"Chairman: FERC To Review Pipeline Permitting Process"

"The new chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission says the agency will review its policies, unchanged for nearly two decades, for certifying natural gas pipelines, projects that have sparked contention from North Dakota to Pennsylvania, New York and Virginia, where the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines are advancing toward construction.

Kevin J. McIntyre said in a statement Thursday that the format and scope of the planned review of the 1999 Policy Statement on Certification of New Interstate Natural Gas Pipeline Facilities is still being discussed, though he described it as part of a pledge he made during his U.S. Senate confirmation hearings to “take a fresh look at all aspects of the agency’s work.”

“I believe we in the government should constantly be examining our various processes and procedures to see if we can do anything better,” said McIntyre, who was confirmed by the Senate in November. “Much has changed in the energy world since 1999, and it is incumbent upon us to take another look at the way in which we assess the value and the viability of our pipeline applications.”"

Robert Zullo reports for the Richmond Times-Dispatch December 21, 2017.