Niki Tsongas: “I thank my colleague for yielding. I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 161, the so-called Natural Gas Pipeline…”

“I thank my colleague for yielding. I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 161, the so-called Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act. My home State of Massachusetts, like many areas around the country, faces serious energy challenges. We need careful and strategic long- term planning in order to lower energy prices and increase reliability. Increasing access to additional sources of natural gas could help address some of New England's energy challenges, including energy prices, which have historically been above the national average. However, this legislation would move us in the wrong direction. This bill would force FERC to rush decisionmaking, including environmental reviews and assessments of the need for natural gas, while also hobbling decisions regarding the appropriate size of the proposed pipeline. It would turn FERC into a superpermitting agency, an authority that FERC neither wants nor has the expertise to carry out. In my home district, we are currently navigating the FERC process that this bill purports to improve. The company is proposing to build a new 250-mile natural gas pipeline that crosses three States, including seven communities that I represent. I have heard from hundreds of my constituents expressing their concerns with this project. Construction of the pipeline could jeopardize local wildlife and will impact both State and federally designated conservation lands, as well as Massachusetts' scarce farmland.…”