The new chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission used the Trump Administration’s order to have agency employees report their activities as a chance to show off. Late last week the chairman issued a four-page letter of accomplishments on behalf of his staff, a list that might be a good month, not a good week, at some other agency or department.
The Chairman of FERC now, of course, is Virginia’s own Mark Christie, previously a member and sometimes chairman of our State Corporation Commission. The letter should also reassure those Americans who are hoping to see the new administration take a new direction in energy policy, one accepting of hydrocarbons and focused on energy reliability.
Whether Christie answering on behalf of all his employees and fellow commissioners satisfies the request from the Department of Government Efficiency, time will tell. The substance of the report, however, with its focus on natural gas projects likely would have infuriated many in the previous Biden Administration.
He reports that between February 14th and 24th, FERC:
“Issued the following Orders under Sections 3 and 7 of NGA (Natural Gas Act) to ensure that pipeline infrastructure needed to ensure plentiful supplies of natural gas at reasonable prices are in place:
(1) Authorizing Northern Natural Gas Company to abandon, construct, and operate certain pipeline facilities in Minnesota and Wisconsin enabling Northern to provide an additional 46,064 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of incremental firm transportation service to five natural gas customers.
(2) Authorizing Venture Global Plaquemines LNG, LLC to amend its existing authorization to increase the authorized liquefaction production capacity of LNG export facilities in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana from 24.0 to 27.2 million metric tons per annum to reflect the project’s actual capabilities.
(3) Granting a two-year extension for Iroquois Gas Transmission System, L.P. to construct and operate certain facilities in New York and Connecticut to provide up to 125,000 Dth/d of firm natural gas transportation service to delivery points in New York.”
Then he mentioned FERC’s efforts to defend in court (with briefs and oral arguments) previous permits issued on various natural gas projects. He listed three cases, including one brought against FERC over the Mountain Valley Pipeline by the environmental group Appalachian Voices. The other two cases listed were gas or LNG projects in Puerto Rico and on the border with Mexico.
Next up in his memo, construction permits:
“Issued nine notices to proceed with construction of the following natural gas infrastructure including but not limited to:
(1) Granted Woodside Louisiana LNG’s request to construct ISBL Non-Firewater Underground Piping and Cable.
(2) Granted Elba Liquefaction Company L.L.C.’s request to commence certain construction activities on its existing Movable Modular Liquefaction System facilities in Chatham County, Georgia.
(3) Granted Port Arthur LNG, LLC’s request to commence installation of a feed gas pipeline and to set the priority 1 mechanical equipment on the foundations.”
Finally, Christie turned to the longer-term issues of energy reliability and the challenge posed by the massive expansion of electricity demand to serve the data center industry. The Energy Policy Act of 2025 gave FERC a leading role in protecting the reliability and cybersecurity of the national grid.
First up: “a joint workshop with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation on March 20, 2025, to examine supply chain risk management. The workshop will examine potential actions entities may take to validate the completeness and accuracy of information received from vendors during the procurement process.”
And then:
“A Commissioner-led Technical Conference on June 4 and 5, 2025, to explore risks to energy resource adequacy; the efficiency and effectiveness of capacity markets in achieving resource adequacy at just and reasonable rates; design and performance comparisons between capacity markets and alternative resource adequacy constructs; and the roles and interests of states or other entities with legal authority in achieving resource adequacy.”
Finally, citing its authority under the Federal Power Act, FERC:
“Issued two orders approving new reliability standards to improve the reliability of electric service for consumers: the first established new mandatory performance requirements for inverter-based resources; the second approved new reliability standards for planning the bulk electric system during expected extreme heat and cold events.” Note: Inverter-based resources would be mostly solar projects. FERC just set mandatory standards for solar farm performance.
And no, this recounting of FERC’s memo didn’t just set out the whole letter, which reported several other decisions and actions (one involving an oil pipeline). In fairness, many of the items represented months of work before a decision was made or a court brief filed and simply indicate how busy FERC has been for a while.
But does anyone imagine such a report a year ago would focus on natural gas infrastructure or make it clear that grid reliability is the summum bonum? No report to Biden would go four pages, or four sentences, with not one mention of greenhouse gas or climate alarmism. The momentum shift is obvious and welcome.
– By Steve Haner, The Jefferson Journal
Steve Haner is a Senior Fellow for Environment and Energy Policy. He can be reached at [email protected].