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HR6378119th Congress

FERC Greenhouse Gas and Environmental Justice Policy Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Representative Casten, Sean [D-IL-6]

Introduced

Summary

This bill would add a strong _climate and environmental-justice framework_ to how the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission evaluates natural gas projects. It would require developers to quantify greenhouse gas emissions, analyze impacts on environmental justice communities, and include mitigation plans with certificate applications, using a 100,000 metric ton per year CO2e threshold and 20-year global warming potentials from the most recent IPCC assessment.

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  • Families and environmental justice communities: Requires analysis of existing and potential stressors and meaningful public engagement, aiming to limit new or expanded facilities that would place a disproportionate burden on communities of color, Indigenous populations, or low-income areas.
  • Project applicants and industry: Forces applicants to submit detailed mitigation proposals and quantify upstream, downstream, construction, operation, combustion, and leakage emissions, and face certificate conditions addressing climate and EJ harms.
  • Regulators and the public interest test: Directs the Commission to weigh quantified environmental effects against project benefits and to explain any decision that approves projects despite unmitigated significant effects.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Climate threshold for large gas projects

If enacted, the Commission would presume a project has a significant climate effect if it emits 100,000 metric tons of CO2e or more each year. Other greenhouse gases would be converted to CO2e using 20-year global warming values from the latest IPCC report. This would guide how projects are measured and could trigger closer review and stronger mitigation for big emitters.

Stronger reviews and mitigation for gas projects

If enacted, before approving a gas pipeline or similar project, the Commission would have to weigh environmental harms against benefits and energy needs. Applicants would need to file a mitigation plan with the application showing how they will cut climate and community harms. The Commission would have to count emissions from construction and operation, upstream leaks and production, and downstream use. It would also review effects on environmental justice communities, seek public input, and, where practicable, add conditions to reduce harms. If it approves a project with serious harms that cannot be reduced below the significance threshold, it would have to explain why and may limit siting or expansion in burdened areas.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Casten, Sean [D-IL-6]

IL • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4]

    VA • D

    Sponsored 12/3/2025

  • Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14]

    FL • D

    Sponsored 12/3/2025

  • Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7]

    AZ • D

    Sponsored 12/3/2025

  • Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13]

    MI • D

    Sponsored 12/3/2025

  • Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10]

    NY • D

    Sponsored 12/3/2025

  • Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 12/9/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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