"It's going to be unusual for gas to reach Cove Point, but it makes no difference if some of the gas ends up at Cove Point, because 100% of the capacity of the compressor station is committed now," Dominion Transmission's counsel argued to the US Court of Appeals. On the contrary, it makes quite a bit of difference to Dominion whether gas goes through Cove Point and on to Asian markets, where it will garner many times the profit that it would in the US. And it matters to Myersville, because it means that Dominion lied about the purpose of the compressor, which may emit as much as 23.5 tons of nitrous oxide per year into the air they breathe.
FERC colludes with companies like Dominion to craft proposals in a way that will best help them avoid hard scrutiny. The agency is often called a "rubberstamp," but it might be better seen as a partner of or collaborator with the industry it is supposed to regulate.
Mission: Promote Natural Gas
"FERC is not doing the job they were designed to do, which is regulate the fossil fuel industry and keep it from its worst excesses," said protestor Ellen Garfield from Baltimore. "They're not even trying to keep it from any excesses. They should do their damn job."
FERC ought to be curbing industry excess and safeguarding the public. Still, it is largely doing the job it was created to do. According to its Strategic Plan 2014-2018, the agency's primary objective is to "foster economic and environmental benefits for the nation through approval of natural gas and hydropower projects." The underlying assumption is that extracting natural gas will lead to economic and environmental benefits, when the reality is that extracting, transporting and burning natural gas is destructive to human health, the environment and climate.
In an age when we should be transitioning away from production of natural gas, not ramping it up, FERC facilitates the gas industry's mad quest. Protestors called on FERC "to make decisions based on the well-being of current and future generations and the protection of our shared natural resources." But FERC will need a complete overhaul before it can say, "The public's interest is better served by natural gas staying in the ground."
Fed Up
"A lot of people have been working through the system and submitted comments, letting [FERC] know that families need clean air and clean water," said protestor Laura Cubisch. "These are more important than money. It really boils down to one thing only, and that's greed."
Last week, dozens were arrested blockading FERC in Washington, DC. There were coordinated actions at Seneca Lake and Cove Point to block construction which also resulted in several arrests. People adversely affected by fracking and gas infrastructure projects have called out FERC for masquerading as guardian of the public interest. They will no longer play by FERC's rules or tolerate greed disguised as public need.
John Zangas contributed to this article.
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