Two bills streamlining oil and gas pipeline permitting and a third easing ozone regulation have been passed by the US House of Representatives (OGJ Online, June 29, 2017).
HR 2883 transfers authority over pipeline border crossings from the president to the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and sets time limits for approvals.
If the legislation becomes law, FERC would have to act on border-crossing applications within 120 days of its completion of environmental reviews and on exports or imports of natural gas to or from Mexico or Canada within 30 days.
HR 2910 streamlines permitting of gas pipelines by strengthening FERC’s lead-agency role and seeking ways to meet its 90-day time limit for action on applications. It includes measures to improve coordination among agencies involved in pipeline decisions and requires concurrent reviews.
The House also passed HR 806, which extends deadlines for compliance with a 2015 US Environmental Protection Agency rule toughening air-quality standards for ozone, lowers the frequency of required EPA reviews of those standards to 10 years from 5 years, and ensures states don’t have to include economically unfeasible measures in their compliance plans.
The bills await action in the Senate.