Hill Heat

Open Meeting

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved key fracked-gas pipeline projects during its first open meeting of 2024 — including a high-profile permit for the nation’s largest public power provider, which is seeking to transition away from coal.

FERC voted to approve a permit for a 32-mile natural gas pipeline that would help fuel proposed gas-fired generation at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Cumberland Fossil Plant. The commission also approved a Texas-to-Louisiana project by Williams Cos., which aims to expand an existing pipeline and boost gas flow to the Gulf Coast.

Both decisions saw FERC’s two Democrats diverge. Acting Chair Willie Phillips voted in favor of all pipeline certificates, while Commissioner Allison Clements dissented in part on the pipeline for TVA and in full on the Williams project. Commissioner Mark Christie, FERC’s lone Republican, voted the same as Phillips on the two projects and other commission business.