FERC expects minimal impact to operations after four workers test positive

Washington — After four of its contract workers tested positive for coronavirus, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission shut its headquarters building to workers until further notice and said it would delay the processing of hard-copy filings for at least two weeks.

The impact on operations is "extremely minimal" as FERC continued to function remotely and the vast majority of FERC employees and contractors have been teleworking since March 16, the commission said Friday in a statement.

CHATTERJEE STATUS

Chairman Neil Chatterjee was last in the building 13 days ago but did not interact with any other personnel while there, commission spokeswoman Mary O'Driscoll said Monday.

An email to FERC staff Friday advised that any personnel that had been in the headquarters building since April 24 should refrain from entering FERC buildings, and strongly advised those who fell into that category to quarantine according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and monitor for symptoms of coronavirus for 14 days.

Chatterjee is "following these protocols consistent with the guidance," O'Driscoll said. "He feels fine and has shown no symptoms."

In a notice Friday, FERC said it is "temporarily delaying the processing" of all permitted hard-copy submissions mailed or delivered to its headquarters in Washington, and encouraged the public to submit comments or filings electronically. The delay in processing would remain in effect for 14 days from the date of notice issuance "and may be renewed at the conclusion of this period, the commission said.

FERC did not specify whether any comment deadlines in pending cases would be extended. "If there are further adjustments to be made, we will announce it at that time," O'Driscoll said.

Workers who tested positive included several contract cleaning workers, as well as a security officer.

Chatterjee tweeted news of the four affected workers Friday, and highlighted further steps the commission is taking related to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

"I join the @FERC family in sharing that we're all deeply saddened by the news. These valued members of the community have been working diligently throughout the pandemic," he said.

He has directed staff to plan a technical conference on the long-term impact of coronavirus on the energy industry, he said. The commission has not yet offered more detail on topics to be discussed, although in a recent Atlantic Council interview Chatterjee described a need to turn attention to grid reliability challenges that could arise, particularly if shifting dispatch patterns threaten the viability of some generating resources.

"As we emerge & recover from this #pandemic, we must ensure Americans continue to have access to reliable, affordable energy," Chatterjee said on Twitter.

ADDED FLEXIBILITY

FERC also continued to offer flexibility to portions of the energy industry that might face challenges meeting regulatory requirements amid the pandemic and market tumult.

This time targeting oil pipelines, FERC offered to act quickly on waiver and tariff requests and consider flexibility for oil pipelines seeking to alter routes, reconfigure existing systems to change flows to enable access to storage or allow temporary interstate shipments.

Chatterjee earlier this spring extended further regulatory relief to the power and natural gas sectors by relaxing filing deadlines, waiving in-person meeting and notarization requirements, and putting off some in-person enforcement activities.

On Friday, FERC agreed to future waive until September 1 requirements that certain filings be notarized or supported by sworn declarations.

Amid its efforts to be flexible to the energy sector, FERC has also received pushback in its pipeline dockets from some members of the public seeking more time to comment or a moratorium on new natural gas project approvals, construction, or service starts.