FERC determines Spire STL Pipeline is needed
on a permanent basis
ST.
LOUIS, Dec. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) reissued a permanent
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the Spire STL
Pipeline, ensuring continued operation of the natural gas pipeline
which delivers a critical source of energy for more than 650,000
homes and businesses in eastern Missouri.
"We are pleased the FERC reached this decision after conducting
a thorough review over the last 18 months following the DC Circuit
court remand. This is in addition to the Commission's original
review and approval of the Pipeline's certificate in 2018 plus
three years of strong operational performance," said Scott Smith, president of the Spire STL
Pipeline. "There was substantial evidence in the record to confirm
that the Pipeline has delivered strong performance, reduced costs
and improved natural gas reliability across the St. Louis region – even during severe weather
challenges like Winter Storm Uri in
2021."
The permanent Certificate was approved by the FERC at today's
agency meeting. This marks the fourth time the FERC has issued an
operational certificate for the Spire STL Pipeline, in each
instance determining the Pipeline is necessary.
"Customers in the St. Louis
area currently have the lowest gas costs across Missouri, with the Spire STL Pipeline playing
a huge role in keeping costs more affordable," said Scott Carter, Spire Missouri president. "This
certificate provides long-term assurance that Missourians will
continue having access to the reliable, affordable energy they
need."
The Pipeline had been operating under a temporary certificate
issued by the FERC on Dec. 3, 2021.
That certificate allowed the agency to review the project on remand
as ordered by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit (DC Circuit).
In November 2021, Spire STL
Pipeline presented expert reports demonstrating the importance of
the Pipeline for reliability and cost-saving purposes. These
reports also illustrated that the continued operation of this
Pipeline would not result in significant adverse environmental or
environmental justice impacts. In October, FERC staff issued its
final Environmental Impact Statement, agreeing that environmental
or environmental justice impacts from the continued operation of
the Pipeline would be "less than significant."
Additionally, in May, the Missouri Public Service Commission
staff report concluded that Spire Missouri's decision to enter a
contract with Spire STL Pipeline was prudent.
The new permanent certificate – issued under Section 7(c) of the
Natural Gas Act – is effective after Spire STL Pipeline accepts the
Certificate order which will be filed with FERC in the coming
days.
"We had always believed, once FERC was able to conduct a
comprehensive review of the record evidence, that FERC would find a
critical need to keep this important infrastructure in service,"
said Smith, "We cooperated with the FERC and other stakeholders to
ensure they had the information needed to inform their analysis. We
are grateful they have concluded that a critical need for the Spire
STL Pipeline exists, and importantly, we remain committed to
fulfilling all our land restoration obligations. We will continue
to work in good faith by being proactive and transparent in
resolving outstanding restoration concerns."
For more information about the Spire STL Pipeline, visit
spireenergy.com/spire-stl-pipeline.
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.