Overview
Steptoe energy partner Marc Spitzer, a former Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner (FERC), was quoted extensively in a SNL Energy article titled "White House Climate Guidance to Make FERC Orders Vulnerable, Experts Say." The article, published on December 30, discusses draft guidance released December 18 by the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The proposed guidance is designed to assist federal agencies, such as FERC, in addressing the effects of greenhouse emissions and climate change when evaluating energy projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
According to Mr. Spitzer, the CEQ order might upset the regulatory certainty that many energy project developers have relied on. "We've been operating under the assumption that the [climate change] issue is resolved," he says. "So to the extent that the CEQ announcement changes that, that's an unknown that might concern investors and developers."
The full article can be read at SNL Energy.