Dec. 15, 2022 – Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) reissued a
permanent Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the Spire STL Pipeline, ensuring continued operation of the natural gas pipeline which delivers a critical source of energy for more than 650,000 homes and businesses in eastern Missouri.
“We are pleased the FERC reached this decision after conducting a thorough review over the last 18
months following the DC Circuit court remand. This is in addition to the Commission’s original review
and approval of the Pipeline’s certificate in 2018 plus three years of strong operational performance,”
said Scott Smith, president of the Spire STL Pipeline. “There was substantial evidence in the record to
confirm that the Pipeline has delivered strong performance, reduced costs and improved natural gas
reliability across the St. Louis region – even during severe weather challenges like Winter Storm Uri in
2021.”
The permanent Certificate was approved by the FERC at today’s agency meeting. This marks the fourth
time the FERC has issued an operational certificate for the Spire STL Pipeline, in each instance
determining the Pipeline is necessary.
"We congratulate Spire and their customers on this latest decision by the FERC to allow the Spire STL Pipeline to continue to serve as a critical source of reliable natural gas for our homes and businesses," said Ray McCarty, president and CEO of Associated Industries of Missouri.
“Customers in the St. Louis area currently have the lowest gas costs across Missouri, with the Spire STL
Pipeline playing a huge role in keeping costs more affordable,” said Scott Carter, Spire Missouri president. “This certificate provides long-term assurance that Missourians will continue having access
to the reliable, affordable energy they need.”
The Pipeline had been operating under a temporary certificate issued by the FERC on Dec. 3, 2021. That certificate allowed the agency to review the project on remand as ordered by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (DC Circuit).
In November 2021, Spire STL Pipeline presented expert reports demonstrating the importance of the
Pipeline for reliability and cost-saving purposes. These reports also illustrated that the continued
operation of this Pipeline would not result in significant adverse environmental or environmental
justice impacts. In October, FERC staff’ issued its final Environmental Impact Statement, agreeing that
environmental and environmental justice impacts from the continued operation of the Pipeline would
be “less than significant.”
Additionally, in May, the Missouri Public Service Commission staff report concluded that Spire
Missouri’s decision to enter a contract with Spire STL Pipeline was prudent.
The new permanent certificate – issued under Section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act – is effective after
Spire STL Pipeline accepts the Certificate order which will be filed with FERC in the coming days.
“We had always believed, once FERC was able to conduct a comprehensive review of the record
evidence, that FERC would ultimately find a critical need to keep this important infrastructure in
service,” said Smith, “We cooperated with the FERC and other stakeholders to ensure they had the
information needed to inform their analysis. We are grateful they have concluded that a critical need for
the Spire STL Pipeline exists, and importantly, we remain committed to fulfilling all our land
restoration obligations. We will continue to work in good faith by being proactive and transparent in
resolving outstanding restoration concerns.”
For more information about the Spire STL Pipeline, visit spireenergy.com/spire-stl-pipeline.