Organizations

Saying Downeast LNG “jumped the gun” in its race for permits, a group of concerned residents and organizations recently called on the Maine Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) to reject the company’s application to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Robbinston, ME.

Saying Downeast LNG “jumped the gun” in its race for permits, a group of concerned residents and organizations this week has called on the Maine Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) to reject the company’s application to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Robbinston, ME.

Organized opposition to a coastal liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in California, along with critical environmental organizations and utilities, Friday raised the spectre of challenging at least part of the sweeping new state natural gas rules approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (see Daily GPI, Sept. 22). At least one group threatened to file a lawsuit in state Superior Court Monday.

Citing a new report that it commissioned, the New England Council, which represents businesses, academic institutions and health organizations throughout New England, issued a warning on Wednesday that the region could face severe economic consequences without rapid construction of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals.

The American Public Gas Association, American Gas Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, Industrial Energy Consumers of America and numerous other organizations sent a letter Wednesday to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee urging it to move quickly on comprehensive energy legislation that includes provisions that would open up more domestic areas to natural gas drilling.

The leaders of three citizens organizations have called for a face-to-face meeting with FERC Chairman Pat Wood to air their opposition to the proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in Fall River, MA, and Providence, RI, according to a published report.

FERC last week moved to provide guidance and clarification related to the elements of filings made by regional transmission organizations (RTOs) in response to a decision issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The ability of FERC to successfully form regional transmission organizations (RTOs) throughout the country will in large measure be tied to how much cooperation and support federal regulators receive from their counterparts at the state level, a key FERC staff member told an audience of energy attorneys in Washington, DC, last Thursday.

As FERC ramps up its outreach efforts to state regulators, most recently in the areas of regional transmission organizations (RTOs) and electricity market design, FERC Commissioner Nora Brownell last Friday said that she believes the federal agency is making progress in forging stronger relationships with its state-level counterparts.