Enhancing and Streamlining the Pipeline Review Process

Currently, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) acts as the lead agency in coordinating environmental reviews and federal authorizations for natural gas pipelines that cross state lines. Thanks to confusing and inefficient review processes and a lack of coordination amongst agencies, pipeline infrastructure approvals have been delayed, resulting in insufficient infrastructure to transport natural gas which makes the electric grid less reliable and increases utility prices for home heating and cooking. 

In order to issue authorizations to build and operate natural gas pipelines, FERC requires state water quality certifications. Some radical activist states have taken advantage of this requirement to block interstate pipelines, catering to extreme environmentalists instead of delivering economic benefits and energy security to hardworking Americans. 

Many large natural gas pipelines that could have transported billions of cubic feet of natural gas and strengthened Americans’ access to reliable energy have been cancelled in recent years because of bureaucratic burdens and permitting delays. This puts the energy needs of millions of Americans at risk and has made some regions, such as the Northeast, alarmingly dependent on LNG imports. 

House Republicans are bringing legislation to expand and modernize America’s natural gas pipeline infrastructure by increasing communication between agencies and streamlining natural gas pipeline reviews and approvals so Americans can access the energy they need. 

Rep. Richard Hudson’s legislation, H.R. 3668, the Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act, bolsters FERC’s role as lead agency in the natural gas pipeline review process, empowering them to oversee participating federal and state agencies through schedules, simultaneous reviews, and dispute resolutions while also streamlining the permitting process by absorbing the water quality certification into FERC’s existing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review, keeping environmental protections in place while accelerating approval times.

House Republicans won’t stop working to ensure domestic energy can be transported as efficiently and cleanly as possible, ensuring the lights stay on in American homes.