Attempting to head off proposed federal legislation, theInterstate Natural Gas Association of America has proposed new FERCprocedures requiring pipelines to notify affected landowners aboutnew construction plans on the first business day after filing acertificate application.

“The pipeline industry wants to do everything possible tostreamline, simplify and improve the pipeline certification andconstruction process,” INGAA President Jerald V. Halvorsen said ina letter to Federal Energy Regulatory Chairman James J. Hoecker. Hecited the bills introduced earlier this year on both sides of theCongress that would require landowner notification. FERC, however,does not need legislation; it could simply require natural gascompanies filing for construction or expansion certificates to makegood faith efforts to notify any affected landowners by certifiedmail on the business day after their filing at FERC. The noticeshould describe the facilities and location, INGAA said. Thepipelines also could be required to distribute the FERC pamphletentitled “An interstate natural gas pipeline on my land? What do Ineed to know?”

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