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FERC begins inquiry into gas pipeline certification process
Apr. 20, 2018 12:51 PM ET|By: Carl Surran, SA News Editor

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has launched the first examination of its process for reviewing and authorizing interstate natural gas pipelines under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act since it was adopted in 1999.

Height Analytics expects an update would result in longer approval processes due to a heightened focus on public input and market need for pipelines; while Pres. Trump aims to streamline environmental reviews for infrastructure projects, the firm believes FERC will prioritize legal defensibility over speed when making decisions in order to avoid litigation.

Among projects Height thinks will be affected by changes: EQT Midstream's (EQM -0.3%) Mountain Valley pipeline to expand service to North Carolina, Dominion Energy's (D -1.3%) and Duke Energy's (DUK -1%) plan to extend the Atlantic Coast pipeline into South Carolina, and Tellurian's (TELL +3.3%) Permian Global Access pipeline to serve its Driftwood LNG export facility.

Also, Height says Kinder Morgan’s (KMI -0.5%) Northeast Energy Direct and Enbridge’s (ENB -2.1%) Access Northeast pipelines, which have been suspended due to local opposition, would be approved with new rules if the companies reapply to FERC in the future.