Bonnie Watson Coleman: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleague from Florida for yielding me some time to speak on what I…”

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleague from Florida for yielding me some time to speak on what I consider to be a very important issue. Mr. Chair, I rise to strongly oppose H.R. 2910, the Promoting Interagency Coordination for Review of Natural Gas Pipelines Act. {time} 1445 This industry-backed bill provides FERC with unnecessary authorities that put the interest of companies over that of the people and the environment. The current process that FERC uses to approve pipelines is inherently flawed, genuinely threatens our green spaces, water resources, and public and private lands. By allowing this bill to pass, we are permitting FERC to exclude the input of those who would be directly impacted in exchange for benefiting the fossil fuel industry. We need to have a more comprehensive process that considers the effects these pipelines will have on local communities, which is why I introduced H.R. 2649, the Safer Pipelines Act of 2017. My legislation is about inclusiveness, ensuring that the voice of communities impacted by a proposed pipeline are heard loud and clear. I have seen this problem up close. One project before FERC is a proposed PennEast pipeline, which would run through my congressional district. The PennEast plan has been fraught by community concerns on issues ranging from potential contamination of drinking water and destruction of environmentally sensitive areas.…”