Abstract
On December 15, 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a permanent certificate authorizing the Spire STL natural gas pipeline serving the St. Louis area to continue service operations. Spire STL had been on a legal roller‐coaster, wherein it received a FERC certificate in 2018, built and started operation of the 65‐mile pipeline in 2019, then in 2021 saw its certificate “vacated”—wiped out—by a U.S. Court of Appeals, essentially an order to cease operations. Then, during the white‐knuckled tail end of the ride, with the winter of 2021–2022 looming and potentially a loss of the natural gas supply and capacity at the last minute, Spire STL received an emergency/temporary authorization from FERC to continue operating while a new certificate application was being considered. The permanent certificate issued on December 15 should mean, absent another court reversal, that St. Louis may rely on the capacity for a long time. However, both the nature of FERC's decision and the implications for the rest of the natural gas industry need further exploration.
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