BLANKET CERTIFICATE PROGRAM 

NOTICE TO LANDOWNERS 

FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

June 2007 

(updated May 5, 2010)
The Role of the Federal 

Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

The Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission is charged by Congress 

with evaluating whether interstate 

natural gas pipeline projects proposed by 

private companies should be approved. 

The federal government does not 

propose, construct, operate, or own such 

projects. 

The Commission approves the location, 

construction, modification, acquisition, 

operation, and abandonment of interstate 

pipelines, facilities, and storage fields 

involved in moving natural gas across 

state boundaries. Natural gas provides 

nearly a quarter of the nation’s energy 

needs, and the facilities that transport 

this gas to market are vital to the 

nation’s economy. 

Under section 7(c) of the Natural Gas 

Act (NGA), the Commission may issue a 

company a case-specific certificate 

authorizing a particular gas project. The 

Commission also may issue a blanket 

certificate which allows a natural gas 

company to undertake restricted number 

if routine activities provided they 

comply with constraints on costs and 

environmental impacts. 

The blanket certificate program provides 

an administratively efficient means to 

authorize a company to construct, 

modify, acquire, operate, and abandon a 

limited set of natural gas facilities and 

offer a limited set of services. The 

Commission’s regulations regarding the 

blanket certificate program can be found 

in volume 18 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations, Part 157, Subpart F, 

sections 157.201 through 157.218. 

The Blanket Certificate 

Program and 

How to Voice Your Concerns 

about a Planned Project 

Projects that could significantly affect 

rates, services, safety, security, 

competing gas companies or their 

customers, or the environment are not 

eligible for the blanket certificate 

program. For projects with the potential 

for significant impacts, a company must 

file an application for a case-specific 

certificate under section 7(c) of the 

NGA. 

There are two types of blanket certificate 

projects. They include: 

 those that qualify for selfimplementation or automatic 

authorization 

 those that require prior notice to 

the public. 

A company planning an automatic 

authorization project must: 

 notify potentially affected 

landowners at least 45 days in 

advance 

 describe the planned project and, 

 state how a landowner can 

contact the company. 

The notification must include an 

explanation of the Commission’s 

Dispute Resolution Service (DRS)

Helpline procedures and the DRS

Helpline phone number. The 

Commission’s DRS Helpline is 

available in the event a person has 

concerns about a proposed automatic 

FERC’s Blanket Certificate Program 
authorization project that cannot be 

resolved by discussion with the 

company. 

Unless the Commission finds cause to 

object, projects that qualify for blanket 

certificate automatic authorization may 

proceed after the landowner notification 

requirement has been met. While the 

Commission and the public, other than 

the affected landowners, do not receive 

prior notification of planned projects that 

qualify for automatic authorization under 

the blanket certificate program, the 

company must file an annual report that 

identifies all such projects constructed in 

the previous year. 

All other blanket certificate projects are 

subject to prior public notice, whereby a 

company, in addition to providing 

potentially affected landowners with 

advance notice, must also file a 

description of a planned project with the 

Commission. The Commission verifies 

the company’s submission is complete 

assigns an identifying docket number to 

the planned project, and issues a notice 

of the proposal. 

The notice of a planned project can be 

found on the Commission’s website, 

www.ferc.gov, using the “eLibrary” link 

(http://www.ferc.gov/docsfiling/elibrary.asp) and the project’s 

docket number. User assistance is 

available at 1-866-208-3676. 

Use this space to record your project’s 

docket number. 

“eLibrary” 

http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp

1-866-208-3676

Commission’s Dispute Resolution 

Service Helpline 

1-877-337-2237 

ferc.adr@ferc.gov

http://www.ferc.gov/legal/adr/drs.asp Note that in most cases you will not be 

able to view or print copies of maps or 

similar locational information from the 

Commission’s website. However, the 

website will provide instructions for 

obtaining the material. 

A hard copy of the company’s 

description of its planned project can be 

requested from the company or obtained 

for a nominal copying charge from the 

Commission’s Public Reference Room. 

Commission’s Public Reference Room 

202-502-8371

TTY-202-502-8659 

public.referenceroom@ferc.gov

A prior notice project is identified by 

its docket number and a public notice 

of the prior notice project is issued by 

the Commission. The public notice is 

also published in the Federal Register. 

