NOPR_RM96-1-044 published

NOPR_Published_RM96-1-044.pdf

FERC-549C, Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines (NOPR in Docket No. RM96-1-044)

NOPR_RM96-1-044 published

OMB: 1902-0174

Document [pdf]
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52012

Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 221 / Wednesday, November 19, 2025 / Proposed Rules

The Proposal
The FAA is proposing an amendment
to 14 CFR part 71 that would modify the
Class E airspace. First, the Class E
airspace extending upward from the
surface would be modified to expand
the radius from 4 to 4.6 miles, add a 0.8mile extension to the south, and modify
the existing northern extension. This
would adequately contain the maximum
circling radii to Runways (RWY) 20 and
34 and departing aircraft until reaching
700 feet above the surface on the
NEWPORT ONE DEPARTURE
(OBSTACLE) procedure from RWYs 16
and 20. The modification would also
contain arriving aircraft that descend to
below 1,000 feet above the surface on
the Area Navigation (RNAV) (Global
Positioning System [GPS]) RWY 34
approach procedure and the Very High
Frequency Omnidirectional Range
(VOR)–A approach procedure, as well as
the missed approach procedure on the
Instrument Landing System (ILS) or
Localizer (LOC) RWY 16 approach
procedure.
Second, the Class E airspace
extending upward from 700 feet above
the surface would be reduced to exclude
unneeded airspace to the northeast
while expanding needed coverage to the
north, south, and west. This would
contain IFR operations until reaching
1,200 feet above the surface on the ILS
or LOC RWY 16 missed approach
procedure and NEWPORT ONE
DEPARTURE (OBSTACLE) procedure
from RWYs 16 and 20. This
configuration would add sufficient
containment for arriving aircraft that
descend to below 1,500 feet above the
surface on the RNAV (GPS) RWY 34,
RNAV (GPS) RWY 16, and the VOR–A
procedures’ turn.
Last, the text header in the airport’s
legal descriptions would be modified to
remove unnecessary descriptive
references to the Newport very high
frequency omnidirectional range tactical
air navigation (VORTAC).

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Regulatory Notices and Analyses
The FAA has determined that this
proposed regulation only involves an
established body of technical
regulations for which frequent and
routine amendments are necessary to
keep them operationally current. It,
therefore: (1) is not a ‘‘significant
regulatory action’’ under Executive
Order 12866; (2) is not a ‘‘significant
rule’’ under DOT Regulatory Policies
and Procedures (44 FR 11034; February
26, 1979); and (3) does not warrant
preparation of a regulatory evaluation as
the anticipated impact is so minimal.
Since this is a routine matter that will

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only affect air traffic procedures and air
navigation, it is certified that this
proposed rule, when promulgated, will
not have a significant economic impact
on a substantial number of small entities
under the criteria of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act.
Environmental Review
This proposal will be subject to an
environmental analysis in accordance
with FAA Order 1050.1G,
Environmental Impacts: Policies and
Procedures prior to any FAA final
regulatory action.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71
Airspace, Incorporation by reference,
Navigation (air).

radius of the airport, within 4.6 miles east
and 2.6 miles west of the 341° bearing
extending from the airport’s 4.6-mile radius
to 10.2 miles north, within 1.6 miles east and
2.9 miles west of the 161° bearing extending
from the airport’s 4.6-mile radius to 7.9 miles
south, and clockwise from the airport’s 187°
bearing to the 318° bearing extending from
the 4.6-mile radius to the 6.5-mile arc.

*

*

*

*

*

Issued in Des Moines, Washington, on
September 10, 2025.
B.G. Chew,
Group Manager, Operations Support Group,
Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2025–20247 Filed 11–18–25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P

The Proposed Amendment
In consideration of the foregoing, the
Federal Aviation Administration
proposes to amend 14 CFR part 71 as
follows:

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

PART 71—DESIGNATION OF CLASS A,
B, C, D, AND E AIRSPACE AREAS; AIR
TRAFFIC SERVICE ROUTES; AND
REPORTING POINTS

[Docket No. RM96–1–044]

1. The authority citation for 14 CFR
part 71 continues to read as follows:

■

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(f), 106(g), 40103,
40113, 40120; E.O. 10854, 24 FR 9565, 3 CFR,
1959–1963 Comp., p. 389.
§ 71.1

[Amended]

2. The incorporation by reference in
14 CFR 71.1 of FAA Order JO 7400.11K,
Airspace Designations and Reporting
Points, dated August 4, 2025, and
effective September 15, 2025, would be
amended as follows:

■

Paragraph 6002 Class E Airspace Areas
Designated as Surface Areas.

*

*

*

*

*

ANM OR E2 Newport, OR [Amended]
Newport Municipal Airport, OR
(Lat. 44°34′49″ N, long. 124°03′29″ W)
That airspace extending upward from the
surface within a 4.6-mile radius of the
airport, within 2.8 miles east and 2.6 miles
west of the 341° bearing extending from the
airport’s 4.6-mile radius to 6.8 miles north,
and within 3 miles west of the 159° bearing
extending from the airport’s 4.6-mile radius
to 5.4 miles south.

*

*

*

*

*

Paragraph 6005 Class E Airspace Areas
Extending Upward From 700 Feet or More
Above the Surface of the Earth.

*

*

*

*

*

ANM OR E5 Newport, OR [Amended]
Newport Municipal Airport, OR
(Lat. 44°34′49″ N, long. 124°03′29″ W)
That airspace extending upward from 700
feet above the surface within a 4.6-mile

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Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
18 CFR Part 284

Standards for Business Practices of
Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.
AGENCY:

The Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (Commission)
proposes to amend its regulations to
incorporate by reference certain
modifications to the latest version
(Version 4.0) of Standards for Business
Practices of Interstate Natural Gas
Pipelines adopted by the Wholesale Gas
Quadrant (WGQ) of the North American
Energy Standards Board (NAESB).
NAESB’s revisions in Version 4.0 of the
standards streamline the process for
accessing publicly available gas-electric
coordination data during extreme cold
weather or emergency events.
DATES: Comments are due January 20,
2026.
ADDRESSES: Comments, identified by
docket number, may be filed in the
following ways. Electronic filing
through https://www.ferc.gov, is
preferred.
• Electronic Filing: Documents must
be filed in acceptable native
applications and print-to-PDF, but not
in scanned or picture format.
• For those unable to file
electronically, comments may be filed
by U.S. Postal Service mail or by hand
(including courier) delivery.
Æ Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only:
Addressed to: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the
Commission, 888 First Street NE,
Washington, DC 20426.
SUMMARY:

