US Eases Environmental Reviews for Natural Gas Projects

A top US energy regulator voted to ease environmental requirements for pipelines and other natural gas projects, saying they’re not needed after a recent Supreme Court ruling.

The five-member Federal Energy Regulatory Commission moved on Thursday to no longer require an analysis of cumulative impacts, part of the decades-old National Environmental Policy Act. That policy requires an examination of proposed project impact on past, present and potentially future actions ranging from wetlands and air quality to socioeconomic issues.

“We are no longer going to waste valuable time staff and applicant time and money doing an analysis that is not ...