FERC launches LNG blanket authorization program for U.S. infrastructure projects

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FERC LNG blanket authorization

Highlights

FERC proposes a new blanket authorization program allowing certain LNG facility projects to proceed without case-specific approval under Sections 3 and 7 of the Natural Gas Act.
The framework defines three approval tracks, with routine modifications proceeding automatically, capacity expansions within plant limits requiring 60-day notice, and new LNG facilities needing 90-day notice.
The proposed rules aim to accelerate U.S. energy infrastructure projects while providing regulatory certainty and maintaining standard environmental and safety conditions.

Proposed rule sets three approval tracks

As reported by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the proposal is set out in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would let eligible activities at LNG facilities proceed without case-specific authorization orders under Sections 3 and 7 of the Natural Gas Act. The framework is modeled on the commission’s blanket certificate program for interstate natural gas pipelines, which FERC says has been in place for 40 years.

Under the proposal, activities that do not raise an LNG plant’s authorized capacity, expand its approved footprint, or push operating conditions beyond design limits could move ahead automatically with periodic reporting. A second category would require 60 days’ prior notice for projects that may increase authorized capacity but stay within the plant’s footprint and remain within design thresholds.

A third category would require 90 days’ prior notice for construction of new LNG facilities, including liquefaction trains, LNG tanks and marine berths, along with related auxiliary systems. That category also covers some facilities outside the plant footprint, subject to limits tied to facility type, location and size.

Industry certainty and compliance focus

FERC says the proposed program would speed energy infrastructure development and give project developers greater regulatory certainty. Chairman Laura V. Swett says the initiative aims to support energy infrastructure expansion without unnecessary delay, while maintaining safeguards tied to reliability and affordability.

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking also includes standard environmental and engineering design conditions intended to address potential impacts from projects approved under the blanket authorization program. Interested parties will have 60 days after the proposal is published in the Federal Register to submit comments.

In our earlier article on Menara Asia’s Menarabena platform, we covered how the company is pushing construction-sector digitalisation by linking contractors with building-material suppliers while centralising certification, technical documentation, and compliance details. We also noted the role of the CIDB Holdings Information Centre in Shanghai in helping manufacturers and suppliers navigate CIDB Malaysia approval and product certification requirements, with the goal of improving supply-chain efficiency without replacing existing regulatory obligations.

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