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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 221 / Wednesday, November 19, 2025 / Proposed Rules
Æ Hand (including courier) delivery:
Deliver to: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue,
Rockville, MD 20852.
The Comment Procedures Section of
this document contains more detailed
filing procedures.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jerry Chiang (Technical Issues), Office
of Technical Reporting and Economics,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street NE, Washington, DC
20426, (202) 502–8786, jerry.chiang@
ferc.gov.
Oscar F. Santillana (Technical Issues),
Office of Energy Market Regulation,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street NE, Washington, DC

52013

20426, (202) 502–6392,
[email protected].
David Faerberg (Legal Issues), Office
of the General Counsel, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street
NE, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502–
8275, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
Paragraph
Nos.

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I. Overview ..............................................................................................................................................................................................
II. Background .........................................................................................................................................................................................
III. Discussion .........................................................................................................................................................................................
A. Modifications to Version 4.0 of Business Practice Standards .................................................................................................
1. WGQ Additional Standards .................................................................................................................................................
2. WGQ Quadrant Electronic Delivery Mechanism Standards .............................................................................................
3. WGQ Capacity Release Related Standards .........................................................................................................................
B. Proposed Implementation Procedures .......................................................................................................................................
IV. Notice of Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards ..........................................................................................................................
V. Incorporation by Reference ...............................................................................................................................................................
VI. Information Collection Statement ...................................................................................................................................................
VII. Environmental Analysis ..................................................................................................................................................................
VIII. Regulatory Flexibility Act .............................................................................................................................................................
IX. Comment Procedures .......................................................................................................................................................................
X. Document Availability ......................................................................................................................................................................

I. Overview
1. The Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (Commission) proposes to
amend its regulations at 18 CFR 284.12
to incorporate by reference the latest
modifications to Version 4.0 of
Standards for Business Practices of
Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines adopted
by the Wholesale Gas Quadrant (WGQ)
of the North American Energy Standards
Board (NAESB) applicable to interstate
natural gas pipelines. The incorporation
by reference of these standards into the
Commission’s regulations would
improve the coordination between the
natural gas pipelines and electric
utilities. Such coordination is essential
to maintaining reliability for both the
natural gas pipeline network system and
the bulk electric system, especially
during periods when both systems have
coincident peak requirements.
2. NAESB is an American National
Standards Institute-accredited, nonprofit standards development
organization formed for the purpose of
developing voluntary standards and
model business practices that promote
more competitive and efficient natural
gas and electric markets. On December
4, 2024, NAESB filed a report informing
the Commission that it had modified
Version 4.0 of the business practice
standards (Informational Report).1
These revisions to the standards would
improve the reliability of the interstate
1 See NAESB WGQ Business Practice Standards
Version 4.0 Report, Docket No. RM96–1–044 (Dec.
4, 2024).

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natural gas infrastructure to support the
bulk electric system and improve
communication among gas and electric
market participants to enhance
situational awareness during extreme
cold weather events.2
II. Background
3. Since 1996, the Commission has
incorporated by reference in its
regulations NAESB’s business practice
standards and communication
methodologies of interstate natural gas
pipelines to create a more integrated
and efficient pipeline network system.
These regulations have been
promulgated in the Order No. 587 series
of orders,3 wherein the Commission has
incorporated by reference the standards
for interstate natural gas pipeline
business practices and electronic
2 As explained below, NAESB has adopted two
new standards and revisions to one existing
standard in response to Recommendation 5 of the
report that the staffs of the Commission, North
American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC),
and Regional Entities issued November 7, 2023:
FERC et al., FERC, NERC & Reg’l Entity Staff Rep.:
Inquiry into Bulk-Power Sys. Operations During
Dec. 2022 Winter Storm Elliott, Docket No. AD23–
8–000, at 143 (Nov. 7, 2023) (Recommendation 5),
https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/filedownload?
fileid=00F8FAAC-A049-C84B-8784-8BB5FEC00000
(as updated Feb. 28. 2024, https://elibrary.ferc.gov/
eLibrary/filedownload?fileid=BB92A244-97DDC8A7-96AC-8D897D600000) [hereinafter Winter
Storm Elliot Report].
3 This series of orders began with the
Commission’s issuance of Order No. 587, Standards
for Bus. Pracs. of Interstate Nat. Gas Pipelines, 61
FR 39053 (July 26, 1996), FERC Stats. & Regs.
¶ 31,038 (1996) (cross-referenced at 76 FERC
¶ 61,042).

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1
3
9
11
12
13
14
15
23
24
31
38
39
42
45

communications developed by NAESB’s
WGQ. Upon incorporation by reference,
these revisions to the standards will
modify the currently incorporated
version (Version 4.0) of NAESB’s
business practice standards.
4. On July 25, 2022, then-Chairman
Richard Glick of the Commission and
Jim Robb, President and CEO of the
NERC, sent a letter to NAESB requesting
NAESB convene a forum ‘‘to identify
actions that will improve the reliability
of the natural gas infrastructure system
as necessary to support the bulk electric
system and to address recurring
challenges stemming from natural gaselectric infrastructure
interdependency.’’ 4
5. In response to that letter, NAESB
convened a Gas-Electric Harmonization
Forum to consider issues related to the
challenges stemming from natural gaselectric interdependency. Over 700
individuals representing more than 370
different organizations from all
segments of the natural gas and electric
markets participated in the Gas-Electric
Harmonization Forum. NAESB released
4 Letter from then-Chairman Richard Glick of the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Jim
Robb, President and CEO of the North American
Reliability Corporation to Michael Desselle,
Chairman of NAESB, and Jonathan Booe, Executive
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (July 25,
2022) (on file at NAESB), https://naesb.org/pdf4/
FERC_NERC_Letter_072922_to_NAESB.pdf. See
also, FERC, NERC, and Regional Entity Staff Report,
The February 2021 Cold Weather Outage in Texas
and the South Central United States (Nov. 2021)
(Recommendation 7), https://www.ferc.gov/media/
february-2021-cold-weather-outages-texas-andsouth-central-united-states-ferc-nerc-and.

