H.R. 1900 — Introduced in House

I 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1900 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 9, 2013 Mr. Pompeo (for himself, Mr. Matheson, Mr. Olson, Mr. Gardner, and Mr. Johnson of Ohio) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To provide for the timely consideration of all licenses, permits, and approvals required under Federal law with respect to the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of any natural gas pipeline projects. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act. 2. Regulatory approval of natural gas pipeline projects Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717f) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsections: (i) The Commission shall approve or deny a certificate of public convenience and necessity that is sought under this Act not later than 12 months after providing public notice of the application. (j) (1) The agency responsible for issuing any license, permit, or approval required under Federal law in connection with the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of any natural gas pipeline project for which a certificate of public convenience and necessity is sought under this Act shall approve or deny the issuance of the license, permit, or approval not later than 90 days after the Commission issues its final environmental document relating to the project. (2) An agency may request that the Commission extend the time period under paragraph (1) by 30 days. The Commission shall grant such extension if the agency demonstrates that the extension is necessary because of unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of the agency. (3) If an agency described in paragraph (1) does not approve or deny the issuance of the license, permit, or approval within the time period specified under para-graph (1) or (2), as applicable, such license, permit, or approval shall go into effect. .