BEAT and Food & Water Watch go to federal court against FERC
Berkshire Environmental Action Team has partnered with Food & Water Watch to bring the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. The case has already been getting national attention, and if we win, and we have every reason to believe we will, this will be a major blow to the natural gas infrastructure expansion that is currently underway across the country.
Here’s the background.
FERC is the federal agency that regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil, and issues permits, called Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity, for construction of projects related to these industries, such as natural gas pipelines and compressor stations. In considering a proposal for a project, FERC is supposed to conduct an environmental assessment that includes any foreseeable effects the project may have on the environment. With climate change being our planet’s most pressing environmental issue, you would think that FERC’s deliberations would include the effects the proposed project might have on greenhouse gas emissions. Well they do, in part.
