FERC Appeal submitted by Sierra Club

Once again (and as it has done with other projects), the Sierra Club had requested a "rehearing of FERC’s “Order Granting Authorizations under Section 3 of The Natural Gas Act and Issuing Certificates” (“Order”), issued April 15, 2016, 155 FERC ¶ 61,033, in the above-captioned matter. The Order grants Magnolia LNG, LLC and Kinder Morgan Louisiana Pipeline, LLC (collectively, “Applicants”) authority to site, construct, and operate natural gas liquefaction equipment, liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) export facilities, and related pipeline infrastructure. Sierra Club asks that the Order and the Environmental Impact Statement for this project be withdrawn and that further environmental analysis be undertaken."

It goes on to list "in numerous other LNG dockets pending before FERC, Sierra Club filed a protest explaining that FERC could not approve the project without considering, as part of its Natural Gas Act “public interest” analysis, adverse environmental effects of the proposed exports on domestic and global energy supply: the environmental harm caused by incremental export-induced increases in domestic gas production; the environmental harm caused by shifts from gas to coal in the electric sector in response to export-induced gas price increases; and the climate impact of transporting, regassifying, and combusting exported LNG abroad. Sierra Club Motion to Intervene and Protest at 9 (June 3, 2014). Sierra Club explained that both the Natural Gas Act and NEPA required a hard look at these effects. The Environmental Protection Agency similarly argued, in comments on both the draft and final Environmental Impact Statements, that the climate impacts of additional gas production, transportation, and use needed to be considered."

Similar arguments have been lodged and rejected by FERC previously so don't believe this is cause for concern, but yet another part of the process before FERC issues its final Notice to Proceed. Nevertheless I will raise when in Houstin later this week.

http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/comm...).pdf&folder=6855939&fileid=14249931&trial=1U