{"id":6289,"date":"2021-01-08T11:30:25","date_gmt":"2021-01-08T11:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/?p=147674"},"modified":"2021-01-08T11:30:25","modified_gmt":"2021-01-08T11:30:25","slug":"ferc-may-finally-help-the-public-understand-wtf-it-does","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/01\/08\/ferc-may-finally-help-the-public-understand-wtf-it-does\/","title":{"rendered":"FERC may finally help the public understand WTF it does"},"content":{"rendered":"
If you\u2019ve heard of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, commonly referred to as FERC, but have no idea what it does, I don\u2019t blame you. FERC is one of the most arcane government agencies we have in the United States. Generally tasked with regulating interstate energy infrastructure like pipelines, its proceedings are incredibly technical and confusing \u2014 just ask Tyson Slocum.<\/p>\n
As director of the energy program for Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, Slocum says he is currently involved in more than 200 of FERC\u2019s court-like cases, which are quietly shaping the energy landscape in the United States. There are cases about pipelines and transmission lines, electricity markets and the cost of renewable energy, hydroelectric dams, liquified natural gas plants, and more.<\/p>\n
Due to the esoteric nature of these proceedings, which are filled with voices from the energy industry, Slocum says that in many of them he is the only party providing evidence and testimony on behalf of the public interest. But that could be about to change.<\/p>\n
In December, Congress directed FERC to submit a plan to establish a new Office of Public Participation within the agency. The order was included in an explanatory statement<\/a> attached to the coronavirus relief package. While the details have not yet been determined, the office is generally tasked with coordinating assistance, and potentially financial compensation, to people who are interested in participating in a FERC proceeding. After 20 years of dealing with the agency, Slocum is bullish on this new office\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n \u201cFERC is going to be one of the most important agencies in 2021 and beyond to address the climate crisis,\u201d he told Grist. \u201cAnd the Office of Public Participation, if it is well structured and well financed, can revolutionize public interest advocacy and democratize energy policymaking in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n Meaningfully participating in a FERC proceeding requires resources. Large environmental organizations with ample funding, like the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council, often get involved in FERC cases. But smaller environmental justice groups and community organizations don\u2019t always have the ability to hire lawyers or expert witnesses \u2014 they may not even know when a FERC decision could affect them.<\/p>\n In order to change that, Slocum says the new office should do two things. It should have a robust outreach arm that actively approaches parties who could be affected by a FERC decision, like environmental justice organizations, tribes, and landowners, and offers technical support. It should also provide people with compensation for legal fees and other expenses they may need to incur in order to participate in a proceeding on equal footing with well-resourced utilities and other industry groups.<\/p>\n