The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday proposed a revamp of a decades-old blanket certificate program for natural gas projects — framing it as beneficial for building more pipeline infrastructure amid rising energy demand.
FERC’s blanket certificate program — which provides a path for natural gas companies to carry out certain routine activities without the need to get a case-specific permit — was last majorly updated 20 years ago and includes cost limits that FERC leaders say haven’t kept up with the pace of inflation.
“I’m very proud of the step that FERC took today on the gas pipeline blanket proceeding towards clearing the way to expansion that is critical to meeting our country’s explosive energy needs,” said Republican FERC Chair Laura Swett, speaking to reporters at FERC’s meeting.
“Our proposal is grounded in thousands of hours of experience and thousands of cases and an eye to providing what we believe is a legally defensible approach in court grounded in the record while providing the industry the confidence it needs to invest in infrastructure,” she said.
