NO. 1: NextDecade Corp. CEO Matt Schatzman said this week that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit’s decision vacating FERC authorization for its Rio Grande LNG project sets a dangerous precedent. The company, he said, is prepared to take “any and all available legal and regulatory actions” to ensure the project isn’t delayed.
“The decision reached by the DC Circuit Court has far-reaching implications,” Schatzman said in the company’s second quarter earnings release. “If the ruling stands, the precedent that would be set by the court’s action has the potential to impact viability of all federally permitted infrastructure projects because it will be difficult for these projects to attract capital investments until they receive final unappealable permits.”
The court sent the Rio Grande and Texas liquefied natural gas projects’ authorizations back to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for further consideration of the projects’ environmental impacts, which could create lengthy delays for the projects.