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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 221 / Wednesday, November 19, 2025 / Proposed Rules

its Gas-Electric Harmonization Forum
Report on July 28, 2023, which
identified 20 recommendations for
consideration to improve the reliability
of natural gas infrastructure as necessary
to support the bulk electric system and
to address the recurring challenges
stemming from natural gas-electric
interdependency.
6. On November 7, 2023, as updated
on February 28, 2024, the Commission,
NERC, and various regional entities
published a report on the performance
of the bulk power system during Winter
Storm Elliot in December of 2022.5 The
report looked at the cold weather event
that occurred between December 21 and
December 26, 2022 (Winter Storm
Elliott), in which unplanned coldweather outages significantly
jeopardized grid reliability. Part of this
analysis looked at how the events
affected the interrelation between
transportation on natural gas pipelines
and generator outages. The Winter
Storm Elliot Report included several
recommendations concerning natural
gas-electric coordination. Specifically,
to help improve the interrelation
between natural gas pipelines and the
electric system, the report
recommended that NAESB ‘‘convene
natural gas infrastructure entities,
electric grid operators, and LDCs (local
distribution companies) to identify
improvements in communication during
extreme cold weather events to enhance
situational awareness.’’ 6
7. In response to the Winter Storm
Elliot Report, the NAESB Board of
Directors created a jointly assigned
annual plan item as part of the WGQ,
Wholesale Electric Quadrant (WEQ),
and Retail Market Quadrant (RMQ) 2024
Annual Plans. The Annual Plan directed
the Joint WGQ, WEQ, and RMQ
Business Practices Subcommittees to
review and modify the NAESB Gas/
Electric Coordination Business Practice
Standards, and any corresponding
standards, that could improve
communications among gas and electric
market participants and enhance
situational awareness during extreme
weather events without endangering
sensitive commercial information.
Between January and July 2024, the
Joint WGQ, WEQ, and RMQ Business
Practices Subcommittees held ten
meetings to identify and evaluate
possible areas of standards
development. NAESB states that ‘‘on
July 19, 2024, the joint subcommittees
voted out a recommendation proposing
new and revised WGQ Business Practice
Standards.’’ NAESB further states that
5 Winter
6 Id.

Storm Elliott Report, supra note 2.
at 143.

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‘‘[o]n October 24, 2024, the NAESB
WGQ Executive Committee voted to
approve the recommendation with
super majority support. NAESB WGQ
membership subsequently ratified the
new and revised standards on
November 25, 2024.’’ 7
8. On December 4, 2024, NAESB filed
its Informational Report informing the
Commission that it had modified
Version 4.0 of the NAESB WGQ
Business Practice Standards applicable
to interstate natural gas pipelines. The
NAESB Informational Report identifies
three modifications to the WGQ Version
4.0 standards, which include one
revised standard and two new
standards, and discusses the
deliberations that led to the changes.
The revision creates a central location
on pipeline Informational Postings
websites where transportation service
providers can post publicly available
data, including scheduled quantity
information. This revision establishes a
new information posting category, ‘‘Gas
Electric Coordination,’’ for use, when
applicable, by a transportation service
provider to help streamline the process
for Regional Transmission
Organizations/Independent System
Operators (RTO/ISO) and other parties
accessing this data during extreme
weather or emergency events. One new
standard facilitates the posting of
applicable scheduled quantity
information for power plants that are
directly connected to the pipeline as
part of the ‘‘Gas Electric Coordination’’
category. The second new standard
supports the inclusion of the geographic
information of impacted area(s),
location(s), and/or pipeline facility(ies)
by a transportation service provider
when issuing a critical notice. Pipelines
are currently required to make this
information available through
computer-to-computer electronic data
interchange in addition to other batch
file downloadable formats they may
provide.8
III. Discussion
9. In this notice of proposed
rulemaking (NOPR), we propose to
incorporate by reference in our
regulations the three modifications to
Version 4.0 of the NAESB WGQ
consensus business practice standards.
As an initial matter, we note that the
modified WGQ Version 4.0 standards
include two new standards and one
revised standard to the following sets of
7 Informational

Filing at 3.
CFR 284.12 (a)(1)(v), (b)(3)(i)(A). See
Standards for Bus. Pracs. of Interstate Nat. Gas
Pipelines, Order No. 587–G, 83 FERC ¶ 61,029, at
text accompanying note 58 (1998), 63 FR 20072
(April 23, 1998).
8 18

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existing Version 4.0 WGQ Business
Practice Standards. Each set of Business
Practice Standards is hereafter referred
to as a ‘‘manual.’’
Manual

Business practice standards

0 .........
4 .........

Additional Standards.
Quadrant Electronic Delivery Mechanism Related Standards.
Capacity Release Related Standards.

5 .........

We propose that compliance filings to
revise pipeline tariffs to reflect the
changes in accordance with a final rule
be filed with the Commission no later
than 120 days after the Commission
issues a final rule in this proceeding or,
if the compliance filing date falls on a
weekend or holiday, on the first
business day thereafter, with a proposed
effective date 180 days from the date
compliance filings are due in this
proceeding.
10. We discuss below some specific
aspects of NAESB’s Informational
Report.
A. Modifications to Version 4.0 of
Business Practice Standards
11. NAESB uses its consensus process
to develop and approve WGQ business
practice standards. As the Commission
found in the Order No. 587 series of
orders, incorporation by reference of
consensus standards is appropriate,
because the consensus process helps
ensure the reasonableness of the
standards by requiring that the
standards draw support from a broad
spectrum of industry participants
representing all segments of the
industry. Moreover, because the
industry conducts business under these
standards, the Commission has found
value in incorporating standards that
have the widest possible support. In
section 12(d) of the National
Technology Transfer and Advancement
Act of 1995,9 Congress affirmatively
requires federal agencies to use
technical standards developed by
voluntary consensus standards
organizations, like NAESB, to carry out
policy objectives or activities.
1. WGQ Additional Standards
12. The modified WGQ Version 4.0
added a new standard, WGQ Standard
No. 0.3.30, to the Additional Standards
manual, which supports a natural gas
transportation service provider in
posting scheduled quantity information
for power plants directly connected to
the pipeline, as part of the newly
established Gas Electric Coordination
9 Public

