Author Archive: Suzanne Mattei
Energy Policy Analyst Suzanne Mattei is an attorney (Yale Law School) with 30 years of experience in public interest law and policy. She is also a former regional director for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
IEEFA: Keystone XL project became another pipeline to nowhere
Demise of Keystone XL should spur regulators, investors to reconsider massive pipeline projects
As the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) reviews the public comments it recently received on its proposal to reconsider how it determines whether a gas pipeline should be granted a certificate of public convenience and necessity, it would do well to consider the cautionary tale of a massive fossil fuel infrastructure project, the Keystone XL […]
IEEFA U.S.: Proposed Formosa, Louisiana petrochemical complex financially unviable
IEEFA finds significant financial, market, regulatory and political risks for multibillion-dollar ‘Sunshine Project’ in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’
March 23, 2021 (IEEFA) ⎼ A report released today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) details the financial, legal, social and public opposition risks of Taiwan-based Formosa Plastics Group’s proposed petrochemical complex in St. James Parish, Louisiana. IEEFA finds that the project will begin operations at a time of market oversupply, […]
IEEFA U.S.: Financial rationale for Mountain Valley Pipeline has evaporated in changing market
Falling demand, legal and regulatory challenges spell financial peril for pipeline project
March 8, 2021 (IEEFA) — A 303-mile pipeline that would move natural gas from the Appalachian Basin to markets in the eastern and southern U.S. is in financial jeopardy because of reduced demand projections and legal challenges, according to a report released today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). The Mountain […]
IEEFA U.S.: FERC gives blank check approval to pipeline builders, while investors and consumers pick up costs
Commission’s 21-year-old pipeline policy puts contracts ahead of utility customers
December 17, 2020 (IEEFA) — The federal agency responsible for approving interstate gas pipeline projects is basing its decisions on contracts rather than on today’s consumer energy needs or the public interest, according to a report released today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The report—FERC’s Failure to Analyze Energy Market Forces—details […]
IEEFA U.S.: Plummeting oil and gas prices leave New Mexico’s budget short by hundreds of millions of dollars
Industry problems hit before the pandemic, were made worse by it and will persist even after the economy improves
October 20, 2020 (IEEFA) — After years of benefitting from record oil and gas revenues, global markets are signaling the beginning of the end of New Mexico’s financial reliance on fossil fuels. Leases, royalty payments and taxes from the oil and gas industry have directly accounted for as much as 30 percent of the state’s […]
IEEFA U.S.: Federal appeals court tosses out FERC approval for Spire STL Pipeline
Court rejects FERC acceptance of affiliate contract as evidence of public need
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia made a precedent-setting ruling on Monday, in a pivotal case challenging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval of the Spire STL pipeline that would transport gas from Illinois to Missouri. The ruling is important for two reasons. First, it rejected FERC’s decision to base […]