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

Issuing agencies

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 201 (Tuesday, October 20, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 201 (Tuesday, October 20, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 66328]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21442]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PL26-3-000]


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 <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#490f2c3b2a06272520272c1a3c3939263b3d092f2c3b2a672e263f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c385a6b1a08cadafaaada690b6b3b3acb1b783a5a6b1a0eda4acb5">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. 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 (<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">www.ferc.gov</a>) 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 (<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">www.ferc.gov</a>) 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 (<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">www.ferc.gov</a>) 
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 <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#400f101000262532236e272f36"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="db948b8b9bbdbea9b8f5bcb4ad">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. 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 <a href="https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview">https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview</a> to 
register for eSubscription.

(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)

    Dated: October 15, 2026.
Carlos D. Clay,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-21442 Filed 10-19-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


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