natural gas, pipelines, exports/imports, LNG (liquefied natural gas), map, U.S. Energy Information Administration, 1000 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20585, Have a question, comment, or suggestion for a future article? She notes that consumers also lose out because energy companies will pass on the costs of cancelled projects to their customers. Democratic FERC commissioners defend approach to pipeline assessments The debate over how the commission should approach pipeline approvals comes ahead of a Senate ENR . Second, estimating downstream combustion is essentially impossible in any kind of rigorous manner. As part of the application with FERC, the sponsors of proposed pipeline projects typically disclose pre-arranged, binding precedent agreements with shippers to demonstrate the economic need for the project. justice into the FERC approval process, the Democratic commissioners are explicitly saying they plan to further politicize the pipeline approval process, looking to activist groups to provide sign off on pipeline approvals. Carbon Offshoring: India, China buying U.S. coal mines, shale gas fields, LNG terminals, Democratic Senators Introduce Carbon Tax Bill, New Hampshire House Votes in Favor of Bill to Withdraw the State from RGGI, February 2018 Updates to the Climate Case Charts. Conference Call Regarding Puget Sound Energy, Inc. Circuit Court of Appeals said that it was troubled by FERCs claim that it could not consider downstream emissions because it lacked the information needed to do so. Together with its commitment to reviewing demand projections underlying the capacity subscribed, estimated capacity utilization rates, potential cost savings to customers, regional assessments, and statements from state regulatory commissions or local distribution companies, FERC will resume its role as an arbiter of what additional gas infrastructure is needed versus simply contracted with developers who profit from construction even when their shippers are turning back capacity on existing pipelines. Finally, the interim policy statement allows for vague mitigation actions by a pipeline applicant. In place of a clear criteria a precedent agreement the commission introduces a vague balancing concept seeking to consider all relevant factors bearing on the need for a project. Which is to say that the FERC policy statement does not establish what else beyond a precedent agreement is required for pipeline approval. FERC also initiated an inquiry considering whether to require transmission providers to use a type of technology that helps make the most out of electric power lines and can potentially boost renewable energy. But critics, including Republican Commissioner James Danly, have called out the commission for changing its analysis informally. Through this approach, Klass counters FERC Commissioner Christies fear that FERCs most recent pipeline certification policy draft oversteps FERCs statutory authority as an economic regulator. The time is ripe for an Office of Public Participation at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. All rights reserved. 7186-, Technical Conference to Provide Clarification to Scotts Mill Hydroelectric Pro. Headlines. Second, FERC issued an interim policy statement explaining how it will assess the impacts of natural gas infrastructure projects on climate change in its reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and NGA. Scholar examines how community-based regulatory reforms can support efforts to scale up the United States electric grid. By Miranda Willson | 02/18/2022 07:24 AM EST, Gas pipeline sections are stacked in a field in Illinois. Equitrans has said it will help deliver natural gas from shale reserves in Appalachia to markets in the eastern U.S. FERC initially approved the pipeline in 2017. Request for Extension of Time: Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC However, FERC has previously refused to use the SCC, arguing that it has methodological limitations that undermine its usefulness. For example, in the instance of the St. Louis pipeline, the court vacated its permit after the project had been operational for several years, and the pipelines future is now murky. Attorney Advertising. The Evangeline Pass Expansion Project is a 1.1 billion cubic feet (Bcf/d) project owned by Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company. That is the sort of policy statement that provides certainty. Issues FERC had suspended work on Mountain Valley, a pipeline from West Virginia to Virginia, due to litigation over the project's Biological Opinion from the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the commission is not scrutinizing pipeline and gas infrastructure projects closely enough. Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions, Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions at the State Level, Quarterly Coal Report (QCR)First-Quarter 2023, Quarterly Coal Distribution Report (QCDR)First-Quarter 2023, Annual Solar Photovoltaic Module Shipments Report, Midwest and Rocky Mountain Transportation Fuels Markets, East Coast and Gulf Coast Transportation Fuels Markets, FERC approves new natural gas pipeline projects to increase U.S. exports, the United States added 7.44 Bcf/d of new pipeline capacity. This was confirmed in another decision in 2019, in which the D.C. There may be situations when dynamic line ratings can provide net benefits to customers by safely allowing more power flow and reducing congestion costs, or by detecting when power flows should be reduced to avoid unnecessary wear on equipment, said Phillips, a Democrat. The Commission also suggests that developers may be required to mitigate the effects of emissions created by downstream natural gas consumption, but other federal agencies and the states not FERC have the legal authority to impose these requirements.. Connecticut Expansion Project, Florida Southeast Connection, LLC (PF14-2) FL SE Conn Proj (see Sabal Tr, Tran/Hillabee), Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co., LLC (PF14-6) Hillabee Expansion Proj (see Sabal Trail, FL SE Con), Equitrans, L.P. (PF14-13) Ohio Valley Connector Project, Dominion Transmission, Inc. Monroe to Cornwall Project, Texas Eastern Transmission, LP Gulf Markets Expansion Project, Columbia Gulf Transmission, LLC (PF14-16), Cheniere Creole Trail Pipeline, L.P. (PF13-8), Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co., LLC (PF14-3), Empire Pipeline, Inc./Natnl Fuel Gas Corp(PF13-12), Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC (PF13-16), Cheniere Corpus Christi Pipeline, LP (PF12-3), Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co., LLC (PF13-5), Constitution Pipeline Company, LLC (PF12-9), Iroquois Gas Transmission System, LP (PF12-9), Cameron Interstate Pipeline, LLC (PF12-12), Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co., LLC (PF09-8), DCP Midstream, LP Lucerne Residue Pipeline, Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC Smithfield III Expansion Project (see CP13-478), Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company White Oak Lateral Project, Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co., LLC (PF12-15), Gulf South Pipeline Company, LP (PF12-21), Millennium Pipeline Company, L.L.C. We wont have to see the delays we saw, where theres an EA first and [then] a supplemental EIS, Ladin said. Subscribe to feeds for updates on EIA products including Today in Energy and What's New. U.S. Tags: FERC Prevents Landowners from Defending Their Property from Pipeline Companies By injecting environmental justice into the FERC approval process, the Democratic commissioners are explicitly saying they plan to further politicize the pipeline approval process, looking to activist groups to provide sign off on pipeline approvals. The act does not define "public convenience and necessity," so the commission devised its certificate policy statement in 1999 to guide its decision-making process. Triad Expansion Project, Texas Eastern Transmission, LP (PF15-17) Access South/Adair Southwest/Lebanon Extension, Tennessee Gas PipelineCompany, L.L.C. Will FERC's New Chair Bring a New Approach to Natural Gas Pipeline However, the agency will conduct an environmental impact statement (EIS) as opposed to a less-rigorous environmental assessment (EA) for any gas project that exceeds that level. FERC is in the midst of revisiting its 1999 gas pipeline policy statement, and has started assessing projects impact on climate change in some scenarios. FERC has also said nothing about whether and how it will measure the damage caused by project-related emissions. Upcoming Events. The only way to satisfy environmental justice standards is to convince environmental justice organizations to pronounce themselves satisfied. ), Despite these lingering questions, the new policy statements send a clear signal that FERC will take a harder look at proposed pipeline projects, and no longer serve as merely a rubber stamp. Some have suggested that this is inappropriate. 1. (PF15-12 ) Atlantic Bridge Project, Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC (PF14-23) Leach Xpress Project, Columbia Gulf Transmission, LLC Rayne Express Expansion, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, L.L.C. Whether gas is burned for power generation or used in a home changes methane and CO2 emissions. There are no criteria or binding rules for how a company can comply or calculate emissions. New York, NY 10027, 2023 Building more high-voltage transmission lines that can transport power across long distances may be necessary as the United States transitions toward more carbon-free energy resources, experts say. . News Releases. Circuit Court of Appeals held that FERC is required to consider downstream greenhouse gas emissions, at least in some circumstances. When NIMBYs and environmentalists seek to impede a pipeline, they can simply claim (and already do claim) lack of good faith as a delaying tactic. