Don Santa, president and CEO of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, today released the following statement on House Energy and Commerce committee’s passage of Representative Pompeo’s legislation to improve the natural gas transmission pipeline permitting process:
“We appreciate the committee’s prompt action on this legislation, which will improve the permitting process for interstate natural gas pipelines. Pipelines are the key to America’s natural gas revolution because they serve as the indispensable link from the supply source to the ultimate gas consumer.
“The Pompeo bill is consistent with the principal recommendation from an INGAA Foundation report on permitting released in December of 2012. The report found that, while the FERC does an effective job of reviewing applications for authority to build new pipelines, the commission currently lacks the authority to enforce permitting deadlines for other federal and state agencies. The lack of enforceable permitting deadlines increasingly is causing pipeline project delays. Providing clear permitting deadline authority will add certainty to the process and encourage timely decision-making.
“We hope the full House, and the Senate, take prompt action on this legislation to improve pipeline permitting and help facilitate the natural gas revolution.”
