With the recent confirmations of Neil Chaterjee and Rob Powelson, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has finally returned to a quorum. For nearly six months important infrastructure projects were unable to move forward, stuck waiting, without a path to completion. As Charlie Hughes writes in The Washington Examiner, “more than 30 such projects in various steps of the certification process were relegated to regulatory limbo. Other projects that may have been filed with FERC may have held off due to the regulatory uncertainty at the agency.”
FERC’s return to quorum comes along with a recent executive order signed by President Trump, streamlining the permitting process for infrastructure proposals. As it currently stands, it takes an average of seven years for a project to receive all the required permits; under the new executive order, that would be trimmed down to an average of two years.
These two important steps are palpable progress towards the national infrastructure push that we so need. Allowing projects to finally move forward with the proper permits, and drastically reducing the time spent waiting to begin, will create jobs and stimulate economies – particularly in the Midwest.
There are several pipeline projects that have been forced to wait while FERC was without a quorum, and can now begin to move forward. Projects like Rover Pipeline, now able to obtain the proper permits at a much more efficient rate, will bring thousands of jobs to local communities. CEPI is thrilled to see Commissioners Charterjee and Powelson confirmed, and excited to see pipeline infrastructure expand throughout the Midwest, employing hard working Americans and brining boosts to local economies along the way.