The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) announces a new report by Analysis Group, authored by renowned energy expert Dr. Susan Tierney. The report, FERC’s Certification of New Interstate Natural Gas Facilities: Revising the 1999 Policy Statement for 21st Century Conditions, outlines many of the key calls for action found in the thousands of comments filed in summer 2018 with FERC regarding its gas pipeline reviews. FERC’s January 2018 decision to reconsider its 20-year-old policy guiding its pipeline reviews was a major victory, but the docket has largely been shelved since comments were filed, despite the plethora of great ideas contained therein. In conjunction with the report’s release, Dr. Tierney also authored an op-ed in Utility Dive.

The report recommends that FERC adopt and implement numerous changes, including:

• Incorporating an “all relevant factors approach” to determine pipeline need
• Ensuring fairness and due process for landowners
• Conducting a robust environmental review
• Prioritizing accuracy over speed