generation rate and [electric vehicle] penetration rate are the highest in Korea," Won said. The island has more than 25,000 electric vehicles among a population of 670,000 residents.

It is on the roads where one of Jeju's most innovative smart initiatives can be seen. The Cooperative Intelligent Traffic System, which began as a $25 million pilot project that ran from 2018 to 2020, still is in operation.

The project covers some 186 miles of the island's roads with an array of CCTV cameras and sensors that communicate real-time data and artificial intelligence-powered predictive traffic and accident analysis to a NASA-like control center in Jeju City's municipal police bureau.

While many cities worldwide have intelligent traffic systems, Jeju's emphasizes the connectivity between vehicles, as well as the overall network, said Kang Su-cheon, head of the bureau's traffic information center.



"C-ITS is an upgraded version that enables two-way information between vehicles," Kang said. "Jeju is leading the way. It is the first place that established such services" in South Korea.

Related projects have since been launched in Seoul using public transportation and the industrial city of Ulsan using freight vehicles, but in Jeju -- a tourism-driven island -- the emphasis has been on rental cars.

Jeju received roughly 15 million visitors a year before the pandemic, and some 65% of tourists rent cars, Kang said.

Some 3,000 rental vehicles, roughly 10% of the island's inventory, have been equipped with on-board units that can receive information from the system, as well as communicate data such as location and speed to other vehicles.

The result is a kind of super-charged GPS, monitoring traffic and providing advance warning for hazards that range from a pedestrian stepping into the crosswalk to a vehicle stalled on the side of the road. Tourist information and local attractions also are highlighted on the dashboard-mounted device.

C-ITS has led to a 12% overall reduction in traffic accidents, with a decrease of 19% among vehicles equipped with the specialized on-board terminal, Kang said. Emergency vehicles also have seen improved response times, thanks to a prioritized traffic signal system.

The smart road infrastructure has made Jeju a center for autonomous vehicle testing, as well. Local startup RideFlux completed a trial run of self-driving shuttle service last year and is working on a larger-scale pilot project with car-sharing firm SoCar that is expected to launch in the coming months.

"Our big picture is to build an intelligent infrastructure that will provide an environment that is friendly for EVs or autonomous driving in the future," Won said. The integrated platform will potentially grow to include scooters, electric bicycles and even drones, he added.

Another area in which Jeju has been leading the nation is renewable energy. Sitting off of the west coast of the island is South Korea's first offshore wind farm, 10 turbines situated 1,640 to 3,937 feet from land.



"A few years ago, you couldn't see any offshore wind farms in Korea," said Woo Koang-ho, representative director of Tamra Offshore Wind Power, which operates the turbines. "But this plant was established in 2017 -- this was the starting point."

The wind farm is relatively modest in scope: Its turbines have a capacity of three megawatts each, for a total of 30 megawatts. However, they are part of a wind package on the island that includes an additional 172 on-shore towers, for a total capacity of 400 megawatts. Solar power contributes another 600 megawatts of capacity.

Overall, Jeju generates more than 16% of its energy from renewables, by far the highest rate in the country. South Korea's national rate is just around 2.4%, and as of 2018, it had the lowest share of renewable energy in total primary energy supply among the 30 member countries of the International Energy Agency.

In October, South Korea joined several other developed economies by pledging to slash its greenhouse gases and become carbon neutral by 2050, with offshore wind power as a major part of the plan.

Including the turbines on Jeju, South Korea only operates 30 offshore wind turbines, but the government announced a pair of ambitious projects earlier this year: a $43 billion offshore wind farm near Sinan on the southwestern coast and a $32 billion floating offshore wind farm -- projected to be the world's largest -- farther out at sea near the southeastern city of Ulsan.





The success of the Jeju wind farm has been essential to South Korea's bold designs, Woo said.

"We created a very good example because we are the first wind farm," he said.

Nearby villagers at first resisted the project, Woo said, expressing concerns about noise and the impact on local fishing. But they have since come to embrace the wind towers with a sense of local pride -- while also appreciating the income generated by a profit-sharing arrangement with the operator.

"Residents have, in fact, encouraged us to extend the tower farm, which we plan to do once we get permission," Woo said. Tamra is awaiting the regulatory go-ahead to install another 10 turbines, this time with a larger 8-megawatt capacity each.

Meanwhile, another pilot project on the island is producing and storing green hydrogen from the surplus electricity generated from wind power.

Woo said the wind farm has even helped to increase the area's tourist trade.

"We are 40 kilometers [25 miles] from Jeju City, and tourists didn't really visit before," Woo said. "But this wind farm has made the local economy more vibrant."

On a recent sunny afternoon, a steady stream of tourists stopped at various locations along the coast to snap photos and pose for selfies against a backdrop of white turbines, a choppy sea and a bright blue sky.

"The view is beautiful with the wind towers," said Lee Joo-hyun, who was visiting from Seoul. "Renewable energy is booming everywhere now, so I wanted to see this wind farm in person."




