FERC Proposes A Blanket Authorization Program For LNG Plants

Through the NOPR, FERC proposes to let LNG terminal and plant operators perform certain modifications – including, with prior notice, capacity uprates and new liquefaction trains, tanks, and berths – without case-specific authorization orders under Natural Gas Act sections 3 and 7. Comments on the NOPR are due 60 days after Federal Register publication.

On October 15, 2026, in Docket No. RM26-2-001, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or “Commission”) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NOPR”), titled Authorizations for Certain Activities at Liquefied Natural Gas Plants, proposing to amend Parts 2, 153, and 375 of its regulations to authorize certain activities at liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) plants without case-specific applications or orders under section 3 or 7 of the Natural Gas Act (“NGA”). The proposed “LNG blanket program” is modeled on the Commission’s section 7 pipeline blanket certificate program, under which eligible activities proceed automatically or