American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2015 - 44

view, with one 30-day extension allowed;
and
* Require that a permit goes into effect if an agency doesn't issue its response
within the 90-day time frame, but still allow agencies to proffer conditions within 30 days of permit approval.
"The Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting
Reform Act is a common-sense reform
aimed at providing greater certainty for interstate natural gas pipeline projects,"
Pompeo says. "The legislation would
strengthen the reforms made in EPAct
while preserving the critical environmental review processes necessary for each natural gas pipeline project."
The White House has threatened to veto
HR 161, media reports say, warning it
would create conflicts with federal requirements and force agencies to make decisions by imposing new deadlines. An
administration document states the bill
may actually delay projects or lead to more
project denials, undermining the legislation's intent.
LNG Exports
The Department of Energy would have
45 days after an environmental review document was published to decide on applications to export liquefied natural gas to
countries that did not have free trade

agreements with the United States under
legislation proposed by Senators Martin
Heinrich, D-N.M., and John Barrasso, RWy. The clock would start after FERC or
the U.S. Maritime Administration published an environmental review document for the proposed project.
S 33, the LNG Permitting Certainty and
Transparency Act, will help create jobs, reduce the U.S. trade deficit, and strengthen the energy security of key U.S. allies
that are eager to buy its natural gas, Barrasso says.
The House approved a similar measure
on Jan. 28: HR 351, sponsored by Representative Bill Johnson, R-Oh. His proposal calls for those two agencies to issue decisions on LNG facility permits within 30
days of concluding the site review or enactment of the bill.
Barrasso says S 33 will create clear
deadlines to force federal agencies to
make timely decisions on energy permits,
reducing roadblocks from red tape and permitting delays. Under the bill, applicants
would have the opportunity for an expedited judicial review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit or the circuit in
which the export project was located, if
DOE failed to act within 45 days or if the
project was subject to a legal challenge. The
bill also requires LNG exporters to disclose

the country or countries to which LNG has
been delivered, and requires DOE to make
this information publically available.
News reports say the Obama administration said it supported similar legislation
introduced last year by Senator Hoeven,
if the 45 days started after FERC completed its review.
Accountability
A proposal to amend the Administrative Procedures Act to require federal agencies to base rule makings on scientific evidence while considering the costs and benefits of any proposed action was introduced
by Representative Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.
HR 185, the Regulatory Accountability Act
of 2015, would require federal agencies to
adopt the least-costly methods to implement new laws.
Goodlatte says the act addresses the
problem of escalating and excessive federal regulatory costs in a clear and common-sense way. "This legislation directs
the executive branch to fulfill its statutory goals set by Congress, and simply requires that they reach these goals in the
least costly way with better public input
to find the most efficient regulatory solutions," he says.
HR 185 also expands the scope of judicial reviews of agency rule makings by

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER VISIT:
WWW.GASCOMPRESSOR.ORG/MEETINGS
44 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2015