The Commission’s public notice will 

explain how to comment on or object 

to a planned project by filing a protest 

with the Commission. 

Within 60 days of the date the public 

notice was issued (published on the 

Commission's website - eLibrary) any 

person may participate by intervening 

or by protesting a planned project. 

FERC’s Blanket Certificate Program 
Once the 60-day period to protest 

expires, if no protest has been filed, the 

project may proceed. However, if a 

protest is filed by the public or by 

Commission staff, interested persons 

have 30 days to resolve the issues 

raised by the protest. 

If a protest is submitted, and is not 

withdrawn, dismissed, or resolved, the 

planned project will not be authorized 

under the company’s blanket certificate, 

but will instead be treated as if the 

proposed project were presented in an 

application for case-specific certificate 

authorization. 

As an alternative to filing a protest with 

the Commission, you may contact the 

Commission’s DRS Helpline with 

questions or concerns about a specific 

project proposal toll- free at 

877-337-2237 or by Email at 

ferc.adr@ferc.gov.

In addition, each company provides a 

means for resolving affected 

landowners’ complaints. The notice 

describing a proposed project will 

include local and toll-free phone 

numbers and the name of a person 

responsible for responding to landowner 

problems and concerns. 

Rights-of-Way for Natural 

Gas Facilities 

Before a natural gas company can 

construct new facilities, it must obtain a 

right-of-way for the planned project. 

Some projects may be designed to be 

built within a company’s existing rightof-way under the terms of an existing 

easement agreement. To acquire a new easement, a natural gas 

company will negotiate with landowners 

located along the proposed path of a new 

project. Landowners will be 

compensated for signing an easement 

document that gives a company 

permission to make use of their property. 

For the use of either new or existing 

easements landowners may be paid for 

the loss of certain uses of their property 

during and after construction, the loss of 

other resources, and any damage that 

may occur. 

Final grading of pipeline right of way 

Aerial view of completed pipeline right of way 

Eminent Domain 

If the company and a landowner cannot 

reach an agreement, the company may 

acquire an easement under eminent 

domain, which is a right given to the 

company by federal law to use private 

land for Commission-authorized 

projects. A court, either state or federal, 

will determine the compensation that a 

company must provide the landowner 

and specify the terms of the easement. 

Please be aware that some states also 

confer the right of eminent domain on 

utilities operating within that state. 

Although a natural gas company can rely 

on its blanket certificate to undertake an 

unlimited number of projects, each 

FERC’s Blanket Certificate Program 
project requires separate notification, 

and an easement acquired through 

eminent domain applies exclusively to 

one particular project. 

Thus, if a company wishes to install 

additional facilities or alter the location 

of approved facilities, it must obtain 

another easement, either by eminent 

domain or by negotiation with the 

landowner. Similarly, if another utility 

wishes to use an adjacent or overlapping 

easement, it must obtain an easement for 

that purpose, either by eminent domain 

or by negotiation with the landowner. 

Rights-of-way 

A right-of-way for a gas pipeline is 

generally 75 to 100 feet wide during 

construction, with extra space usually 

required at road or stream crossings or 

because of soil conditions. The 

permanent right-of-way is usually about 

50 feet wide. Pipelines are typically 

placed three feet below ground and must 

be at least a foot from any underground 

structure. Companies usually want their 

pipelines to be 25 feet from another 

pipeline. 

If space permits, pipelines can be located 

in another utility’s right-of-way. 

Routine mowing or cutting of vegetation 

along a right-of-way is done no more 

than once every three years. A 10-footwide corridor, centered over the 

pipeline, may be mowed or cut annually. 

In cropland and residential areas the 

right-of-way is maintained by the 

landowner, consistent with all applicable 

restrictions. The landowner pays taxes 

on the right-of-way, unless a local taxing 

authority grants relief. 

Compressor Stations 

The land needed for a compressor station 

is typically purchased from the 

landowner, rather than obtained by an 

easement through negotiation or the 

exercise of the right of eminent domain. 

From 10 to 40 acres, of which about five 

acres are actually used for construction, 

may be needed to maintain an adequate 

buffer for noise. 

