Chatterjee

FERC should call a halt to approvals of natural gas pipelines, liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities “and related fossil-fuel infrastructure projects until the end of the Covid-19 crisis,” according to a group of attorneys general (AG) representing 10 states and the District of Columbia.

FERC and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) said Thursday they are taking steps to ensure that operators of the U.S. bulk electric system “can focus their resources on keeping people safe and the lights on” during the coronavirus emergency.

FERC on Thursday authorized the Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas (LNG) project after weeks of delay, leaving sponsors to untangle remaining state-level roadblocks in Oregon.

Four natural gas pipeline projects were approved by FERC Thursday, but Commissioners continued their struggle to find common ground on their role in determining each project’s potential effects on greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

James Danly, President Trump’s nominee to fill one of the two vacant seats at FERC, received a mostly warm welcome at a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Tuesday, but lawmakers weren’t as happy with the White House’s inability to fill the agency’s fifth seat.

There are currently three commissioners at FERC, with a fourth recently nominated by President Trump, but Chairman Neil Chatterjee wants a full complement of five members on board to reach consensus on some major issues, including an ongoing review of the Commission’s pipeline approval process.

There are currently three commissioners at FERC, with a fourth recently nominated by President Trump, but Chairman Neil Chatterjee wants a full complement of five members on board to reach consensus on some major issues, including an ongoing review of the Commission’s pipeline approval process.

Back after a brief summer recess, Chairman Neil Chatterjee announced several structural changes at FERC’s monthly public meeting Thursday, designed to increase efficiency or streamline processes, but not, as had been reported in some quarters, to quash the Commission’s market oversight responsibilities.

FERC remains an independent agency and makes decisions in a bipartisan manner, despite only three of its five seats being filled and published reports to the contrary, according to Chairman Neil Chatterjee.