FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Renée Lani, Director of Regulatory Affairs
Phone: (202) 464-0836
Email: rlani@apga.org
APGA Expresses Concern about FERC Policy Statements
Washington, D.C. (February 18, 2022) – The American Public Gas Association (APGA), representing more than 730 municipally and community-owned natural gas systems in 38 states, issued the following statement in response to the Updated Policy Statement and Interim Policy Statement announced by FERC during its February 17 public meeting:
“During its February 17 meeting, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced the publication of two policy statements: (1) an Updated Policy Statement on the Certification of New Interstate Natural Gas Facilities and (2) an Interim Policy Statement on Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Natural Gas Infrastructure Project Reviews. These policy statements make significant changes to long-standing processes in how the Commission determines whether an interstate natural gas project should be granted a certificate to be constructed and put into operation.
APGA’s not-for-profit, publicly owned gas utility members work hard every day to provide their customers with reliable, low-cost and efficient natural gas to heat their homes and energize their appliances. As responsible environmental stewards of their communities, they prioritize sustainability, emissions reductions and minimizing environmental impact.
However, APGA members can only ensure a resilient and affordable energy supply for their communities through the support of a robust interstate network of pipelines. While not directly regulated by FERC, APGA members are still significantly impacted by these new policy statements, as public utilities depend on interstate natural gas infrastructure to transport clean energy reliably across the country to serve local homes and businesses.
As such, APGA is concerned that these new policy statements will have a chilling effect on natural gas infrastructure development, which would significantly impact the ability of public gas systems to maintain low-cost energy access for their communities. What’s more, these positions are only supported by a slim majority of Commissioners and were approved along party lines, an injudicious way to develop such a significant policy, which will only lead to greater uncertainty for those who rely on interstate natural gas pipelines, including APGA members.
Our nation’s natural gas infrastructure must be bolstered — not hindered — in order to provide even cleaner, more affordable energy to homes and businesses and help achieve our nation’s carbon reduction goals. This is especially true as gas supply becomes more efficient each day thanks to innovations like renewable natural gas (RNG), hydrogen and other technologies. APGA looks forward to working with FERC and other government stakeholders in building on our resilient gas supply network that will help safeguard energy reliability while reducing emissions.”