Compressor station building 

Storage Fields 

Storage of natural gas in underground 

geologic formations of porous rock such 

as depleted oil or gas reservoirs sealed 

with impermeable cap rock, or in manmade or natural underground caverns, 

is a proven reliable means to make 

natural gas available to meet market 

demand. 

A storage field could encompass many 

hundreds or even thousands of acres, 

depending on the geologic structure. 

Storage fields also frequently include a 

buffer zone or protection area forming a 

halo of some hundreds of acres 

surrounding the storage field itself. The 

land needed for facilities to operate the 

field would be acquired in the same 

manner as for pipelines and compressor 

stations, using both easements and 

purchase agreements. 

A Natural Gas Company’s 

Access to Landowners’ 

Property 

For a blanket certificate project that 

qualifies for automatic authorization, 

after the 45-day-landowner-notification 

FERC’s Blanket Certificate Program 
period ends, the company sponsoring the 

project can proceed with construction as 

soon as it has obtained an easement and 

all necessary permits. For a blanket 

certificate project subject to prior public 

notice, the company sponsoring the 

project can proceed with construction as 

soon as it has obtained an easement and 

all necessary permits after the 60-daynotice period ends, provided there are no 

outstanding protests. Unless the 

Commission specifically orders 

otherwise, the location, installation, and 

operation of the natural gas facilities 

must comply with local, county, and 

state laws and zoning ordinances. 

In general, for a new natural gas pipeline 

project, the construction process is as 

follows: 

1. After an easement/survey 

agreement is reached or a court 

order is obtained, a company 

may come onto private 

property to conduct civil and 

environmental surveys. 

2. Prior to a landowner’s 

providing permission or a 

company obtaining a court 

order, state or local trespass 

laws govern a company’s 

access to private property. 

Some states have laws that 

allow a company access to land 

for survey purposes. 

Procedures vary by state. 

3. Once an easement/survey 

agreement is signed or court 

order is obtained, the company 

may come onto your land to 

construct authorized natural gas 

facilities. Usually the company 

will notify you in advance. 

These landowner notification procedures 

may be waived for emergency activities 

to respond to a sudden, unexpected loss 

of service, and do not apply if a 

company needs to take unanticipated 

action to fulfill certain safety or 

environmental requirements. 

In addition, the landowner notification 

requirements do not apply to routine 

maintenance and replacement projects 

that take place entirely within the 

existing right-of-way, abandonment by 

sale or transfer, changes in operational 

air or noise emissions and activities that 

affect only a single landowner. 

Construction 

Markers identifying the construction 

right-of-way will be installed to guide a 

clearing crew. The clearing crew will 

remove any trees or brush within the 

right-of-way that could interfere with 

construction. Temporary erosion control 

devices will be installed as needed. 

Next, the right-of-way will be graded, 

with topsoil separated from subsoil in 

agricultural/residential areas (or in other 

areas requested during the easement 

negotiations). For installation of a gas 

pipeline, heavy equipment, such as 

backhoes or trenching machines, will dig 

a trench. In areas where bedrock is near 

the surface, blasting may be required. 

The pipe will be delivered to the rightof-way in segments. 

Lowering pipe in trench 

FERC’s Blanket Certificate Program 
Depending on circumstances, the trench 

will be dug well within or along the edge 

of the right-of-way. The pipe will be 

bent to fit the trench and welded 

together, with all welds tested prior to 

placing the pipe in the trench. The 

trench will be backfilled, and topsoil will 

be returned. Construction debris will be 

removed. The right-of-way will be 

regraded and seeded and erosion control 

devices installed. After the right-of-way 

has been revegetated, the temporary 

erosion control devices will be removed. 

Prior to gas flowing, the pipeline will be 

pressure-tested (normally with water) to 

make sure it does not leak. 

Dewatering pipeline trench 

For pipelines, trees with roots that may 

cause damage, and obstructions that 

prevent observation of the right-of-way 

from aircraft, are usually not allowed. 

Driveways and other improvements 

without foundations are normally 

allowed. All improvements are subject 

to the terms of the easement and are 

subject to negotiation as long as the 

maintenance and safety of the natural 

gas facilities are not affected. 

