Frank Pallone: “I frankly don't understand the purpose of this amendment. Last spring, FERC issued an updated policy statement, an…”

“I frankly don't understand the purpose of this amendment. Last spring, FERC issued an updated policy statement, an interim guidance, detailing how the Commission should treat new applications for natural gas pipelines and account for greenhouse gas emissions. The Commission, a month later, clarified that both documents were drafts and that it would seek further input and comments on the drafts. That is it. These documents are not final rules or orders from the Commission. They are not law. They are a draft, draft documents that the Commission has put out to solicit industry and stakeholder feedback, and that is the way we want the government to work for it to be responsive. Withdrawing these documents from draft status, which is what I think the gentleman's amendment would do, would have no impact on any policy and, instead, I think, would just create further confusion and possibly release FERC from the duty to consider industry's comments on the draft. It may be that the real reason that the Republicans offered this amendment is that they don't think that FERC should consider greenhouse gas emissions. They don't think that these emissions should matter when FERC makes a decision about whether or not to authorize a new natural gas pipeline. This doesn't change the law. The law currently requires FERC to consider the greenhouse gas impacts of a certificate it grants.…”