WASHINGTON, D.C. – Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), the leading energy and environmental advocate for families and businesses, issued the following statement after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) suspended an ongoing process – known as Policy Statements – regarding greenhouse gas emissions related to natural gas pipeline siting and construction during today’s Open Meeting.
Initially, the proposed Policy Statements would have been applied retroactively to projects that already under consideration by the commission. Following receipt of concerned feedback, including comments from CEA, today’s move makes them “draft policy statements” and establishes a new public input process to further understand the implications they would create for markets and consumers. CEA submitted testimony to the March 3 Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, urging the Senate to correct FERC’s direction and put its policies back in line with Congressional intent.
“We want to thank FERC for their decision today. They listened to the very legitimate concerns raised about their Policy Statements and what it would do to our energy security, reliability, costs and the likely inability to build any critical energy infrastructure at all in America,” CEA President David Holt said. “With President Biden encouraging U.S. liquefied natural gas shipments to help our crisis-hit allies in Europe, inflation at the highest level in 40 years and gasoline prices at record highs, there appears to be growing recognition that now is not the time to force through a flawed, hastily conceived regulatory policy – especially one with such far reaching consequences.”
“Now we can move forward with the existing clear, consistent rules for natural gas and other energy projects, which should be the goal of any regulator. The initial Policy Statements changed the rules midstream for projects that had already followed the law and requirements of the FERC process that has been in place for decades.”
“It was surprising to everyone when they were announced that the original scope of the Policy Statements created such great uncertainty and violated basic standards of due process. FERC never had the authority to move forward as it did without authorization from Congress and more public input, and the Policy Statements likely would not have withstood challenges to their legality.”
“Consumers and our grid couldn’t afford this policy that would have essentially stopped all pipeline development. The world couldn’t afford this policy, as our allies in Europe need American natural gas now and the Policy Statements would have prevented us from moving forward swiftly in a time of national and international need for energy.”
###
About Consumer Energy Alliance
Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) is the leading voice for sensible energy and environmental policies for consumers, bringing together families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers, and manufacturers to support America’s environmentally sustainable energy future. With more than 550,000 members nationwide, we are committed to leading the nation’s dialogue around energy, its critical role in the economy, and how it supports the vital supply chains for the families and businesses that depend on them. CEA works daily to encourage communities across the nation to seek sensible, realistic, and environmentally responsible solutions to meet our nation’s energy needs.
Contact:
Bryson Hull
(202) 657-2855
bhull@consumerenergyalliance.org