Jurisdiction

Tossing aside its “tortuous” modified primary function methodfor deciding the jurisdiction of offshore pipelines, FERC last weekissued a long-awaited final rule that’s designed to bring”symmetry” to the regulation of natural gas pipelines on the OuterContinental Shelf (OCS) by imposing similar reporting burdens onall facilities.

Tossing aside its “tortuous” modified primary function methodfor deciding the jurisdiction of offshore pipelines, FERC yesterdayissued a long-awaited final rule that’s designed to bring”symmetry” to the regulation of natural gas pipelines on the OuterContinental Shelf (OCS) by imposing similar reporting burdens onall facilities.

A group of producers and marketers said it backs the “general[policy] objectives” on offshore regulation that were espoused byEnergy Secretary Bill Richardson in a letter to FERC last month,but stresses that debate over the “key issue” of the jurisdictionalstatus of offshore natural gas pipelines involves “a legal, not apolicy” matter.

A group of producers and marketers said it backs the “general[policy] objectives” on offshore regulation that were espoused lastmonth by Energy Secretary Bill Richardson in a letter to FERC, butstresses that debate over the “key issue” of the jurisdictionalstatus of offshore natural gas pipelines involves “a legal, not apolicy” matter.