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)i.e., the federal agency responsible for approving interstate gas pipelinesyesterday announced two major statements explaining how it proposes to: (1) realign its fossil fuel infrastructure approval process with the Natural Gas Act (NGA)'s mandate to only approve projects that serve the public int. The partisan nature of these decisions is just another element of uncertainty these statements introduce into the FERC process, because a partisan policy statement is certain to be reassessed once the partisan makeup of the commission changes under the next Republican president. Environmental justice is not a scientific term or a statutory term, it is a political term. Circuit Court of Appeals said that it was troubled by FERCs claim that it could not consider downstream emissions because it lacked the information needed to do so. Lesson plans, science fair experiments, field trips, teacher guide, and career corner. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Meanwhile, FERC announced that it has hired Nicole Sitaraman as deputy director for the Office of Public Participation. This threshold is completely arbitrary, it is not a statutory requirement, and will greatly increase the number of projects subject to an EIS. The pipeline, approved by FERC in October 2017, has had multiple federal approvals stuck down in court in recent months, including from the Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and. The controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline could carry natural gas as soon as this winter, the company behind it said after the pipeline secured federal approval. Come test out some of the products still in development and let us know what you think! The project includes 13.1 miles of new pipeline and two new compressor stations that will deliver natural gas to the proposed Plaquemines LNG Project in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. FERC approved two projects that connect to LNG terminals in Louisiana. will no longer be the sole factor the Commission considers. It signaled that project proponents would be asked to provide specific information detailing how the gas to be transported by a proposed project would ultimately used, why the project is needed to serve that use, and the expected utilization rate of the project. This will better enable FERC to assess both demand and the real impacts from overbuilding capacity to areas that have enough infrastructure and capacity. The updates intend to provide a legally durable path forward for the natural gas industry, landowners and other parties, said Democratic FERC Chair Richard Glick. Law360 (June 22, 2021, 6:00 PM EDT) -- The D.C. FERC has a pattern of rubber-stamping these certificates. Cargos can be redirected and resold along the supply chain any number of times. Under the Natural Gas Act, FERC is responsible for ensuring suppliers charge customers just and reasonable rates. Send your feedback to, Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS). That is notably higher than the significance thresholds proposed by other government entities and outside groups. 28, 2023 at 4:36 PM EDT. The combined effect of the updated pipeline certification statement is an explicit undermining of the pipeline approval process. Still, the significance level established by the policy may ultimately have a small incremental practical impact, ClearView Energy Partners said in a research note yesterday. Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC. New York, June 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Vagus Nerve Stimulators Pipeline Report including Stages of Development, Segments, Region and . Democratic FERC commissioners defend approach to pipeline - POLITICO Greater use of dynamic line ratings could help ease long delays facing renewable energy projects in some parts of the country as they seek to connect to the transmission system, according to the Working for Advanced Transmission Technologies Coalition, which has pushed FERC to encourage these and other technologies. On Wednesday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued an order stating Mountain Valley is "authorized to proceed with all remaining construction associated with the project.". The February 17th announcement included two separate, but closely related, draft policy statements. Please note that email communications to the firm through this website do not create an attorney-client relationship between you and the firm. Circuit on Tuesday blew a hole in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 's current . In recent years, many of FERCs pipeline decisions have been challenged by environmental groups and others, often for failure to comply with NEPA and/or the NGA. How FERC, courts may change pipeline industry in 2022 Our tracker also lists pipelines that were completed last quarter. Here again, a pipeline has no control over the upstream emissions from producing gas. This represents a major shift in FERC practice, although not a major shift from its existing Certificate Policy. Manchin lauds Biden admin 'course correction' on pipelines after FERCs authority to approve interstate pipelines stems from the NGA which was passed in 1938a time when gas was a limited resource to be conservatively rationed. Under these new policies, pipeline approvals at FERC will become enormously difficult.
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