WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed a bill 213-184 aimed at speeding up federal approvals for interstate natural gas pipelines by designating the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the lead agency in the process.
The Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act empowers agencies to consider water quality assessments during the environmental review process, eliminating the need to wait for separate certifications from states under the Clean Water Act, which had long permitting processes.
The bill is one of several in Congress aimed at speeding up permitting. Another bill, called Advancing Efficient Consideration of Today’s Modern Infrastructure, also passed with bipartisan support.
Why is it important?
Passing broad permitting reform legislation is a priority for next year’s Congress as lawmakers seek to accelerate the process of building the energy infrastructure needed to power the growing demand for electricity from data centers and reduce the resulting rise in household energy costs.
FERC traditionally has five commissioners appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Over the years, it has approved most of the natural gas pipeline decisions ever made.
important quotes
“These bills will help unlock the infrastructure America needs to meet the growing demand for affordable and reliable energy,” Mike Somers, president of the American Petroleum Institute, said in a statement.
what’s next
The Senate is embarking on a separate effort to reform energy permitting that is broader than the House-passed bill.
The Senate is focused on a bill that would amend the National Environmental Policy Act, the bedrock environmental law for projects such as power line rehabilitation.
Report by Valerie Volcovici. Editing: Paul Simao
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