Would FERCs authorizing the Elba III Project be consistent with other executive branch policies?
(Wilkes-Washington Trans., p. 28-30) Yes. In fact, the project promotes important policy goals announced by the President and his administration. In Chapter Three of its 2001 report, the National Energy Policy Development Group recommended that federal agencies expedite permits for energy projects, a recommendation the President made law by Executive Order on May 18, 2001. On August 8, 2005, the President signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which amended the Natural Gas Act in several ways to confirm the Commission’s exclusive jurisdiction while limiting its ability to deny or condition LNG import projects. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates the United States will have to increase imports of LNG by more than 600 percent in the next 25 years to fulfill America’s increasing demand for natural gas. Stakeholders concerned about federal policies regarding LNG are encouraged to participate in the series of LNG Forums sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy ( http://fos
