Federal regulators pull back on plan to assess climate impact of gas pipelines

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Amid pushback from industry and lawmakers in both parties, federal energy regulators on March 24 scaled back plans to consider how natural gas projects affect climate change and environmental justice, reports PBS.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said a plan to consider climate effects will now be considered a draft and will only apply to future projects. That’s a departure from Feb. 17, when the energy commission approved policy statements directing officials to consider how pipelines and other natural gas projects affect climate change.

Industry groups and key lawmakers had criticized a proposal approved last month to tighten climate rules, saying it was poorly timed amid a push for increased natural gas exports following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Read the entire story.