The American Gas Association (AGA) has expressed fears for the development of natural gas at the hands of FERC in a letter to chairman Joe Manchin of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and ranking member John Barrasso.
In the letter, AGA president and CEO Karen Harbert outlined multiple concerns about two new policy statements issued by FERC, specifically how these policies will impact the natural gas industry and particularly, natural gas utilities.
“AGA has concerns about FERC’s new policies which should be addressed to ensure that any certificate review process addresses the needs of consumers and is legally durable,” Harbert said in the letter addressing the Senate Committee.
“First, FERC should respect the needs of utilities, customers, and state commissions as sufficient support for projects. Second, FERC should not attempt to expand its authority beyond its federal mandate and FERC should not infringe on state jurisdictional matters.
“Third, FERC’s new policies should not impede or delay the review of pending projects, and FERC should ensure that further delays do not negatively impact reliability and resilience.”
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on 3 March to review recent actions of FERC relating to permitting construction and operation of interstate natural gas pipelines and other natural gas infrastructure projects.
For more information visit www.aga.org
