FERC Seeks to Apply Blanket Certificates to More Gas Projects

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is looking to speed up its natural gas pipeline permitting process by expanding the number of projects authorized under its blanket certificate regulations.

The notice of proposed rulemaking, scheduled to be published in the Federal Register Wednesday, would expand the “scope and scale” of blanket certificates, which allow natural gas companies to conduct restricted activities without the need to obtain a case-specific certificate for each individual project.

The maximum costs for blanket certificate activities would also increase under the rule change. It’s currently limited to $14.5 million per project undertaken without prior notice, ...