A federal bankruptcy judge dealt a blow to pipeline operators and other midstream oil companies Tuesday, ruling that Sabine Oil & Gas Corp. can scrap pipeline deals it made before oil and gas prices plummeted . Judge Shelley Chapman of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan agreed to let Sabine out of the pipeline deals in a closely watched decision that energy and restructuring experts warn could roil the so-called midstream sector . “The court preliminarily finds that none of the covenants run with the land,” Judge Chapman said, potentially knocking down the pipeline operators’ argument that the agreements can’t be broken because they are inextricably tied to the land on which Sabine operates. However, the judge added that her ruling isn’t binding. She said the dispute over whether the deals can be broken raises uncertain legal issues that will have to be addressed later. Houston-based Sabine sought to […]