Establish deadlines for pipeline permit decisions
A single natural gas pipeline permit can take years to be approved by the federal government. Establishing regular and enforceable deadlines would reduce the regulatory burden and uncertainty on prospective pipeline developers.
Create pipeline corridors
The federal government can establish pre-permitted corridors to expedite the environmental review process for future pipeline developers.
Reduce natural gas waste
Industry is deploying technologies to reduce incidental methane leakage from equipment, commonly referred to as ‘fugitive emissions’, such as from pipe connectors and valves. These strategies can be extremely effective climate solution because methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Background
More than 300,000 miles of natural gas pipelines crisscross America, bringing energy to our homes and factories.18 Still, the immense network is proving insufficient in moving our vast shale gas reserves to where they’re needed.

Source: Energy Information Administration19
Nowhere is this more clear than North Dakota, where more than a third of the natural gas the state produced was wasted and released into the atmosphere. Why is natural gas wasted? Natural gas is often a byproduct of oil extraction, but capturing and shipping the gas can be expensive without the proper equipment. Unlike Texas and other traditional energy producing states, North Dakota lacked the pipelines and infrastructure to economically move natural gas from its fields to customers.

North Dakota’s flared natural gas can be seen from NASA’s satellites in space, rivaling the brightness of America’s largest urban centers.
Source: NASA20
A recent buildout of pipelines in North Dakota has helped cut gas waste to about 20%.21 Yet, significant progress can still be made: Texas wastes less than 1%. When the gas is wasted, economic value is lost. Locals forgo royalties, consumers miss out on lower energy bills and precious domestic energy reserves are wasted. Throwing our gas away makes even less sense because many parts of the country pay high prices.22 Sometimes there is not even enough supply. When natural gas demand exceeds supply in winter storms, blackouts may occur because home heating takes precedence over power generation.
Wasting gas is also a missed opportunity. The benefits are only reaped, however, if it’s used. Needlessly burning gas increases air pollution and wastes a valuable resource. More pipelines are needed to fully leverage all of America’s energy resources and reap the environmental benefits of natural gas. Our natural gas fleet has ample excess capacity, with the domestic natural gas plant fleet running only about half the time.23
Establish deadlines for pipeline permit decisions
The federal permitting process can take years and be delayed by any number of government agencies or environmental groups. In 2005, Congress attempted to streamline the federal government’s review of interstate natural gas pipeline permits.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) was given the authority to set deadlines for other agencies to conduct their reviews. Despite new deadlines, delays continue to plague the process. In fact, a 2012 study found that delays actually increased by 20% since the bill’s passage.24 One reason is that agencies face little consequences for not complying with the deadlines. Codifying FERC’s deadlines or adding new enforcement mechanisms would facilitate the development of America’s natural gas reserves and improve certainty for prospective developers.
Create pipeline corridors
Large tracts of federal land have been “pre-permitted” for large solar projects to lower development times and costs.25 The government land can emulate the strategy for pipeline development. The state of Wyoming is also working on a similar process to establish carbon dioxide pipeline corridors that could be used to connect fossil power plants with enhanced oil recovery plays.26
Reduce fugitive methane emissions
Top energy producers have instituted initiatives to reduce methane emissions and flaring from their operations such as sharing industry best practices27, making direct investments in technology and field analysis28,29, and setting emission reduction goals.30 Since 1990, emissions have fallen by 14% while natural gas production increased by about 50%.31 More resources should be dedicated to developing technologies that can reduce the cost of methane management for smaller producers in rural communities and developing countries.