FERC in the US proposes speeding up LNG terminal expansions — The Hill

The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has proposed a program to speed up approval of expansions at US liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals. As The Hill reports, the commission proposes limiting the deadlines for notices and objections regarding such applications to 60 or 90 days.

Regulator’s arguments

FERC Chair Laura Swett said the changes would allow the country to expand the capacity of existing facilities more quickly in order to supply gas to allies that urgently need it. According to her, the proposed procedure is also intended to preserve safety and environmental protection requirements.

The commission also proposes eliminating the requirement for planned gas projects to submit certain air pollution data during environmental reviews. Specifically, this concerns air pollutant dispersion models that simulate the interaction of a project’s emissions with other atmospheric pollutants to assess the impact on air quality.

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Environmentalists’ objections

Swett called such models a source of confusion, delays and litigation risks. At the same time, FERC Commissioner Judy Chang disagreed with this assessment: in her view, modeling is the best tool for understanding projects’ likely local and regional effects on air quality.

Environmental organizations criticized both proposals. Claire Dorner of the Sierra Club said that accelerating LNG infrastructure development and easing modeling requirements would make it more difficult to assess the impact of gas projects on air quality in communities. She also argues that relaxing these rules could worsen conditions for local ecosystems and communities and intensify the climate crisis.

FERC is a commission independent of the US presidential administration and consists of five presidentially appointed members: three Republicans and two Democrats.