Toks Omishakin, Director, California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans)
Veronica Davis, Director, Transportation and Drainage Operations, City
of Houston
Bill Panos, Director, North Dakota Department of Transportation
Steven Polzin Ph.D., Senior Consultant, former Senior Advisor for
Research and Technology, Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Research and Technology, USDOT
The domestic electric vehicles (EV) market, including hybrid and battery
electric models, is projected to reach nearly seven million unit sales
by 2025, up from 1.4 million in 2020.
Michelle Michot
Foss,
Ph.D., Fellow in Energy & Minerals, Baker Institute for Public Policy,
Center for Energy Studies, Rice University
AJ
Siccardi,
President, Metroplex Energy, on behalf the National Association Of
Convenience Stores, the National Association Of Truckstop Operators,
and the Society Of Independent Gasoline Marketers Of America
On February 19, 2020, the Subcommittee launched an investigation into
the use of eminent domain in the construction of natural gas pipelines.
On April 28, 2020, the Subcommittee released preliminary findings of the
investigation revealing that the natural gas pipeline approval process
used by FERC is unfair to private landowners.
On November 20, 2020, the Subcommittee expanded its investigation by
requesting information about procedures that
FERC uses to resolve conflicts between
landowners and energy companies. On December 10, 2020, the Subcommittee
held a hearing at which FERC admitted that it
does not use existing authority to protect landowners.
This hearing will focus on Midship/Cheniere’s actions to demonstrate how
FERC routinely allows pipeline companies to
put pipelines into service before the companies meet their obligations
to repair damage they caused to individuals’ land. Over the past year,
Midship/Cheniere has missed several deadlines to repair private farmers’
land, threatening their livelihoods, while facing minimal consequences
from federal regulators.
In our Subcommittee’s hearing in December, we pressed
FERC to stay its certificates such that a
company could not assert eminent domain over a landowner’s objections
while the landowners’ appeals were still pending. We learned just last
night that FERC has issued a new Order, that
does exactly that. I thank Chairman Glick for his work to move
landowner rights forward. This common sense and eminently fair
practice was long overdue, and I am thrilled that Chairman Glick and
FERC have made this change a priority.
Witnesses
Christopher A.
Smith,
Senior Vice President, Public, Government and Public Affairs, Cheniere
Energy
Rob
Squires,
Landowner Advocate, Squires Consulting, LLC