The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a new temporary emergency certificate Dec. 3 authorizing the continued operation of Spire STL Pipeline. The Pipeline can continue to operate while the Commission reviews the Pipeline’s long-term approval.
“Spire STL Pipeline filed for this temporary emergency certificate to protect customers and communities in the St. Louis region from potential outages this winter, while providing the FERC with the necessary time to conduct a thorough review of the original certificate on remand from the DC Circuit court,” said Scott Smith, president of the Spire STL Pipeline.
“Since becoming fully operational in 2019, the STL Pipeline has proven to be a critical source of energy supply for more than 650,000 Missouri homes and businesses,” said Smith. “It’s delivered strong performance, reduced emissions, and improved natural gas reliability across the St. Louis region.”
This temporary emergency 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) vacated the STL Pipeline’s FERC authorization and remanded it back to the agency for further review. While the court decision was around actions taken by FERC, the ruling has significant implications on Spire Missouri customers throughout the St. Louis region.
That’s why on July 26, Spire STL Pipeline filed an application for a temporary emergency certificate stating that if its pipeline were 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.
“As the focus shifts to a permanent certificate to protect St. Louis’ energy supply long-term, we will fully cooperate with the FERC and other stakeholders to ensure they have the information needed to inform their analysis,” said Smith. “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 to keep fully operational infrastructure in service to ensure continued access to reliable, affordable energy for homes and businesses in the greater St. Louis region.”
