Williams Companies Urges FERC to Revise Blanket Certificate Regulations

The Williams Companies, Inc. has submitted comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) advocating for revisions to the blanket certificate regulations to increase flexibility and reduce regulatory and administrative burdens for interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure development.

Key Takeaways:

• The Williams Companies, Inc. supports increasing the cost limitations for blanket certificates to $36,000,000 for automatic authorization, $100,000,000 for prior notice, and $19,500,000 for storage to accurately reflect increases in construction costs.
• Williams urges the Commission to limit protest eligibility to affected landowners and parties with substantial economic interest to ensure the program operates as intended, focusing on more significant cases.
• The current framework allowing for broad eligibility for protests undercuts the efficiency intended under the blanket certificate program, causing delays in projects where directly affected parties have not filed a protest.
• Pipelines often seek to engage with directly affected stakeholders to resolve concerns early in the permitting approval process, but cannot anticipate protests from parties without a direct interest in the proceeding.
• Limiting protest eligibility and dismissing protests that do not raise substantive issues would ensure the reliability and development of natural gas infrastructure in response to increasing energy demand.
• Increasing the cost limitations and revision of blanket certificate regulations is consistent with both the policy objectives of the current administration's priority to expedite infrastructure development and Congress's mandate to FERC through the Natural Gas Act.

Statistics:

• Williams estimates that the cost limitations for blanket certificates have not kept pace with construction cost increases, making it challenging for their interstate pipelines to complete routine projects pursuant to the program.
• The current cost limitations are $20,270,000 for automatic authorization, $40,800,000 for prior notice, and $12,200,000 for storage (18 CFR § 157.205(g)).
• Williams proposes increasing the cost limitations to $36,000,000 for automatic authorization, $100,000,000 for prior notice, and $19,500,000 for storage to reflect current construction costs.
• The OEP dismisses protests within 10 days if the protest does not raise substantive issues and fails to provide a specific detailed reason or rationale for the objection (18 CFR § 157.205(g)).

Sources:

• United States of America Before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Blanket Certificate Cost Limitations, 90 Fed. Reg. 26776 (June 24, 2025).
• Williams Companies, Inc. submission to FERC (September 24, 2025).
• Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC, 175 FERC P 61,220 at P 8.
• Revisions to the Blanket Certificate Reguls. & Clarification Regarding Rates, Order No. 686, 71 FR 63680 (Oct. 31, 2006), 117 FERC P 61,074, at 63,680 (2006).
• The Trump administration's Executive Orders aimed at bolstering American energy reliability, such as Unleashing American Energy, Executive Order 14154 (90 Fed. Reg. 8353) and Declaring a National Energy Emergency, Executive Order 14156 (90 Fed. Reg. 8433).
• NAACP v. FPC, 425 U.S. 662, 670 (1976).
• 18 CFR § 157.205(g).