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 U.S.: Plastics tax debate is health and safety issue for rest of U.S.
“Positive” contributions of plastic out of alignment with pollution, climate, public health concerns
The debate in Washington over taxing virgin plastics is worth watching. The issues are much bigger than a tax-aggrieved industry versus a government in need of cash for new investments. It is more than the American Chemistry Council, which opposes a tax, versus Democratic leaders like U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. Tom Suozzi, who […]
IEEFA U.S.: Army Corps of Engineers requires full environmental review for Formosa petrochemical project in Louisiana
Decision made as heavily polluted Louisiana community continues to battle Formosa
A massive petrochemical complex proposed for an already heavily polluted community in Louisiana must undergo a thorough and public environmental analysis. The Army Corps of Engineers has reversed its earlier position and issued an Aug. 18 memorandum directing officials to prepare a full environmental impact statement (EIS) to assess the potential environmental impacts of the […]
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.: Another big pipeline project bites the dust—and FERC should take notice
PennEast Pipeline cancellation boosts case for change in commission policy
Yet another unnecessary pipeline—the PennEast project—has been cancelled after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a permit for it. The incident provides compelling new evidence for FERC to adopt strong protocols to ensure a proper analysis of the need for a proposed pipeline project. FERC could have prevented wasted expenses, legal fees and effort […]