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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 221 / Wednesday, November 19, 2025 / Proposed Rules
category. WGQ Standard No. 0.3.30
identifies examples of the data that
could be posted in the new category,
including Cycle Indicator (Cycle) which
are the specific times throughout the gas
day for shippers to submit nomination
requests for natural gas transportation.
According to existing NAESB standard
provisions, ‘‘Cycle’’ would include each
of the five standard daily nominations
cycles (Timely, Evening, Intraday 1,
Intraday 2, and Intraday 3) or additional
transportation service provider defined
cycles. WGQ Standard 0.3.30 also
includes the Effective Gas Day (Eff Gas
Day), which is the Gas Day for which
the information is applicable, beginning
at 9AM Central Clock Time and ending
9AM Central Clock Time the next day.
It also includes the Effective Time (Eff
Time), the time for which the posted
information is applicable, which may be
subsequent to the posting.
13. Additionally, WGQ Standard No.
0.3.30 also includes fields describing
the applicable generators’ locations
including the generator’s location (Loc),
which may be the transportation service
providers’ assigned identifier where
transactions may take place, Location
Name (Loc Name), Location County (Loc
Cnty), Location State Abbreviation (Loc
St Abbrev). The standard also includes
the Measurement Basis (Meas Basis),
such or Million British Thermal Units.
14. WGQ Standard No. 0.3.30
includes Posting Date (Post Date) and
Posting Time (Post Time) the date and
time at which transportation service
providers post the relevant information.
Finally, the standard includes posting of
the RTO/ISO in whose service territory
the affected generator is directly
connected to the interstate pipeline and
Total Scheduled Quantity (TSQ)—the
net quantity scheduled to be delivered
to each applicable generator at the
effective date and time of the posting.

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2. WGQ Quadrant Electronic Delivery
Mechanism Standards
15. The modified WGQ Version 4.0
revised existing standard WGQ
Standard No. 4.3.23 under the Quadrant
Electronic Delivery Mechanism
Standards manual by establishing a new
information posting category, Gas
Electric Coordination, for use by a
transportation service provider as part
of its Informational Postings website.
The revised WGQ Standard No. 4.3.23
creates a central location on an
Informational Postings website where a
transportation service provider can post
publicly available data, including
scheduled quantity information, to help
RTOs/ISOs and other parties access
these data.

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3. WGQ Capacity Release Related
Standards
16. The modified WGQ Version 4.0
added a new standard, WGQ Standard
No. 5.3.74 under the Capacity Release
Related Standards manual, to support
the inclusion of geographic information
when a natural gas transportation
service provider issues a critical notice,
such as geographic information of
impacted areas, locations, and pipeline
facilities.10 The inclusion of geographic
information in a critical notice can help
parties receiving critical notices,
including end users and RTOs/ISOs,
identify and assess any possible impact
to their systems.
B. Proposed Implementation Procedures
17. We propose to use the compliance
filing requirements explained below, as
revised and prescribed in Order No.
587–V, to increase the transparency of
the interstate natural gas pipelines’
incorporation by reference of the
NAESB WGQ Standards so that shippers
and the Commission will know which
tariff provision(s) implements each
standard as well as the status of each
standard.11
18. We propose that compliance
filings to revise pipeline tariffs to reflect
the changes in accordance with a final
rule be filed with the Commission no
later than 120 days after issuance of a
final rule by the Commission in this
proceeding or, if the compliance filing
date falls on a weekend or holiday, on
the first business day thereafter, with a
proposed effective date 180 days from
the date compliance filings are due in
this proceeding. As the Commission
found in Order No. 587–V,
incorporation by reference of the revised
compliance filing requirements would
increase the transparency of the
interstate natural gas pipelines’
incorporation by reference of the
NAESB WGQ Standards so that shippers
and the Commission would know which
tariff provision(s) implements each
standard as well as the status of each
standard.12
19. Consistent with the Commission’s
practice since Order No. 587–V, each
interstate natural gas pipeline must
designate a single tariff section under
10 Critical

notices are notices posted on a
transportation service provider’s website that,
according to existing WGQ Version 4.0 Standard
No. 5.2.1, ‘‘pertain to information on transportation
service provider conditions that affect scheduling or
adversely affect scheduled gas flow.’’
11 Standards for Bus. Pracs. of Interstate Nat. Gas
Pipelines, Order No. 587–V, 77 FR 43711 (July 26,
2012), 140 FERC ¶ 61,036, at PP 36–39 (2012).
12 Trans-Union Interstate Pipeline L.P., 141 FERC
¶ 61,167, at P 36 (2012) (Order No. 587–V
Compliance Order).

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52015

which every NAESB WGQ Standard
incorporated by reference by the
Commission is listed.13 For each NAESB
standard, the pipeline must specifically
list in that tariff section:
(a) whether the standard is
incorporated by reference;
(b) for those standards not
incorporated by reference, the tariff
provision that complies with the
standard; or
(c) for those standards with which the
pipeline does not comply, an indication
in the tariff section of whether the
pipeline has been granted a waiver,
extension of time, or other variance with
respect to compliance with the
standard.14
20. For those standards with which
the pipeline does not comply, the
pipeline must provide an explanatory
statement in the transmittal letter of
whether the pipeline has been granted
a waiver, extension of time, or other
variance with respect to compliance
with the standard.
21. Likewise, consistent with past
practice, we will post on the
Commission’s eLibrary website (under
Docket No. RM96–1–044) a sample tariff
format to provide filers with an
illustrative example to aid them in
preparing their compliance filings.
22. Consistent with our policy since
Order No. 587–V,15 entities may request
waivers under the requirements set forth
in Order No. 587–V and the
Commission will then evaluate those
requests.16
23. If a pipeline is requesting a
continuation of an existing waiver or
extension of time, it must include a
table in its transmittal letter that
identifies the standard for which the
Commission granted the waiver or
extension of time, and the docket
number or order citation to the
proceeding in which the Commission
granted the waiver or extension of time.
The pipeline also must present an
explanation for why such waiver or
extension of time should remain in force
with regard to the modified WGQ
Version 4.0 Standards incorporated by
reference in any final rule.
24. This continues the Commission’s
practice of having pipelines include in
13 Id. P 36; Standards for Bus. Pracs. of Interstate
Nat. Gas Pipelines, 174 FERC ¶ 61,103, at P 21
(2021) (Version 3.2 NOPR).
14 Shippers can use the Commission’s electronic
tariff system to locate the tariff record containing
the NAESB standards, which will indicate the
docket in which any waiver or extension of time
was granted.
15 Order No. 587–V, 140 FERC ¶ 61,036.
16 Order No. 587–V Compliance Order, 141 FERC
¶ 61,167 at PP 4, 38 (a pipeline does not need to
seek a waiver for standards that address business
practices that the pipeline does not offer).

