US pipeline agency pulls back plan to assess climate impacts
By MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Amid pushback from industry groups and lawmakers in both parties, federal energy regulators are scaling back plans to consider how natural gas projects affect climate change and environmental justice. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Thursday that a plan to consider climate effects will now be considered a draft and will only apply to future projects. Opponents 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. Climate activists accused FERC of bowing to political pressure, a claim FERC Chairman Richard Glick denied.