Modernizing the Natural Gas Act: February 5th U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy & Commerce Hearing

The Subcommittee on Energy of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on February 5th titled:

Modernizing the Natural Gas Act to Ensure it Works for Everyone (“Hearing”)

The focus of the Hearing included:

• Natural Gas Rates
• Pipeline Siting Under the Natural Gas Act
  • Eminent Domain
  • Tolling Orders
  • Climate Analysis

The Natural Gas Act (“NGA”) requires any person who wishes to engage in the import and/or export of natural gas (including liquefied natural gas, compressed natural gas, compressed gas liquids, etc.) from and/or to a foreign country; to first obtain an authorization from the Department of Energy. The NGA also empowers the federal Energy Regulatory Commission to conduct a review of proposed interstate natural gas pipelines, coordinate environmental and land use permitting with other federal and state agencies, and determine when a proposed pipeline meets the “public convenience and necessity.”

The witnesses included:

• Cheryl LaFleur, Chairman (Former), Federal Regulatory Commission
• Susan Tierney, Senior Advisory, Analysis Group, Inc.
• Richard Worsinger, Treasurer, Board of Directors, American Public Gas Association
• Michael E. McMahon, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Boardwalk Pipelines, LP, (On behalf of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America)
• N. Jonathan Peress, Senior Director, Energy Markets and Utility Regulation, Environmental Defense Fund
• Jennifer Danis, Staff Attorney, Environmental Law Clinic, Columbia University School of Law
• Maya van Rossum, Leader, Delaware Riverkeeper Network
• David Bookbinder, Chief Counsel, Niskanen Center
• David Mallino, Legislative and Political Director, Laborers International Union of North America
• Gene Barr, President and CEO, Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry

A link providing a Subcommittee Staff Memorandum and the witnesses’ prepared testimony can be found here.