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their tariffs a common location that
identifies the way in which the pipeline
is incorporating all the NAESB WGQ
Standards and the standards with which
it is required to comply.
IV. Notice of Use of Voluntary
Consensus Standards
25. Office of Management and Budget
Circular A 119 (February 10, 1998)
provides that Federal Agencies should
publish a request for comment in a
NOPR when the agency is seeking to
issue or revise a regulation proposing to
incorporate by reference a voluntary
consensus standard or a governmentunique standard. In this NOPR, the
Commission is proposing to incorporate
by reference a new WGQ Version 4.0
Additional Business Practice Standard
No. 0.3.30, a revised WGQ Version 4.0
Quadrant Electronic Delivery
Mechanism Related Business Practice
Standard No. 4.3.23, and a new WGQ
Version 4.0 Capacity Release Related
Business Practice Standard No. 5.3.74,
which are voluntary consensus
standards developed by the WGQ.

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V. Incorporation by Reference
26. The Office of the Federal Register
requires agencies proposing to
incorporate material by reference into
their regulations to discuss the ways
that the materials it incorporates by
reference are reasonably available to
interested parties and how interested
parties can obtain the materials.17 The
regulations also require agencies to
summarize, in the preamble of the final
rule, the material that it incorporates by
reference. The latest modifications to
the Version 4.0 standards we are
proposing to incorporate by reference
consist of revisions to three sets of
NAESB WGQ Business Practice
Standards that address a variety of
topics and are designed to streamline
the transactional processes for the
wholesale natural gas industry by
promoting a more reliable and efficient
market. The applicable sets comprise a
new WGQ Additional Business Practice
Standard, a revised WGQ Quadrant
Electronic Delivery Mechanism Related
Business Practice Standard, and a new
WGQ Capacity Release Related Business
Practice Standard. We summarize these
three sets of standards below.18
17 1 CFR 51.5. See Incorporation by Reference, 79
FR 66267 (Nov. 7, 2014).
18 In addition to the new and revised standards
described above and included in NAESB’s
December 4, 2024 report, the Commission also is
incorporating by reference recently revised WGQ
Invoicing Related Standards (Version 4.0) that
includes the Minor Correction incorporated by
reference in Standards for Bus. Pracs. of Interstate
Nat. Gas Pipelines, Order No. 587–AA, 89 FR 97518
(Dec. 9, 2024), 189 FERC ¶ 61,135 (2024). The

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27. The WGQ Additional Standards
address standards that are in addition to
the five distinct areas of business
activities—Nominations, Flowing Gas,
Invoicing, Electronic Delivery
Mechanism, and Capacity Release. The
six categories within the WGQ
Additional Standards are: (1) General;
(2) Creditworthiness; (3) Gas/Electric
Operational Communications; (4)
Operating Capacity and Unsubscribed
Capacity; (5) Location Data Download;
and (6) Storage Information.
28. The WGQ Quadrant Electronic
Delivery Mechanism Related Standards
define the framework for the electronic
dissemination and communication of
information between parties in the
North American wholesale gas
marketplace for Electronic Data
Interchange/EDM transfers, batch flat
file/EDM transfers, informational
postings websites, Electronic Bulletin
Boards/EDM, and interactive flat file/
EDM.
29. The WGQ Capacity Release
Related Standards define the business
processes for communication of
information related to the selling of all
or any portion of a transportation
service requester’s contract rights.
30. Commission regulations provide
that copies of the standards
incorporated by reference may be
obtained through purchase or otherwise
from the North American Energy
Standards Board, 1415 Louisiana, Suite
3460, Houston, Texas 77002, phone:
(713) 356–0060, website: https://
www.naesb.org/. The standards can also
be reviewed without purchasing them.
31. The procedures used by NAESB
make its standards reasonably available
to those affected by Commission
regulations, which generally is
comprised of entities that have the
means to acquire the information they
need to effectively participate in
Commission proceedings. Participants
can join NAESB, for an annual
membership cost of $8,000, which
entitles them to full participation in
NAESB and enables them to obtain
these standards at no additional cost.
Non-members may obtain any of the ten
individual standards manuals for $250
per manual, which in the case of these
standards would total $750 for all three
manuals. Non-members also may obtain
the complete set of Standards Manuals
for $2,000.
32. NAESB provides ample
opportunities for non-members,
including agents, subsidiaries, and
affiliates of NAESB members, to obtain
access to the copyrighted standards
standard contains no substantive changes from
those adopted in Order No. 587–AA.

