Attorney General Bonta: Gas Pipeline Capacity Expansion a Threat to the Environment

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued the following statement in response to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) decision allowing the expansion of TC Energy’s Gas Transmission Northwest Express (GTN) pipeline capacity. TC Energy is the same company behind the now-abandoned Keystone XL pipeline. Stretching over 1,377 miles from British Columbia, Canada and terminating just north of California, the GTN pipeline will increase the amount of natural gas carried by the pipeline by 150 million cubic feet per day, resulting in increased greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution impacts. 

“I'm deeply disappointed with FERC's decision. When we expand gas infrastructure, it’s all too often minority, low-income, and Indigenous communities that pay the price,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Day after day, we're seeing the effects of climate change. I vow to continue fighting to protect our environment."

On August 22, 2022, Attorney General Bonta joined the attorneys general of Washington and Oregon in filing a motion to intervene and requesting that FERC deny the application for Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity needed to expand the capacity of the GTN pipeline. In addition, that same day, the Western states submitted comments criticizing FERC’s draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the capacity expansion. The expansion is expected to result in more than 3.24 million metric tons of greenhouse gases emissions per year, including methane and carbon dioxide, and generate an estimated $12 billion in social costs.