Updated Dec. 3 with federal order temporarily extending pipeline operation
Federal regulators will allow the Spire STL Pipeline to continue operating through the winter.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which oversees the transmission and sale of natural gas and electricity in the U.S., announced Friday that it had temporarily extended the operating certificate for the pipeline.
Original story from Nov. 11:
A federal commission will meet next week to consider whether to allow Spire to continue operating a natural gas pipeline in Missouri and Illinois this winter.
The 65-mile Spire STL Pipeline, which connects facilities in St. Louis County to a national network in Illinois, is currently operating under an emergency order until Dec. 13. Spire Missouri has faced sharp criticism from elected officials and advocates after the St. Louis-based utility last week, warning that up to 400,000 homes and businesses could face gas shortages this winter if the emergency order isn鈥檛 extended.
鈥淲ithout the STL Pipeline in place,鈥� the email said in part, 鈥測ou may be asked to conserve energy by turning down the thermostat in your home or business and reducing use of your natural gas appliances (fireplace, oven or another appliance).鈥�
A dozen St. Louis officials filed an official comment with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday, referring to Spire鈥檚 email as 鈥渢he very worst type of fear-mongering.鈥�
The utility鈥檚 actions were 鈥渞eckless鈥� and have caused unnecessary anxiety among residents, 6th Ward Alderwoman Christine Ingrassia said during a press conference the same day.
鈥淐ommunicating with customers and residents is one thing, but what they did completely overstepped the line,鈥� said Ingrassia, who co-signed the
The risk of gas shortages this winter is slim, Ingrassia said, and 鈥淪pire needs to make sure that their customers know.鈥�
For Jesse Irwin, owner of the local heating and cooling company Carondelet Mechanical, Spire鈥檚 email led to a full inbox for his business, with Irwin receiving multiple inquiries from residents eager to move away from gas as an energy source. But right now, Irwin can鈥檛 help a lot of them actually make the switch to electric heat.
鈥淭he problem is, we鈥檙e in an equipment shortage,鈥� Irwin told St. Louis on the Air. 鈥淎nd we鈥檝e been having a hard time getting electric air handlers all year, especially [in] small sizes. 鈥� So there鈥檚 really nothing to switch over to. There鈥檚 also a propane shortage going on. So [Spire鈥檚 email] seems to have agitated my customer base.鈥�
Spire officials maintain the company is working to highlight the importance of the pipeline and prepare customers in case it shuts down.
鈥淭he idea was never to raise concern,鈥� Spire Missouri President Scott Carter said at a press conference Thursday, surrounded by dozens of uniformed employees. 鈥淲e want to make sure our customers stay informed.鈥�
Though the pipeline has been in the spotlight in recent days, legal challenges surrounding its operation have been in motion for months. In June, a three-judge panel of a federal appeals court that FERC had improperly approved construction of the pipeline in 2018 and failed to demonstrate a need for it.
FERC鈥檚 approval of the project "looked to outsiders like it might be a little bit self-dealing [by Spire], and so what happened is an outside group, the Environmental Defense Fund, they decided to push back on this,鈥� said Lea Kosnik, a University of Missouri-St. Louis economics professor. 鈥淭hey sought a review of the pipeline鈥檚 approval 鈥� and they took it to court.鈥�
Kosnik, whose research interests include energy, regulatory and environmental economics, said she thinks 鈥渆ven the Environmental Defense Fund was like, 鈥榃ow, we won that.鈥欌��
鈥淭his court case was an opening to really get [FERC] to think about how they approve these pipelines,鈥� she told host Sarah Fenske on Thursday鈥檚 show.
FERC has extended its approval so far to allow the STL Pipeline to operate until Dec. 13. Spire is hopeful the commission will extend that further at its meeting next week, but utility officials say there's no guarantee. "There is no certainty past Dec. 13 that this pipeline will continue to operate," said Sean Jamieson, general counsel for the STL Pipeline, during Thursday's press conference.
Still, Kosnik said she doesn鈥檛 think St. Louisans should worry too much about the pipeline actually closing, especially since the Environmental Defense Fund has also pushed for an extension of operations through the winter. She does see rising energy prices and higher energy bills as a potential concern.
In the meantime, Irwin said, electric solutions just don鈥檛 make sense in a lot of cases 鈥� particularly in St. Louis.
鈥淓lectric heat is really good in small spaces, [but] we have a lot of brick structures in this city,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e huge, and they鈥檙e hard to heat 鈥� they require a lot of BTUs. And gas is the solution [in those cases]. It鈥檚 the way to go.鈥�
Irwin said the best tip he has for individual households right now is to make sure furnaces remain in working order this winter 鈥� by changing their furnace filter.
鈥淵ou really don鈥檛 want your equipment to break down right now,鈥� he explained. 鈥淭his is the worst possible time to have to replace equipment or do repairs, and you can avoid so many of those things simply by changing your furnace filter to an inexpensive furnace filter 鈥� you don鈥檛 want a very expensive hypoallergenic furnace filter for most applications. You just want to get a normal pleated filter that allows you to have some air flow.鈥�
Regionally, Kosnik added, the Spire situation is a good reminder of the importance of ensuring a mix of energy sources for any given community. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want to just rely on coal or oil or natural gas or one pipeline, for example,鈥� she said.
As to Spire鈥檚 worrisome Nov. 4 email to consumers, Kosnik said that 鈥渉istorically, industry usually tends to overreact when they get new, surprising regulations.鈥�
鈥淎nd so industry usually in the moment sort of says, 鈥極h, my God, this is gonna be really expensive 鈥� consumer bills are gonna go up, we鈥檙e gonna have to shut down, we鈥檙e gonna go out of business.鈥� 鈥� Industry always says this is going to be ruinous,鈥� the professor said. 鈥淎nd then you know what, they figure out how to deal with it.鈥�
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Kate Grumke contributed to this report.