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through a no-cost limited copyright
waiver. The limited copyright waivers
are issued by the NAESB office and are
granted to non-members on a case-bycase basis for the purpose of evaluating
standards prior to purchase and/or
reviewing the standards to prepare
comments to a regulatory agency.
Following the granting of a limited
copyright waiver, the non-member is
provided with read-only access to the
standards through the end of the
comment period or some other set
period of time via Locklizard Safeguard
Secure Viewer.19 NAESB will grant one
limited copyright wavier per company
for each set of standards or final actions.
Any entity seeking a limited copyright
waiver should contact the NAESB
office.
VI. Information Collection Statement
33. The Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) regulations require that
OMB approve certain reporting, record
keeping, and public disclosure
requirements (information collection)
imposed by an agency.20 Therefore, we
are submitting our proposed
information collection to OMB for
review in accordance with section
3507(d) of the Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995. Upon approval of a collection
of information, OMB will assign an
OMB control number and an expiration
date. Respondents subject to the filing
requirements of a rule will not be
penalized for failing to respond to these
collections of information unless the
collection of information displays a
valid OMB control number.
34. We solicit comments on our need
for this information, whether the
information will have practical utility,
the accuracy of the provided burden
estimates, ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected, and any suggested methods
for minimizing respondents’ burden,
including the use of automated
information techniques.
35. Public Reporting Burden: The
Commission’s burden estimates for the
proposals in this NOPR are for one-time
implementation of the information
collection requirements of this NOPR
(including tariff filing, documentation of
the process and procedures, and
information technology work).
36. The collections of information
related to this NOPR fall under FERC–
545 (Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change
(Non-Formal)) 21 and FERC–549C
19 For more information on Locklizard, please
refer to the company’s website: https://
www.locklizard.com.
20 5 CFR 1320.11.
21 FERC–545 covers rate change filings made by
natural gas pipelines, including tariff changes.

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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 221 / Wednesday, November 19, 2025 / Proposed Rules
anticipate the costs to interstate natural
gas pipelines for compliance with our
proposals in this NOPR. The burden
estimates are related to implementing

(Standards for Business Practices of
Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines).22 The
following estimates of reporting burden
are related only to this NOPR and

these standards and regulations and will
not result in ongoing costs.

RM96–1–044 NOPR (STANDARDS FOR BUSINESS PRACTICES OF INTERSTATE NATURAL GAS PIPELINES)
Number of
respondents 23

Annual
number of
responses per
respondent

Total
number of
responses

Average
burden hr.
per response

Total annual
burden hours
& total
annual cost 24

Annual costs per
respondent
($)

(1)

(2)

(1) * (2) = (3)

(4)

(3) * (4) = (5)

(5)/(1) = (6)

FERC–545 (one-time) ...............
FERC–549C (one-time) .............

193
193

1
1

193
193

10 hrs.; $980 ...................
100 hrs.; $9,800 ..............

1,930 hrs.; $189,140 ...........
19,300 hrs.; $1,891,400 ......

$980
9,800

Total ............................

........................

386

............................

.........................................

21,230 hrs.; $2,080,540 ......

............................

burden estimates associated with the
information requirements.

Title: FERC–545, Gas Pipeline Rates:
Rates Change (Non-Formal); FERC–
549C, Standards for Business Practices
of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines.
Action: Proposed information
collections
OMB Control Nos.: 1902–0154 (FERC–
545), 1902–0174 (FERC–549C).
Respondents: Business or other for
profit (e.g., Natural Gas Pipelines,
applicable to only a few small
businesses).
Frequency of Responses: One-time
implementation (related to business
procedures, capital/start-up).
37. Necessity of Information: In
response to NAESB’s standard
development activities, the proposals in
this NOPR would, if implemented, make
minor adjustments to the standards
previously incorporated by reference by
the Commission. First, a revised
standard in the WGQ Quadrant
Electronic Delivery Mechanism Related
Standards manual, WGQ Standard No.
4.3.23, establishes a new information
posting category—Gas Electric
Coordination, for use by a transportation
service provider when applicable, to
help streamline the process for RTOs/
ISOs and other parties accessing critical

data during extreme cold weather or
emergency events. Second, a new
standard in the WGQ Additional
Standards manual, WGQ Standard No.
0.3.30, facilitates the posting of
applicable scheduled quantity
information for directly connected
power plants, as part of the Gas Electric
Coordination category. Types of data
that could be provided include, Cycle
Indicator, Effective Gas Day, Location,
Location Name, Location County,
Location State Abbreviation,
Measurement Bases, Posting Date,
Posting Time, RTO/ISO, and Total
Scheduled Quantity. Third, a new
standard in the WGQ Capacity Release
Related Standards manual, WGQ
Standard No. 5.3.74, would support the
inclusion of the geographic information
of impacted areas, locations, or pipeline
facilities by a transportation service
provider when issuing a critical notice.
If the above standards are implemented,
the Commission’s Office of Enforcement
will use the data for general industry
oversight.
Internal Review: We have reviewed
the requirements pertaining to business
practices of interstate natural gas
pipelines and made a preliminary
determination that the proposed
revisions are necessary to establish a
more efficient and integrated pipeline
network. These requirements conform to
our plan for efficient information
collection, communication, and
management within the natural gas
pipeline industries. We determined
through our internal review that there is
specific, objective support for the

22 FERC–549C covers Standards for Business
Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines.
23 The number of respondents is the number of
entities in which a change in burden from the
current standards to the proposed exists, not the
total number of entities from the current or
proposed standards that are applicable.
24 The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits)
provided in this section is based on the salary

figures for May 2024 posted on April 2, 2025 by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Utilities sector
(available at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/
naics2_22.htm) and scaled to reflect benefits using
the relative importance of employer costs for
employee compensation (available at https://
www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm). The
hourly estimates for salary plus benefits are:
Computer and Information Systems Manager
(Occupation Code: 11–3021), $110.62.

Computer and Information Analysts (Occupation
Code: 15–1210), $68.34.
Electrical Engineer (Occupation Code: 17–2071),
$71.19.
Legal (Occupation Code: 23–0000), $140.76.
The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits),
weighting these skill sets evenly, is $97.728. We
round it to $98/hour.

