Energy regulators speed up approvals for gas export facility expansions

U.S. energy regulators have proposed establishing a program that would speed up approvals for expanding the nation’s gas export facilities

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) proposed Thursday to limit notice and protest periods to either 60 or 90 days for requested expansions to liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminals. 

FERC Chair Laura Swett (R) said the move would “enable the country to scale up its existing facilities more quickly to supply our allies who are in desperate need.”

She added that the action would “maintain safety and environmental protections.” 

The commission also proposed to no longer require planned gas projects to submit certain air pollution information as part of the environmental review process. 

Specifically, the commission is looking to omit air dispersion models, which simulate how a project’s emissions may interact with other atmospheric pollution to determine air quality impacts. 

“These models have proven time and again to be an unnecessary source of confusion, delay, and litigation risk,” Swett said. 

However, fellow FERC commissioner Judy Chang (D) disagreed, saying this type of modeling is “the best tool we have for understanding the likely local and regional air impacts of the projects we permit.”

Both moves by the commission received pushback from environmental advocates.

“It is unconscionable for FERC to further fast-track harmful LNG development and also cut requirements for gas developers to submit modeling to understand the local air quality impacts of methane gas projects,” Claire Dorner, Sierra Club’s associate legislative and advocacy director of its “Beyond Dirty Fuels” campaign, said in a written statement. 

“Eroding these guardrails will make our historically high energy prices even worse, increase harm to local ecosystems and communities, and exacerbate the climate crisis,” Dorner said. 

FERC is made up of presidentially appointed commissioners but is technically independent from the Trump administration. It is comprised of three Republicans and two Democrats.