Tourism remains the lifeblood of Jeju, and the island is looking to lead the way yet again as a pilot travel bubble destination when the COVID-19 pandemic eases further, Won said.

Looking longer-term, officials are hoping that clean energy and smart city technology will become attractions in their own right and will enhance the overall tourism experience.

Won said the island is working on projects such as creating a points-based system to incentivize carbon-neutral actions by tourists and utilizing big data for customized travel recommendations and itineraries.

Most importantly, Jeju is looking to harness the power of technology to help maintain the island's natural beauty, the governor said.

"Sustainability, including people and nature, is the core value of Jeju's smart city vision," Won said.

MORE PHOTOS HERE

Marines shut off power, run base with renewable energy


A photovoltaic installation at Marine Air Station Miramar, Calif., was an element in the Energy Resilience Readiness Exercise, in which commercial power to the base was shut off for a test. Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy

June 30 (UPI) -- A Marine air base successfully tested its independent electric microgrid after external power supplies were deliberately cut off, it said on Wednesday.

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar conducted two tests of its Energy Resilience Readiness Exercise this week, a program undertaken by the Pentagon to ensure electricity to military installations in the event of an interruption.

Miramar's microgrid power plant, completed in March, is a $20-million electrical backup system, which provides the installation with up to 21 days of energy resilience.

Power from San Diego Gas & Electric was turned off for two six-hour periods, and replaced by backup power derived from natural gas, diesel power, landfill gas and solar photovoltaic power generation.

The result is "a microgrid capable of powering every mission critical facility for an indefinite period of time, making MCAS Miramar one of the most energy secure facilities in the Department of Defense," a Miramar statement said.

The base has used methane, from a landfill, to create renewable electricity since 2012. It partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy to create a microgrid concept using a variety of energy sources.

"Our microgrid delivers capabilities that will make MCAS Miramar one of the most energy-forward defense installations in the nation," Col. Charles B. Dockery, commanding officer of the base said last year after the first tests of the system.

Miramar's microgrid was designed to manage power loads and redirect electrical power to the sections of the base which most need it, notably the flight line operations of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

Military establishments, notorious for wasteful energy practices, have considered renewable energy development as part of efficiency-increasing strategies since 2011.
Mich. officials seek disaster aid after historic rainfall floods Detroit

June 28 (UPI) -- Michigan officials said Monday they are asking the Biden administration for federal help after the city of Detroit was inundated by record weekend rainfall that caused widespread flooding.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and other officials said they are coordinating their efforts to obtain federal assistance after the historic rainfall, in which 6 inches of rain washed over the city in just two hours late Friday and early Saturday.


In the wake of the downpour, abandoned vehicles remained partially submerged on the city's freeways while thousands of homes and businesses were flooded.


Whitmer toured a flooded section of Interstate 94 where the roofs of submerged cars were still visible above the water and afterward told reporters that climate change and aging infrastructure are to blame for the massive flooding

"What we need is a comprehensive investment in infrastructure at the state level and at the federal level," she said. "I'm glad that President [Joe] Biden is working to get an infrastructure package done because this is not unique to Michigan, but it is our job to deliver for the people in the state. We're doing what we can with the resources we have."


Duggan said an aging storm water system built decades ago when the city's population was 1.5 million fewer than now cannot handle such extreme weather events.

"We are preparing the case for President Biden [to declare a disaster]," he said.

Whitmer on Saturday declared a state of emergency for Wayne County, which encompasses Detroit.
SCALIA'S GHOST 
Supreme Court bucks lower ruling to allow pipeline project to take N.J. lands





The U.S. Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., last Thursday. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo


June 29 (UPI) -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday voted in favor of letting a group of energy companies build a controversial $1 billion natural gas pipeline to run between New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and seize state lands to do it.

The narrow 5-4 ruling rejected a challenge from New Jersey against PennEast Pipeline Co., a joint venture of multiple energy companies that aims to build the gas line across 120 miles between the two states.

The Supreme Court reasoned that the companies can legally sue to take over state lands under the Natural Gas Act of 1938.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said the case involves federal eminent domain power.

"Eminent domain is the power of the government to take property for public use without the consent of the owner. Since the founding, the United States has used its eminent domain authority to build a variety of infrastructure projects," he wrote.

"It has also used its power against both private property and property owned by the United States."


PennEast has offered to pay land owners to build the pipeline route and moved to condemn 40 parcels of land in New Jersey where the government has "nonpossessory interests."

The ruling overturns a lower federal appellate court ruling that favored New Jersey's government.

Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer and Brett Kavanaugh voted in favor of the pipeline. Justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan voted in dissent.

Writing for the minority opinion, Barrett emphasized that "state surrender of immunity to private suits... is rare in our constitutional system."

"This court has long held that states did not surrender their sovereign immunity to suits authorized pursuant to Congress' power to regulate interstate commerce, and no historical evidence suggests a different result obtains for condemnation suits brought by private parties against nonconsenting States," she wrote.

PennEast aims to deliver more than 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day with the pipeline. The $1 billion project still must overcome multiple logistical and legal hurdles