H.R. 6378

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6378 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6378

To confirm and clarify the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's 
obligation to assess and mitigate the impacts to climate change and 
environmental justice communities from projects approved pursuant to 
the Natural Gas Act, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

December 3, 2025

Mr. Casten (for himself, Ms. McClellan, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mrs. 
Grijalva, Mr. Thanedar, and Mr. Goldman of New York) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To confirm and clarify the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's 
obligation to assess and mitigate the impacts to climate change and 
environmental justice communities from projects approved pursuant to 
the Natural Gas Act, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``FERC Greenhouse Gas and 
Environmental Justice Policy Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. GREENHOUSE GAS AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE POLICY.

(a) Mitigation Proposal.--Section 7(d) of the Natural Gas Act (15 
U.S.C. 717f(d)) is amended by inserting ``, including a mitigation 
proposal described in subsection (i)(3),'' after ``contain such 
information''.
(b) Present or Future Public Convenience and Necessity 
Determination.--Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717f) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(i) Present or Future Public Convenience and Necessity 
Determination.--
``(1) In general.--In finding whether a proposed action, to 
the extent that may be authorized by a certificate, is or will 
be required by the present or future public convenience and 
necessity under subsection (e), the Commission shall determine 
whether--
``(A) the environmental effects of such proposed 
action, including any effects relating to the 
environment of such proposed action on environmental 
justice communities, are significant, and if such 
significant environmental effects, if any, can be 
mitigated pursuant to a mitigation proposal required 
under subsection (d);
``(B) the significant environmental effects of the 
proposed action outweigh the benefits of the proposed 
action under paragraph (4); and
``(C) the proposed action is necessary to ensure 
energy reliability and affordability.
``(2) Significant environmental effects.--
``(A) In general.--In determining whether the 
environmental effects of a proposed action are 
significant under paragraph (1)(A), the Commission 
shall, with respect to such proposed action--
``(i) evaluate such environmental effects 
on environmental justice communities under 
subparagraph (B); and
``(ii) quantify reasonably foreseeable 
greenhouse gas emissions resulting from such 
proposed action under subparagraph (C).
``(B) Environmental justice communities.--The 
Commission shall evaluate the effects of a proposed 
action on environmental justice communities based on 
all evidence in the record, including--
``(i) existing environmental and public 
health stressors;
``(ii) any adverse environmental and public 
health stressors resulting from the proposed 
action;
``(iii) the presence or absence of adverse 
cumulative stressors;
``(iv) potential environmental and public 
health stressors associated with the proposed 
action; and
``(v) other factors, as identified by the 
Commission and the affected environmental 
justice communities following a meaningful 
opportunity for public engagement by those 
communities.
``(C) Quantification of greenhouse gas emissions.--
The Commission shall quantify reasonably foreseeable 
greenhouse gas emissions resulting from a proposed 
action based on all evidence in the record, including--
``(i) the projected capacity of the 
relevant pipelines to transport natural gas;
``(ii) the projected utilization rate of 
the relevant pipelines;
``(iii) the construction and operation of 
the proposed action;
``(iv) the projected downstream greenhouse 
gas emissions and effects, including cumulative 
effects, including on environmental justice 
communities, resulting from the proposed 
action, including those resulting from the 
combustion of the natural gas;
``(v) the projected upstream greenhouse gas 
emissions and effects, including cumulative 
effects, including on environmental justice 
communities, resulting from the proposed 
action, including those resulting from leakage 
or other release of the natural gas; and
``(vi) other factors, as identified by the 
Commission.
``(D) Threshold.--For purposes of determining 
whether the environmental effects of a proposed action 
are significant under this paragraph, the Commission 
shall--
``(i) with respect to environmental effects 
described in subparagraph (B), consider that--
``(I) no community should bear a 
disproportionate share of the adverse 
environmental and public health 
consequences that results from the 
Commission approving an application for 
a certificate of public convenience or 
necessity; and
``(II) it is in the public interest 
for the Commission, where appropriate, 
to limit the future placement and 
expansion of a proposed action in 
environmental justice communities; and
``(ii) with respect to quantifying 
greenhouse gas emissions under subparagraph 
(C), presume--
``(I) a proposed action that has 
reasonably foreseeable emissions of at 
least 100,000 metric tons per year of 
carbon dioxide equivalent to have a 
significant effect on climate change; 
and
``(II) greenhouse gases other that 
carbon dioxide shall be converted to 
carbon dioxide equivalent using the 20-
year global warming potentials from the 
most recent assessment report published 
by the Intergovernmental Panel on 
Climate Change.
``(3) Mitigation.--
``(A) In general.--Under subsection (d), the 
Commission shall require an applicant for a certificate 
to submit a proposal with the applicable application 
that details how the applicant will mitigate all or a 
portion of the environmental effects of the proposed 
action, including on climate change and environmental 
justice communities.
``(B) Conditions.--Upon reviewing the mitigation 
proposal under subparagraph (A), the Commission shall, 
to the extent practicable, attach to the issuance of a 
certificate, and to the exercise of the rights granted 
thereunder, conditions that require the holder of such 
certificate to address any potential adverse effects of 
any action authorized under such certificate on climate 
change and environmental justice communities.
``(C) Additional requirement.--For any proposed 
action the Commission approves for which it does not 
require conditions that mitigate or offset the 
significant environmental effects of the proposed 
action to below the significance threshold described in 
paragraph (2)(D), the Commission shall provide a 
detailed explanation as to why such mitigation is not 
practicable.
``(4) Weighing.--
``(A) In general.--Under paragraph (1)(B), the 
Commission shall weigh all environmental effects, 
including significant environmental effects, to the 
extent any significant environmental effects can be 
practicably mitigated under the threshold described in 
paragraph (2)(D) and determine whether the benefits of 
the proposed action outweigh such environmental 
effects.
``(B) Limitation.--In the event the Commission 
finds that the proposed action is or will be required 
by the present or future public convenience and 
necessity under subsection (e) despite any significant 
environmental effects that cannot be practicably 
mitigated, the Commission shall provide a detailed 
explanation as to why the Commission finds the proposed 
action to be nevertheless required by the present or 
future public convenience and necessity.
``(5) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Certificate.--The term `certificate' means a 
certificate of public convenience and necessity 
described in subsection (c).
``(B) Environmental effect.--The term 
`environmental effect' means an effect caused by a 
proposed action on the environment and climate change.
``(C) Environmental justice community.--The term 
`environmental justice community' means any population 
of color, community of color, indigenous community, or 
low-income community that experiences a 
disproportionate burden of the negative human health 
and environmental impacts of pollution or other 
environmental hazards.
``(D) Proposed action.--The term `proposed action' 
means a proposed service, sale, operation, 
construction, extension, or acquisition, as described 
in subsection (e), in an application for a 
certificate.''.
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