New England energy sector stakeholders stressed the importance of natural gas to the region’s energy security on Thursday at an event organized by FERC.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission convened the forum to seek input on the region’s winter supply challenges. Primarily because of pipeline constraints, New England relies on LNG imports to cover increased natural gas demand during the winter months.

Kinder Morgan Inc.’s Kimberly Watson, president of interstate gas pipelines, implored regulators to support the buildout of new infrastructure to both reduce dependence on imported liquefied natural gas while continuing to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

“I urge the commission to take steps to act now to promote an efficient, predictable and consistent review...