opinion

D.C. Circuit Upheld FERC Approval of Pipeline Project Despite Finding Possible Shortfalls in Analysis of Upstream and Downstream Greenhouse Gas Impacts

Challenge to FERC approval of project involving construction and replacement of natural gas compression facilities in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Birckhead v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Litigation

Sabin

Sabin Litigation

petition for rehearing

Petitioners Sought Rehearing of D.C. Circuit Decision Upholding FERC Review for Natural Gas Compression Facility

brief

FERC Defended Decision Not to Consider Upstream and Downstream Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Environmental Review for Compressor Stations

Birckhead v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - brief

petition for review

Birckhead v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - petition for review

Filing Year For Action

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

The management and allocation of funds, assets and investments to meet various objectives

Tradable permits are market-based tools that grant permission for specific activities, frequently used to regulate emissions. These permits can be issued within a trading system to manage environmental impacts.

Either money or something of monetary value is transferred between two or more organisations, people or countries.

Activities that involve planning, designing and building infrastructure, residential, and commercial structures.

This sector includes firms and individuals offering specialised expertise in fields such as law, accounting, consulting, science and engineering.

Conditions that enhance the feasibility of adaptation options. Enabling conditions include finance, technological innovation, strengthening policy instruments, institutional capacity, multi-level governance and changes in human behaviour and lifestyles.

Financial support to help individuals manage the effects of unexpected events, securing their livelihoods and increasing the resilience of people and businesses to the changing climate. It’s especially vital in developing regions where everyday risks, climate-related weather extremes, or crop failures can push people into poverty. Without insurance, people may have to resort to selling assets or cutting consumption to cope with losses.

The release of heat-trapping gases, primarily from human activities such as burning fossil fuels, agriculture and industry.

This sector involves activities to move goods and people, alongside the storage of products.

People who are less able to respond to the effects of climate change due to having limited financial or physical assets

Fossil gas, commonly known as natural gas, is a fossil fuel consisting chiefly of methane with smaller amounts of other hydrocarbons and trace gases, found in underground deposits.

D.C. Circuit Upheld FERC Approval of Pipeline Project Despite Finding Possible Shortfalls in Analysis of Upstream and Downstream Greenhouse Gas Impacts

Policy instrument

Impacted group

Fossil fuel

Greenhouse gas

Economic sector

Adaptation/resilience

Finance