FERC Greenhouse Gas and Environmental Justice Policy Act of 2025
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Casten (for himself, Ms. McClellan, Ms. Castor of Florida, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to consider greenhouse gas emissions and environmental justice impacts when deciding whether to approve natural gas pipeline and infrastructure projects. It establishes a specific threshold of 100,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year as "significant" and requires project applicants to submit mitigation plans.
Who Benefits and How
Environmental justice communities (low-income, minority, and indigenous populations living near natural gas infrastructure) benefit through mandatory assessment of pollution impacts on their communities and required public engagement in FERC decisions. Environmental advocacy groups gain stronger regulatory tools to challenge pipeline projects. Environmental consultants and GHG quantification services see new business opportunities from mandatory emissions assessments. Renewable energy companies may benefit as increased permitting burdens on natural gas could shift investment toward clean energy alternatives.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Natural gas pipeline companies and infrastructure developers face significant new compliance requirements, including mandatory GHG emissions quantification (upstream, downstream, and construction-related), environmental justice assessments, and mitigation proposal submissions. FERC faces expanded regulatory responsibilities and must develop new evaluation frameworks. The natural gas industry broadly faces higher barriers to entry for new infrastructure projects.
Key Provisions
- Requires FERC to quantify all reasonably foreseeable greenhouse gas emissions from proposed pipeline projects, including upstream extraction leakage and downstream combustion
- Establishes a 100,000 metric tons CO2e/year threshold presumed to have "significant" climate effects
- Mandates evaluation of environmental effects on environmental justice communities, including cumulative stressors and public engagement
- Requires applicants to submit mitigation proposals detailing how they will address climate and environmental justice impacts
- Requires FERC to weigh environmental effects against project benefits and provide detailed explanations when approving projects with significant unmitigated impacts
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to assess and mitigate climate change and environmental justice impacts when evaluating natural gas pipeline and infrastructure projects under the Natural Gas Act.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Strengthen environmental review requirements for natural gas infrastructure by mandating GHG quantification and environmental justice assessment in FERC permitting decisions"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Environmental justice communities (low-income, minority, and indigenous communities near natural gas infrastructure)
- Environmental advocacy groups
- Climate change mitigation efforts
Likely Burden Bearers
- Natural gas pipeline companies and developers
- Natural gas industry (increased permitting requirements and potential project denials)
- FERC (expanded regulatory responsibilities)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "applicant"
- → Natural gas pipeline/infrastructure project applicant
- "the_commission"
- → Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A certificate of public convenience and necessity described in subsection (c) of the Natural Gas Act
An effect caused by a proposed action on the environment and climate change
Any population of color, community of color, indigenous community, or low-income community that experiences a disproportionate burden of the negative human health and environmental impacts of pollution or other environmental hazards
A proposed service, sale, operation, construction, extension, or acquisition, as described in subsection (e) of the Natural Gas Act, in an application for a certificate
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology