Gas Pipelines Get a Boring Standards Upgrade for Emergencies
Published Date: 11/19/2025
Proposed Rule
Summary
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission wants to update rules for interstate natural gas pipelines to use the newest Version 4.0 business standards. These changes make it easier to share important gas and electric info during cold snaps or emergencies. Pipeline companies and energy users should get ready to comment by January 20, 2026, and expect smoother coordination that could help avoid costly disruptions.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
New gas-electric data posting rules
The Commission proposes to incorporate three NAESB Version 4.0 changes adopted November 25, 2024, that create a new "Gas Electric Coordination" posting category and require pipelines to post scheduled quantity and location data (including Total Scheduled Quantity, Cycle Indicator, Effective Gas Day/Time, generator location, and RTO/ISO). These changes are meant to make it easier for RTOs/ISOs, end users, and others to access gas-electric coordination information during extreme cold weather or emergencies.
One-time compliance cost for pipelines
The NOPR estimates a one-time implementation cost of $2,080,540 for the industry, which the Commission divides across 193 affected interstate natural gas pipelines as about $10,780 per entity. The estimate also shows total one-time burden of 21,230 hours tied to FERC-545 and FERC-549C information collections.
How to get the new standards (costs and waivers)
NAESB standards can be purchased: $250 per manual (so $750 for the three affected manuals) or $2,000 for the full set; NAESB membership costs $8,000 and gives members access. NAESB also offers limited no-cost read-only copyright waivers (via Locklizard) to non-members for comment/preparation purposes.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Related Federal Register Documents
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2026-16616, Regulatory Agenda
We are publishing our regulatory agenda (the Agenda) in accordance with Public Law 96-354, "The Regulatory Flexibility Act," and Executive Order 12866, "Regulatory Planning and Review." FERC's complete Agenda, available on OMB's website at https://www.reginfo.gov, is a compilation of all rulemaking activities on which we have recently completed action or have proposed or are considering action. Our last Agenda was provided in May 2025 and in this current agenda, we have listed 42 rulemaking activities. We also note that the Agency has one inactive rulemaking that is not listed in this Agenda. This issuance of our Agenda contains ten (10) Pre-Rules, eleven (11) Notice of Proposed Rules, eight (8) Final Rules, and thirteen (13) Completed activities. Four (4) rulemakings are Section 3(f)(1) Significant; two (2) are Other Significant; one (1) is a routine rulemaking activity; two (2) are administrative, and thirty-two (32) are Substantive, Nonsignificant rulemaking activities.
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2026-16525, Combined Notice of Filings
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