Environmental Review of Natural Gas Act Applications; Notice of Availability of Draft Policy Statement on Efficient Environmental Reviews of Natural Gas Project Applications

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) has prepared a draft policy statement concerning the Commission's review of operational air emissions and associated air quality effects of proposed natural gas projects under the Natural Gas Act (NGA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Pursuant to the policy described in the draft statement, the Commission would no longer ordinarily ask applicants to prepare or submit air dispersion modeling for compressor stations or liquefied natural gas facilities, nor require use of the results of such modeling in assessing the air quality effects of such facilities under the NGA and NEPA. Instead, the Commission would use other information submitted by applicants and identified by Commission staff, including but not limited to information on governing state and federal air quality regulations and applicants' compliance therewith, to analyze the air quality effects of proposed projects.

The draft policy statement, for which the Commission seeks comment, can be found in Docket Number PL26-3-000. Any person wishing to comment on the draft policy statement may do so. To ensure consideration of your comments before issuance of the final version, it is important that the Commission receive your comments on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on November 16, 2026.

The Commission specifically seeks comment on the optimal implementation of its new policy, as opposed to its legal justification. Instructions for filing comments are provided below.

For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the docket number (PL26-3-000) with your submission. The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-3676 or FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. Please carefully follow these instructions so that your comments are properly recorded.

(1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment feature on the Commission's website ( www.ferc.gov) under the link to FERC Online. This is an easy method for submitting brief, text-only comments;

(2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling feature on the Commission's website ( www.ferc.gov) under the link to FERC Online. With eFiling, you can provide comments in a variety of formats by attaching them as a file with your submission. New eFiling users must first create an account by clicking on “eRegister.” If you are filing a comment on a particular project, please select “Comment on a Filing” as the filing type; or

(3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to the Commission. Be sure to reference the docket number (PL26-3-000) on your letter. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

All of the information related to the draft policy statement and submitted comments can be found on the FERC website ( www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on the eLibrary link, click on “General Search” and enter the docket number, excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field ( i.e., PL26-3). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance, contact the Office of Public Participation at (202)502-6595 or OPP@ferc.gov. The eLibrary link also provides access to the texts of all formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.

In addition, the Commission offers a free service called eSubscription that allows you to keep track of all formal issuances and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with notification of these filings, document summaries, and direct links to the documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/​ferc-online/​overview to register for eSubscription.

(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)