Environmentalists are pushing for the Biden administration to use a little-known provision of the Clean Air act to prevent planned expansion of a natural gas pipeline in the Pacific Northwest by TC Energy Corp., Bloomberg reported.
Plans for the GTN Xpress Project were approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in October.
The Associated Press reported that the project is designed to expand the capacity of the Gas Transmission Northwest pipeline, which runs through Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, by about 150 million cubic feet (4.2 million cubic meters) of natural gas per day.
TC Energy plans to modify three compressor stations along the pipeline in Kootenai County, Idaho; Walla Walla County, Washington; and Sherman County, Oregon. Compressor stations help maintain the pressure and flow of gas over long distances in a pipeline.
But environmentalists want the administration to step in and use an obscure legal tool that allows a White House Council to conduct a fresh review of the project.
Their strategy was outlined by almost 150 organizations in a letter to the head of the Environmental Protection Agency and top administration officials Tuesday.
They say the project would increase pollution in nearby communities, threaten public safety, and undermine decarbonization commitments by Oregon, Washington, and California.
"There needs to be a change of course if the administration is actually going to make progress toward reducing our greenhouse gas emissions," said Audrey Leonard, a staff attorney with Columbia Riverkeeper. "This is a fantastic opportunity for the EPA to show its commitment to addressing the climate crisis and environmental justice issues."
Twenty-eight disputes have been referred to the council since 1974. But only two were filed this century.
But those who support the project claim it is needed to provide reliable, affordable energy for California, following gas price spikes, and that it can be done with minimal disruption, Bloomberg reported.
TC Energy said on its website that the project "will upgrade three existing compressor stations on the Gas Transmission Northwest system — transporting natural gas since 1962 — to meet increasing demand from residential, commercial and industrial customers in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States while also providing supply reliability to the Pacific Northwest and West Coast regions as natural gas supplies coming from the Rockies region of the United States decline.
It "will ensure ongoing reliability to communities in the Western U.S. in a safe and responsible manner, supplementing renewable energy as required. GTNXP's scope consists of the following facilities and associated upgrades with all work to be conducted within the compressor stations' property lines."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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