Newly minted chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Neil Chatterjee, made his first public appearance on Tuesday since being sworn in last August. Chatterjee addressed the Energy Bar Association’s 2017 Mid-Year Energy Forum in Washington, DC. Among some of Chatterjee’s choice comments, he said he wants to “significantly reduce” the amount of time it takes to review and issue certificates for natural gas pipelines. He also said he “strongly disagrees” with fellow FERC commissioner Cheryl LaFleur’s vote against authorizing the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Mountain Valley Pipeline projects. In an extensive presentation, Chatterjee laid out his priorities, which he said is not a “drastic change” from the work done by FERC in previous years. Here is a revealing look into the thinking of Chatterjee, and what lies ahead in the coming months (and years) at FERC…
