Press Release |
||
|
||
|
||
|
Washington, D.C.—On Wednesday, July 30, Congressmen Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) and Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) will introduce the Natural Gas Strategy Act to develop a national commission that will examine the adequacy of current federal policies governing the siting of natural gas infrastructure. The commission would study how effectively the current regulatory structures meet the nation’s overall energy needs and priorities. Current policy requires that new projects be reviewed and approved or denied as they are submitted rather than as the result of a comprehensive, national strategy.
“Placement of natural gas infrastructure should not be run like a deli counter, where it’s ‘first come, first served,’” said Congressman Bishop, Vice Chair of the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee. “Instead, we must take a comprehensive approach and develop a national strategy. As Congress debates solutions for America’s short-term and long-term energy needs, the strategic placement of energy infrastructure, particularly natural gas infrastructure is of critical importance.”
“While it is critical when considering the placement of natural gas infrastructure that we evaluate the risks and benefits associated with each individual site, we must also take a comprehensive look at our nation’s natural gas supply needs and the infrastructure required to meet those needs,” said Congressman Cummings, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. “Through the creation of a national commission, we can begin to assess how to place national gas infrastructure where it best meets supply needs and where it will have the least possible impact on the environment while also allowing us to achieve maximum security with the limited resources available.”
In 2007, natural gas provided more than 20 percent of all energy for the United States. With soaring oil prices and global climate change, natural gas is a cheaper, cleaner alternative to oil.
The number of natural gas infrastructure proposals continues to increase. However, the federal agencies responsible for placement and oversight of the vast system of pipelines, terminals, and facilities – including re-gasification facilities – needed to provide natural gas are often limited in their ability to consider all the relevant elements of a proposed project when making decisions on the placement of critical energy infrastructure.
Specifically, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Maritime Administration (MARAD) can only react to the new natural gas infrastructure proposals brought to them. This approach severely curtails our nation’s ability to place energy infrastructure where it can best meet anticipated demand, where it causes the least environmental impact and where it is easiest to secure, given the limited resources of the Coast Guard and other federal, state, and local agencies.
In response, the Bishop/Cummings Natural Gas Strategy Act would lead to a more comprehensive, national strategy for the placement of facilities which would increase access to affordable energy, strengthen security and reduce environmental concerns.
###
|
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
[an error occurred while processing this directive]