In a 7-2 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court upholds a U.S. Forest Service permit that allows an $8 billion natural gas pipeline to be constructed under a section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in Virginia. A lower court had ruled that the Forest Service did not have the authority to grant the special-use permit. Environmentalists argued the pipeline’s path could harm ecologically important national forests, with threats of soil erosion and damage to wildlife habitat.