LOVINGSTON, Va. (AP) — A judge has ruled against 29 Nelson County landowners who were seeking to keep Atlantic Coast Pipeline surveyors off their property.

The Nelson County Times reports Circuit Court Judge Michael Garrett issued his decision after hours of arguments Monday.

Lawyers for the pipeline said the surveys were important for finding the route with the least impact on the environment and landowners.

But attorneys representing the landowners argued the company hadn’t met the requirements for surveying without permission under state law. They also sought to delay the surveying until the state Supreme Court rules in other cases.

The proposed natural gas pipeline would serve public utilities in Virginia and North Carolina. A spokesman for Dominion Resources, the lead company behind the pipeline, says the surveys should take place in February.

If constructed as planned, it would end near Pembroke. Robeson County economic development officials have said it would help boost the local economy by providing natural gas that industries want.