Paul Tonko: “The bill that we are addressing before the House simply does not address the problems with pipeline approvals because…”

“The bill that we are addressing before the House simply does not address the problems with pipeline approvals because the committee has not identified any problems with them. The natural gas pipeline approval process works well. The Government Accountability Office's recent review found that FERC's consideration of the vast majority of these projects is completed within a year of receiving a complete application. The network of over 2 million miles of gas pipeline spread across this country ensures that natural gas can be delivered where it is needed. We do have some areas where additional infrastructure is required, but the failure to fill those needs is not due to the permit approval process at FERC. It is due to economic decisions being made by those in the private sector. We do have some problems with pipelines. Accidents resulting in explosions have severely damaged property and, in some cases, claimed lives. We should be doing more to prevent these accidents. The 10 percent of project approvals that are not completed within a 1-year period are those that are more complex. They extend for many miles, traverse densely populated areas, and cross sensitive or valuable resources such as farm lands or water bodies. A project with these characteristics may need more than 1 year to ensure that the pipeline that is ultimately constructed is not going to place people, their communities, other businesses or valuable resources at risk.…”