The U.S. DoE official in charge of natural gas testified to FERC’s oversight committee that fracking provides “unprecedented opportunities” for profit through LNG export. She, like FERC, says the opportunities are “for the United States”, and they’re both wrong. Pipelines to LNG export that would raise domestic natural gas prices and take local land and pollute local air and water is not for the U.S.: they’re for profit by a few fossil fuel companies and Continue reading New pipelines are for fracking and LNG export –FE official to Congress
Tag Archives: Subcommittee on Energy and Power
Florida and Georgia members of FERC’s House Subcommittee
Cathy Castor (FL-14) and
John Barrow (GA-12)
are on the oversight committee for FERC
that had all the FERC Commissioners testify 5 December 2013:
the
Subcommittee on Energy and Power
of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Shouldn’t they be interested in hearing about the Sabal Trail pipeline?
Each time someone files a comment with FERC, the filer could also
send it to that subcommittee or their member of it, or their own member of Congress or Senators.
Unlike the other subcommittee that held a hearing pushing LNG exports, the Subcommittee on Energy and Power has the appropriate jurisdiction:
Jurisdiction:
National energy policy; fossil energy; renewable energy; nuclear energy; nuclear facilities; the Department of Energy; the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; synthetic and alternative fuels; energy conservation; energy information; utility issues; interstate energy compacts; energy generation, marketing, reliability, transmission, siting, exploration, production, efficiency, cybersecurity, and ratemaking for all generated power; pipelines; the Clean Air Act and air emissions; all laws, programs, and government activities affecting energy matters, including all aspects of the above-referenced jurisdiction related to the Department of Homeland Security.
Not only fossil energy, also renewable energy, such as solar and wind. Not only utility issues, but also interstate energy compacts. Not only pipelines, but also the Clean Air Act and air emissions.
Here’s the subcommittee membership: Continue reading Florida and Georgia members of FERC’s House Subcommittee
FERC Commissioner pushes LNG exports to House Subcommitee
Commissioner Tony Clark’s LNG export comments are the pullquote in the U.S. House Committee’s own writeup. His testimony says a surplus of fracked gas in the U.S. is driving both LNG exports and new pipelines. Not customer demand in Florida: producer demand for new markets. Do we want a pipeline through our lands to profit fat cats in Houston?
Given Clark’s background as a public service commissioner in fracking North Dakota, he seems likely to be a fracking, LNG export, and gas pipeline advocate. New FERC Acting Chair Cheryl A. LaFleur’s testimony set the stage for Clark’s remarks:
FERC Commissioner Phillip D. Moeller’s testimony included this Orwellian remark:Increased availability of domestic natural gas and its growing use in power generation also has implications for natural gas infrastructure, which Commissioner Clark will touch on in his testimony.
Over the last 22 months, the Commission has undertaken significant efforts to address the growing convergence of the natural gas and electric industries through seven technical conferences and regular updates. In November the Commission issued its final rule relating to communications regarding sensitive system information in an effort to open communication channels between interstate natural gas pipelines and operators of wholesale electric markets.
So we should pave the way for natural gas plowing through our property by making communications about it federally sensitive?
Written Testimony of Commissioner Tony Clark
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Before the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
Subcommittee on Energy and Power
United States House of Representatives
Hearing on
Evaluating the Role of FERC in a Changing Energy Landscape
December 5, 2013
The large amount of natural gas in the U.S. is also creating an impetus for something that was nearly unimaginable ten or fifteen year ago, LNG export, as opposed to import terminals. This is an area of significant workload increase for the Commission.
Presently, the FERC has thirteen proposed LNG export terminals and three LNG import terminals in some phase of the permitting process. As you would expect, the reviews that entail safely siting large multi-billion dollar energy projects such as these are extensive.
Note he doesn’t say anything about deciding whether to site LNG export terminals, just doing it “safely”. So this FERC Commissioner seems in favor of what another House subcommittee is also pushing: LNG exports.
But what about pipelines? Those are also driven by fossil fuel company fracked shale gas gluts, not by customer demand:
As you might expect, the shale revolution in both liquids and natural gas production is having a tremendous impact on the work of the FERC. We see this Continue reading FERC Commissioner pushes LNG exports to House Subcommitee