Us Congress House Bill HB829

Us Congress 2023-2024 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/6/23
• Refer: 2/6/23
• Refer: 2/17/23

Caption

Promoting Interagency Coordination for Review of Natural Gas Pipelines Act

Impact

The proposed legislation seeks to enforce a timeframe of 90 days for federal authorizations following the completion of the NEPA review, facilitating the expedited resolution of natural gas pipeline applications. By establishing a clear and structured process, supporters of the bill argue that it will address the urgent need for energy infrastructure updates while ensuring environmental considerations are still maintained. The bill also mandates transparency, requiring the FERC to track and publicly disclose the progress of these authorizations to enhance accountability.

Summary

House Bill 829, titled the 'Promoting Interagency Coordination for Review of Natural Gas Pipelines Act,' aims to streamline and enhance the coordination between federal and state agencies concerning the approval processes for natural gas pipelines under the Natural Gas Act. This bill establishes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as the sole lead agency responsible for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews relevant to natural gas pipeline authorizations. The intention is to reduce delays and improve the efficiency of these approvals by limiting the ability of other agencies to conduct separate NEPA reviews unless strictly necessary.

Contention

However, the bill has faced scrutiny and debate among stakeholders. Critics, including environmental advocacy groups, express concern that consolidating authority in the FERC could undermine environmental protections by diminishing the oversight roles of other federal and state agencies. They argue that bypassing multiple agency reviews may lead to insufficient consideration of environmental impacts and local community concerns. Proponents counter that the bill balances regulatory needs with the urgency of infrastructure development to reduce dependency on foreign energy sources.