The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued has issued the Notice of Schedule for Environmental Review and environmental schedules for 12 LNG export terminal applications.
The schedules reflect FERC’s efforts in recent months to streamline its review process for LNG project applications. These efforts have helped to ensure that FERC will be equipped to process applications in a timely and expedient manner without compromising its statutory obligation to ensure safety and environmental protection.
“Thanks to the tremendous work of our Office of Energy Projects and Office of the General Counsel, the Commission has made significant strides in streamlining our regulatory processes to adapt to the increasing number, and greater complexity, of the LNG applications we have received. These process improvements have shortened projected environmental schedules in some cases by 9 to 12 months,” FERC Chairman, Kevin McIntyre said.
Kevin added: “As FERC is the lead siting agency for LNG projects, our responsibility over LNG applications is to assess the environmental effects, safety, and engineering of LNG facilities in a timely manner in accordance with our statutory obligations. Our recent streamlining efforts will provide all LNG stakeholders additional regulatory certainty and help minimise undue administrative burdens.”
These LNG environmental schedules also benefit from a new Commission practice of moving to electronic issuances of environmental documents for FERC’s natural gas and hydropower programs. This new practice will save valuable resources, align FERC with the digital age, and continue to ensure that information is accessible to stakeholders.
The LNG projects affected by issuances of regulatory schedules are: Freeport Train 4, Port Arthur, Driftwood LNG, Corpus Christi, Texas LNG, Gulf LNG, Rio Grande LNG, Jacksonville Eagle, Annova LNG, Plaquemines, Jordan Cove, and Alaska LNG.
For more information, visit: www.ferc.gov
4th September 2018
