Overview
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the lead federal agency responsible for ensuring the development of safe, reliable, secure and efficient natural gas infrastructure. FERC authorizes the construction of LNG facilities and oversees their operation throughout the life cycle of each facility.
The FERC approval process involves a detailed review of the proposed design of the facility to ensure a high level of safety and a review of any environmental and community impacts.
FERC Review Process
DWPL intends to pursue all associated permits and authorizations associated with Line 200 and Line 300 concurrently with the 7(c) FERC application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. DWPL expects to file all required permit/certificate applications to the respective agencies in June 2021. Driftwood Pipeline hosted Open House meetings for Line 200 and Line 300 as a forum for the public to learn more about the project and communicate directly with project team members. Open Houses were scheduled for 1st Quarter 2021 and were conducted in both virtual and in-person formats to ensure full consideration of public health and safety.
This process affords all interested parties, federal and state agencies, and the public, to comment on the project and provide feedback to Driftwood Pipeline. Driftwood Pipeline will carefully consider all comments and work closely with stakeholders. Once the application is submitted, FERC will review and often submit questions to the applicant and request additional information from a project applicant throughout the review process. At the end of FERC’s review, it will issue an Environmental Assessment, followed by a Certificate authorizing its siting, construction and operation if the Project is approved.
Construction of the pipeline would begin after FERC issues a Certificate Granting Authority under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and once all required federal, state and local permits have been obtained.
Environmental Review Process
A flowchart of the environmental review process is illustrated below. Further information about the FERC review process can be found at www.ferc.gov.
Driftwood Pipeline Project, Line 200 and Line 300 Regulatory Documentation
Publicly available documentation for the Driftwood Project can be accessed through the FERC eLibrary. Reference FERC Docket Nos. CP21-465-000, CP21-465-001 and CP21-465-002 when searching for Driftwood Pipeline Project, Line 200 and Line 300 files.
FERC
June 17, 2021 – Application for Authorization
June 30, 2021 – Notice of Application and Establishing Intervention Deadline
October 13, 2021 – Amendment to Application
October 29, 2021 – Limited Amendment to Application
January 13, 2022 – Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS and Schedule for Environmental Review
May 13, 2022 – Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Additional Documents
Alignment Sheets
Project Mapping Exhibits
Typical Construction ROW Diagrams