ST. LOUIS, Sept. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a temporary certificate
authorizing the continued operation of Spire STL Pipeline for 90
days, a first step in keeping the STL Pipeline in service ahead of
this winter.
"When we filed for a temporary emergency certificate on
July 26, the goal was to address an
emergency situation in the St.
Louis region while allowing FERC more time to review the
full certificate on remand. The Commission's order is a good first
step in doing that," says Scott
Smith, president of the Spire STL Pipeline. "This temporary
certificate provides additional time to meaningfully engage with
all stakeholders on the need for STL Pipeline without the threat of
customers in Eastern Missouri
losing the energy they rely on.
"Having said that, this authorization does not get us through
what can be some of winter's coldest months," says Smith. "We stand
ready to work with all parties, including FERC, to achieve
continued energy security for the people of the St. Louis region. Keeping the STL Pipeline in
service will ensure that Spire Missouri customers have the energy
needed to heat homes and water, cook food and fuel industry."
This temporary certificate – issued under Section 7(c)(1)(B) of
the Natural Gas Act – comes after a June 22 decision by the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (DC Circuit)
which vacated the STL Pipeline's FERC authorization and remanded it
back to the agency for further review. On July 26, Spire filed an
application for a temporary emergency certificate stating that if
the STL Pipeline is removed from service, Spire Missouri customers
in the St. Louis region would not have adequate gas supply and may
see serious service disruptions during extreme cold weather
periods.
Since submitting its application, 51 letters of support have
been submitted to the FERC docket from a diverse cross section of
106 policymakers, businesses, industry and labor organizations and
community and advocacy groups who recognize the need for the STL
Pipeline this winter.
The temporary certificate issued today will remain in place for
90 days, while the Commission evaluates Spire's July 26 temporary certificate application.
Importantly, authorization to continue operations will allow STL
Pipeline to continue to perform land restoration along the project
right-of-way. Separately, it is anticipated the FERC will undertake
a more comprehensive analysis of the certificate on remand at a
later date to address the issues raised in the DC Circuit
ruling.
"The issuance of this temporary certificate provides the
Commission with the requisite time to conduct a thorough review of
our July 26 application and the
additional information that we submitted on August 6, 2021. We will continue to fully
cooperate with the FERC and other stakeholders to ensure they have
the information needed to complete a comprehensive review of our
application. In the long term, we are confident that when people
have an opportunity to review the proven benefits of the STL
Pipeline and current market conditions they will agree that there
is a critical need for this infrastructure to ensure continued
access to reliable, affordable energy for homes and businesses in
the greater St. Louis region,"
says Smith.
For more information about the Spire STL Pipeline, visit
spireenergy.com/spire-stl-pipeline.
About Spire STL Pipeline
Spire STL Pipeline is a 65-mile pipeline that interconnects with
Rockies Express Pipeline, MoGas Pipeline, and Enable Missouri River
Transmission Pipeline to bring a new supply of competitively priced
and more-secure natural gas to the St.
Louis region from the Rockies and the Appalachian Basin, the
largest gas producing basin in America. Since becoming fully
operational in 2019, the STL Pipeline has proved to be a critical
source of energy supply for more than 650,000 homes and businesses
in the greater St. Louis
region.
About Spire
At Spire Inc. (NYSE: SR), we believe energy exists to help make
people's lives better. It's a simple idea, but one that's at the
heart of our company. Every day we serve 1.7 million homes and
businesses making us the fifth largest publicly traded natural gas
company in the country. We help families and business owners fuel
their daily lives through our gas utilities serving Alabama, Mississippi and Missouri. Our natural gas-related businesses
include Spire Marketing, Spire STL Pipeline and Spire Storage. We
are committed to transforming our business through growing
organically, investing in infrastructure, and advancing through
innovation. Learn more at SpireEnergy.com.
Media Contact:
Jason Merrill
314-365-7125
Jason.Merrill@SpireEnergy.com
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SOURCE Spire Inc.