The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Oct. 15 unveiled a proposal to overhaul and accelerate its review of air quality effects for proposed natural gas projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
"The draft policy statement cuts unnecessary delays and duplicative analysis, while delivering greater regulatory certainty and a more streamlined path forward for project applicants," FERC said.
The draft policy statement proposes to no longer request air dispersion modeling from applicants for Natural Gas Act (NGA) projects or rely on this modeling in assessing operational air quality effects under NEPA.
"This proposal recognizes the extensive protections and mitigation requirements built into the Clean Air Act’s exacting regulations, which reflect the expertise and scientific judgment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state agencies—the expert administrative bodies Congress actually charged with safeguarding the Nation’s air quality," FERC said.
"In light of this pervasive regulatory regime, the Commission proposes to use other information submitted by applicants, and identified by Commission staff, to analyze the air quality effects of proposed projects. The Commission will continue to thoroughly address air quality effects in its NEPA documents to disclose any adverse environmental effects, but in a more streamlined way," it said.
Consistent with Supreme Court guidance and aligned Congressional mandates, the draft policy statement proposes to more closely align the Commission’s NEPA analysis with its statutory roles, FERC said.
It also proposes to end unnecessary overlap with the permitting responsibilities entrusted to air regulatory agencies under the Clean Air Act, it added.
Interested parties may submit comments on the implementation of the draft policy statement by November 16, 2026.