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The total one-time burden (for both
the FERC–545 and FERC–549C) would
take place in Year 1 as follows:
FERC–545: 193 entities × 1 response/
entity (10 hours/response × $98/hour)
= $189,140
FERC–549C: 193 entities × 1 response/
entity (100 hours × $98/hour) =
$1,891,400

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38. Interested persons may obtain
information on the reporting
requirements by contacting the
following: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street NE,
Washington, DC 20426; email:
[email protected].
39. Comments concerning the
collection of information(s) and the
associated burden estimate(s), should be
sent to the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, the Office of
Management and Budget, Washington,
DC 20503: attention: Desk Officer for the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
phone: (202) 395–0710; fax: (202) 395–
4718. A copy of the comments on
information collection should also be
sent to the Commission, in Docket No.
RM96–1–044 by any of the following
methods:
• eFiling at Commission’s Website:
https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
efiling.asp;
• U.S. Postal Service Mail: Persons
unable to file electronically may mail
similar pleadings to the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street
NE, Washington, DC 20426; or
• Delivery of filings other than by
eFiling or the U.S. Postal Service should
be delivered to the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins
Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
VII. Environmental Analysis

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40. The Commission is required to
prepare an Environmental Assessment
or an Environmental Impact Statement
for any action that may have a
significant adverse effect on the human
environment.25 The actions that we
propose to take here fall within
categorical exclusions in the
Commission’s regulations for rules that
are clarifying, corrective, or procedural,
for information gathering, analysis, and
dissemination, and for rules regarding
sales, exchange, and transportation of
natural gas that require no construction
of facilities.26 Therefore, an
environmental review is unnecessary
and has not been prepared as part of this
NOPR.
VIII. Regulatory Flexibility Act

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41. The Regulatory Flexibility Act of
1980 (RFA) 27 generally requires a
description and analysis of proposed
rules that will have significant
economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities. The
Commission is not required to make
such an analysis if proposed regulations
would not have such an effect.
42. Approximately 193 interstate
natural gas pipelines, both large and
small, are potential respondents subject
to the requirements proposed in this
NOPR. Most of the natural gas pipelines
regulated by the Commission do not fall
within the RFA’s definition of a small
entity,28 which is currently defined for
natural gas pipelines as a company that,
in combination with its affiliates, has
total annual receipts of $41.5 million or
less.29 For the year 2022, only 14
companies not affiliated with larger
companies had annual revenues in
combination with their affiliates of
$41.5 million or less and therefore could
be considered a small entity under the
RFA. This represents about seven
percent of the total universe of potential
respondents that may have a significant
burden imposed on them. We estimate
that the one-time implementation cost
of the proposals in this NOPR is
$2,080,540 (or $10,780 per entity,
25 Reguls. Implementing the Nat’l Envt’l Pol’y Act,
Order No. 486, 52 FR 47897 (Dec. 17, 1987), FERC
Stats. & Regs. Preambles 1986–1990 ¶ 30,783 (1987)
(cross-referenced at 41 FERC ¶ 61,284).
26 See 18 CFR 380.4(a)(2)(ii), 380.4(a)(5),
380.4(a)(27).
27 5 U.S.C. 601–612.
28 See 5 U.S.C. 601(3) citing section 3 of the Small
Business Act (SBA), 15 U.S.C. 623. Section 3 of the
SBA defines a ‘‘small business concern’’ as a
business that is independently owned and operated,
and that is not dominant in its field of operation.
29 13 CFR 121.201 (Subsector 486-Pipeline
Transportation; North American Industry
Classification System code 486210; Pipeline
Transportation of Natural Gas) (2025) ‘‘Annual
Receipts’’ are total income plus cost of goods sold.

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regardless of entity size).30 We do not
consider the estimated $10,780 impact
per entity to be significant. Moreover,
these requirements are designed to
benefit all customers, including small
businesses that must comply with them.
Further, as noted above, incorporation
by reference of consensus standards
helps ensure the reasonableness of the
standards by requiring that the
standards draw support from a broad
spectrum of industry participants
representing all segments of the
industry. Because of that representation
and the fact that industry conducts
business under these standards, the
Commission has found value in
incorporating standards that have the
widest possible support.
43. Accordingly, pursuant to section
605(b) of the RFA,31 the Commission
certifies that the regulations proposed
herein should not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities.
IX. Comment Procedures
44. The Commission invites interested
persons to submit comments on the
matters and issues proposed in this
notice to be incorporated by reference,
including any related matters or
alternative proposals that commenters
may wish to discuss. Comments are due
January 20, 2026. Comments must refer
to Docket No. RM96–1–044, and must
include the commenter’s name, the
organization they represent, if
applicable, and their address in their
comments. All comments will be placed
in the Commission’s public files and
may be viewed, printed, or downloaded
remotely as described in the Document
Availability section below. Commenters
on this proposal are not required to
serve copies of their comments on other
commenters.
45. The Commission encourages
comments to be filed electronically via
the eFiling link on the Commission’s
website at https://www.ferc.gov. The
Commission accepts most standard
word processing formats. Documents
created electronically using word
processing software must be filed in
native applications or print-to-PDF
format and not in a scanned format.
Commenters filing electronically do not
need to make a paper filing.
46. Commenters that are not able to
file comments electronically may file an
original of their comment by USPS mail
or by courier-or other delivery services.
For submission sent via USPS only,
30 This

number is derived by dividing the total
cost figure by the number of respondents.
$2,080,504/193 = $10,780.
31 5 U.S.C. 605(b).

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filings should be mailed to: Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, Office
of the Secretary, 888 First Street NE,
Washington, DC 20426. Submission of
filings other than by USPS should be
delivered to: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue,
Rockville, MD 20852.
X. Document Availability
47. In addition to publishing the full
text of this document in the Federal
Register, the Commission provides all
interested persons an opportunity to
view and/or print the contents of this
document via the internet through the
Commission’s Home Page (https://
www.ferc.gov).
48. From the Commission’s Home
Page on the internet, this information is
available on eLibrary. The full text of
this document is available on eLibrary
in PDF and Microsoft Word format for
viewing, printing, and/or downloading.
To access this document in eLibrary,
type the docket number excluding the
last three digits of this document in the
docket number field.
49. User assistance is available for
eLibrary and the Commission’s website
during normal business hours from
FERC Online Support at 202–502–6652
(toll free at 1–866–208–3676) or email at
[email protected], or the
Public Reference Room; phone (202)
502–8371, TTY (202) 502–8659; email:
[email protected].
XI. Regulatory Planning and Review
50. Executive Orders 12866 and 13563
direct agencies to assess the costs and
benefits of available regulatory
alternatives and, if regulation is
necessary, to select regulatory
approaches that maximize net benefits
(including potential economic,
environmental, public health and safety
effects, distributive impacts, and
equity). Executive Order 13563
emphasizes the importance of
quantifying both costs and benefits, of
reducing costs, of harmonizing rules,
and of promoting flexibility. The Office
of Information and Regulatory Affairs
(OIRA) has determined this regulatory
action is not a ‘‘significant regulatory
action,’’ under section 3(f) of Executive
Order 12866, as amended. Accordingly,
OIRA has not reviewed this regulatory
action for compliance with the
analytical requirements of Executive
Order 12866.
List of Subjects in 18 CFR Part 284
Continental shelf, Incorporation by
reference, Natural gas, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements.

