The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission unveiled two regulatory proposals at its monthly meeting intended to accelerate the approval process for methane gas infrastructure projects.
The first measure involves establishing a blanket certificate program for liquefied methane gas facilities. Under this framework, projects meeting specified minimum standards could receive automatic or expedited approval without undergoing comprehensive environmental assessment or other customary oversight mechanisms.
The second proposal takes the form of a draft policy statement that would eliminate the requirement for methane gas project developers to provide air dispersion modeling data. Air dispersion modeling is used to evaluate how proposed projects would affect local and regional air quality, an assessment mandated under the National Environmental Policy Act.
Environmental advocacy groups contested the proposals. A representative from the Sierra Club characterized the measures as harmful, noting that direct air pollution from existing U.S. LNG terminals already generates approximately $1 billion in annual health costs and contributes to numerous premature deaths. Critics argue that reducing regulatory requirements could lead to higher energy costs, increased damage to local ecosystems and communities, and acceleration of climate-related impacts. They contend that FERC would be shirking its duty to conduct thorough reviews of projects with documented histories of environmental and community harm.
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