following its course and which did not correspond him to intervene." On 5 October 2011, AEE started the process of land expropriation, "even though the Puerto Rico government does not yet possess the necessary permits [from the Federal authorities] for the construction of the Gasoducto." 2012 On 19 February 2012, a crowd numbering about 6,000 persons held a march in the capital city of San Juan, Puerto Rico, to protest the construction of Gasoducto del Norte, a.k.a. Via Verde. Simultaneous with the demonstration in San Juan, another demonstration was held in New York City with the same purposes. On 11 March 2012, a block of concerned citizens set up a permanent encampment in front of the northern electric generating plant at Palo Seco, one of those that would receive gas from the planned Gasoducto, to protest the planned gas pipeline. On 30 May 2012, the Puerto Rico Senate started hearings on the Gasoducto del Norte and claims that it is not "the only alternative" to reduce the cost of electricity in Puerto Rico. On 11 October 2012 AEE officially withdrew the entire Vía Verde permit application from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers evaluation process, thereby stalling approval of the proposed pipeline indefinitely. Route The proposed pipeline would distribute natural gas from the Costa Sur Sugar Plantation (Peñuelas/Guayanilla area) north to the Arecibo Cambalache plant, and on to the Palo Seco and San Juan areas. The proposed route would cut through Puerto Rico's Cordillera Central and the northern Karst region. It would cross 13 municipalities. Technical features The pipeline was to be operated by AEE. The gas to be transported by the pipeline will be supplied by a single supplier, EcoElectrica. The pipeline will have a diameter of . Its original length was planned to be , but an October 2011 plan revision shows it may be changed to run closer to 100 miles. The Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica plans to convert several oil-fired plants to natural gas, starting with Costa Sur's units 5 and 6, which should be up and running December 2011. Subsequently, AEE plants at Cambalache, Palo Seco (units 3 and 4), and San Juan (units 5 through 10), will convert to natural gas, in phases that, as of August 2010, were scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011. According to documents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the proposed route for the Gasoducto