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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 221 / Wednesday, November 19, 2025 / Proposed Rules
By direction of the Commission.
Commissioner Chang is concurring with a
separate statement attached.
Issued: October 16, 2025.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.

In consideration of the foregoing, the
Commission proposes to amend 18 CFR
part 284 as follows.
PART 284—CERTAIN SALES AND
TRANSPORTATION OF NATURAL GAS
UNDER THE NATURAL GAS POLICY
ACT OF 1978 AND RELATED
AUTHORITIES
1. The authority citation for part 284
continues to read as follows:

■

Authority: 15 U.S.C. 717–717z, 3301–
3432; 42 U.S.C. 7101–7352; 43 U.S.C. 1331–
1356.

2. Amend § 284.12 by:
a. Revising paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and
(iv) through (vii); and
■ b. Removing paragraph (a)(1)(viii).
The revisions read as follows:
■
■

§ 284.12 Standards for pipeline business
operations and communications.

(a) * * *
(1) * * *
(i) WGQ Additional Standards
(Version 4.0, September 29, 2023),
adding Standard No. 0.3.30, November
25, 2024;
(ii) * * *
(iii) * * *
(iv) WGQ Invoicing Related Standards
(Version 4.0, September 29, 2023), with
Minor Correction MC24002 applied May
17, 2024;
(v) WGQ Quadrant Electronic
Delivery Mechanism Related Standards
(Version 4.0, September 29, 2023),
revising Standard No. 4.3.23, November
25, 2024;
(vi) WGQ Capacity Release Related
Standards (Version 4.0, September 29,
2023), adding Standard No. 5.3.74,
November 25, 2024; and
(vii) WGQ Cybersecurity Related
Standards (Version 4.0, September 29,
2023).
*
*
*
*
*
United States of America

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Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Standards for Business Practices of
Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines
Docket No. RM96–1–044
(Issued October 16, 2025)
CHANG, Commissioner, concurring:
1. I concur with the Commission’s
order proposing to incorporate the
North American Energy Standards
Board (NAESB) gas-electric
coordination standards into

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Commission-jurisdictional natural gas
tariffs. I applaud NAESB and industry
stakeholders for years of effort to
address critical findings and
recommendations from the Commission
and North American Electricity
Reliability Corporation’s reports
following Winter Storms Uri and Elliott.
I write separately to urge NAESB and
industry stakeholders to continue
working to improve communication
between transportation service
providers (interstate pipelines) and
generators and electricity system
operators and to address outstanding
gas-electric coordination matters.
2. The NAESB standards proposed
here exemplify the type of brick-bybrick incremental improvements needed
to address pressing gas-electric
coordination challenges. However, these
proposed standards alone may not be
enough to fully address the on-going
challenges. More information sharing
will improve situational awareness for
grid operators and power generators,
which would help improve service to
customers, particularly when the
systems are stressed. I therefore
encourage NAESB and industry
stakeholders to continue this work and
further enhance such informationsharing standards, potentially including
providing information related to the
natural gas scheduled by generators that
are not directly connected to interstate
pipelines. I further encourage continued
collaboration between pipelines,
suppliers, natural gas marketers, and
owners of upstream gas gathering
systems to update pipeline operators
and ultimately downstream gas users
and electricity system operators of
changes in system conditions, such as
wellhead freezes, that could affect
natural gas users and consumers.
3. Given the criticality of natural gas
for the electricity sector, combined with
increasingly tight supply and demand
balance, continued improvements in
gas-electric coordination are paramount
for ensuring reliability. In addition to
providing feedback on the NAESB
standards proposed in this NOPR, I urge
stakeholders to provide comments in
this proceeding on areas where
additional improvements on gas-electric
coordination would be valuable,
particularly regarding informationsharing along the chain of entities that
physically control or have financial
rights to natural gas deliveries, starting
at the wellhead and ending at generators
or the gas local distribution companies.
Further, I welcome input from
stakeholders to help inform the
Commission’s next steps as we address
this critical issue.

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52019

With these interests in mind, I
respectfully concur.
lllllllllllllllllll
Judy W. Chang,
Commissioner.
[FR Doc. 2025–20325 Filed 11–18–25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R09–OAR–2025–2833; FRL–13057–
01–R9]

Determination of Attainment by the
Attainment Date but for International
Emissions for the 2015 Ozone National
Ambient Air Quality Standards;
Phoenix-Mesa Nonattainment Area,
Arizona
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:

The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA or ‘‘Agency’’) is proposing
to determine that the Phoenix-Mesa
nonattainment area (‘‘Phoenix-Mesa
area’’) would have attained the 2015
ozone national ambient air quality
standards (NAAQS) by the August 3,
2024 ‘‘Moderate’’ area attainment date,
but for emissions emanating from
outside the United States. If we finalize
this proposed action, the Phoenix-Mesa
area would no longer be subject to the
Clean Air Act (CAA) requirements
pertaining to reclassification upon
failure to attain and therefore would
remain classified as a Moderate
nonattainment area for the 2015 ozone
NAAQS. This action, when finalized,
will fulfill the EPA’s statutory obligation
to determine whether the Phoenix-Mesa
area attained the NAAQS by the
attainment date.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before December 19, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by Docket ID No. EPA–R09–
OAR–2025–2833 at https://
www.regulations.gov. For comments
submitted at Regulations.gov, follow the
online instructions for submitting
comments. Once submitted, comments
cannot be edited or removed from
Regulations.gov. The EPA may publish
any comment received to its public
docket. Do not submit electronically any
information you consider to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI)
or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Multimedia
submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be
accompanied by a written comment.
SUMMARY:

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