FERC Reinstates Southeast Market Pipelines Certificate

In a split decision, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has reinstated its authorizations issued to Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC; Sabal Trail Transmission LLC; and Florida Southeast Connection LLC concerning the Southeast Market Pipelines (SMP) Project. Those dissenting were Commissioner LaFleur and Commissioner Glick.
According to a statement released by FERC, the reasons for this decision include:
- There is no way to determine the significance of the SMP Project’s downstream GHG emissions using the Social Cost of Carbon tool, which estimates the monetized climate change damage associated with an incremental increase in carbon dioxide emissions in a given year, or other methodologies.
- The Social Cost of Carbon tool is not useful in determining whether, and under what conditions, to authorize a proposed natural gas pipeline project.
On Sept. 27, 2017, in response to an opinion issued by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Aug. 22, 2017, FERC issued a new draft supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) for the project, which reinforced the commission’s initial ruling stating if appropriate measures were taken, environmental impacts would be minimal. The commission also came to the same conclusion in their final environmental impact statement for the project, issued Feb. 5, 2018.
The Southeast Market Pipelines Project is composed of three separate, but related, interstate natural gas transmission pipeline projects. These projects are: Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC’s Hillabee Expansion Project, Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC’s Sabal Trail Project and Florida Southeast Connection, LLC’s Florida Southeast Connection Project. Together, these projects involve the construction and operation of approximately 685 miles of pipeline and associated facilities.
Related News
Related News

- Kinder Morgan Proposes 290-Mile Gas Pipeline Expansion Spanning Three States
- Enbridge Plans 86-Mile Pipeline Expansion, Bringing 850 Workers to Northern B.C.
- Intensity, Rainbow Energy to Build 344-Mile Gas Pipeline Across North Dakota
- Tallgrass to Build New Permian-to-Rockies Pipeline, Targets 2028 Startup with 2.4 Bcf Capacity
- U.S. Moves to Block Enterprise Products’ Exports to China Over Security Risk
- U.S. Pipeline Expansion to Add 99 Bcf/d, Mostly for LNG Export, Report Finds
- A Systematic Approach To Ensuring Pipeline Integrity
- 275-Mile Texas-to-Oklahoma Gas Pipeline Enters Open Season
- TC Energy’s North Baja Pipeline Expansion Brings Mexico Closer to LNG Exports
- Consumers Energy Begins 135-Mile Michigan Gas Pipeline Upgrade, Taps 600 Workers
Comments