A proposal to expand natural gas capacity on the Kern River Gas Transmission Co. pipeline system to serve a Utah power plant has received a favorable draft environmental review by FERC staff.

The draft environmental impact statement (DEIS), issued earlier this month by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff said approving the Delta Lateral Project would result in some adverse impacts. However, these impacts would be reduced to less-than-significant levels because of the minimization and mitigation measures proposed by Kern River and recommended by staff, according to the DEIS

FERC staff was “unable to determine the significance level of climate change impacts.”

In March, FERC for the first time incorporated a review of climate change impacts in the approval of...