[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 161 Received in Senate (RDS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 161


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 22, 2015

                                Received

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                                 AN ACT


 
 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.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting 
Reform Act''.

SEC. 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 subsection:
    ``(i)(1) The Commission shall approve or deny an application for a 
certificate of public convenience and necessity for a prefiled project 
not later than 12 months after receiving a complete application that is 
ready to be processed, as defined by the Commission by regulation.
    ``(2) The agency responsible for issuing any license, permit, or 
approval required under Federal law in connection with a prefiled 
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.
    ``(3) The Commission may extend the time period under paragraph (2) 
by 30 days if an agency demonstrates that it cannot otherwise complete 
the process required to approve or deny the license, permit, or 
approval, and therefor will be compelled to deny the license, permit, 
or approval. In granting an extension under this paragraph, the 
Commission may offer technical assistance to the agency as necessary to 
address conditions preventing the completion of the review of the 
application for the license, permit, or approval.
    ``(4) If an agency described in paragraph (2) does not approve or 
deny the issuance of the license, permit, or approval within the time 
period specified under paragraph (2) or (3), as applicable, such 
license, permit, or approval shall take effect upon the expiration of 
30 days after the end of such period. The Commission shall incorporate 
into the terms of such license, permit, or approval any conditions 
proffered by the agency described in paragraph (2) that the Commission 
does not find are inconsistent with the final environmental document.
    ``(5) For purposes of this subsection, the term `prefiled project' 
means a project for the siting, construction, expansion, or operation 
of a natural gas pipeline with respect to which a prefiling docket 
number has been assigned by the Commission pursuant to a prefiling 
process established by the Commission for the purpose of


              

facilitating the formal application process for obtaining a certificate 
of public convenience and necessity.''.

            Passed the House of Representatives January 21, 2015.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.