For a compressor station, the site is 

usually owned by the company. If you 

own property adjacent to the site, you 

may build on it. 

For an underground storage field, a 

landowner may generally build 

anywhere on the surface where there are 

no gas facilities. A company will 

construct wells to inject and withdraw 

stored natural gas and to monitor field 

conditions. These wells require a 

surface site of roughly an acre for 

drilling and less than one tenth of an acre 

for permanent wellhead piping and other 

facilities. 

If the company will not be installing 

surface facilities on your property, then 

it will only need the storage rights to the 

geologic formation in which the gas is to 

be stored. This also is the case for any 

property within any designated “buffer 

zone” or “protective area” around the 

actual storage field. If you or someone 

else wishes to drill wells that would 

penetrate the storage formation, you 

must coordinate that activity with the 

company, and usually the state authority 

that regulates well drilling. 

Environmental Issues 

Before a natural gas company can 

proceed with a project under blanket 

certificate authority, it must demonstrate 

compliance with environmental 

requirements to ensure the project will 

not have a significant adverse effect on 

the quality of the human environment. 

For example, endangered species and 

cultural resources must be protected 

from the impacts of construction and this 

could affect the location of the pipeline 

or other facilities. Similarly, impacts on 

wetlands should be avoided or 

minimized. Companies are required to 

have an environmental inspector file a 

report with the Commission during each 

week of construction that describes a 

project’s adherence to plans and 

procedures put in place to minimize 

adverse environmental impacts. 

FERC’s Blanket Certificate Program 
Abandonment The Office of Pipeline Safety at DOT 

can be contacted at 202-366-4595 or at 

If a pipeline is abandoned, the http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/comm.

Commission will consider whether there 

are environmental or other conditions 

that should determine the disposition of 

the pipeline. If the Commission finds 

there are no such issues, the easement 

agreement which you or previous 

landowners signed may stipulate 

whether the buried pipeline is to be 

removed. You may also come to some 

agreement with the company on what 

they will do with the pipeline. The 

Commission typically requires that all 

abandoned above-ground facilities be 

removed. 

Additional Information 

Federal Energy 

Regulatory Commission

Office of External Affairs

888 First Street NE 

Washington, DC 20426 

Local: 202-502-6088 

Toll Free: 1-866-208-3372 

TTY: 202-502-8659 

Email: customer@ferc.gov 

Web: www.ferc.gov 

Dispute Resolution 

Service Helpline 

Toll Free: 1-877-337-2237 

Email: ferc.adr@ferc.gov

Safety Issues 

While the Commission has oversight 

responsibility to ensure that natural gas 

facilities are safely constructed and 

installed, once the new facilities go into 

service, the U.S. Department of 

Transportation (DOT) takes over the 

responsibility for ensuring the safe 

operation for the lifetime of the 

The Office of Pipeline Safety at 

DOT

202-366-4595

http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/comm

facilities. DOT also is responsible for 

setting the federal safety standards for 

natural gas facilities as well as other 

types of energy facilities. 

Natural gas is odorless. An odorant, 

which smells like rotten eggs, is 

generally added for quick leak detection 

in more populated areas on interstate 

transmission pipelines and in local 

distribution pipelines in accordance with 

DOT safety regulations. Accidents are 

rare and usually result from outside 

forces or unauthorized action by 

someone other than the natural gas 

company. DOT enforces strict safety 

standards and requires safety checks. 

FERC’s Blanket Certificate Program 
Related FERC Documents 

(available via the Commission’s website at www.ferc.gov)

 Guidance Manual for Environmental Report Preparation [PDF] 

 Guidelines for Reporting On Cultural Resources Investigations [PDF] 

 Upland Erosion Control, Revegetation and Maintenance Plan [PDF] 

 Wetland and Waterbody Construction and Mitigation Procedures [PDF] 

 Your Guide to Electronic Information at FERC [PDF] 

 An Interstate Natural Gas Facility on my Land? [PDF] 

 A Guide to LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) - What All Citizens Should Know 

[PDF] 

FERC’s Blanket Certificate Program 

9 of 11 
Glossary of Terms 

(the following is a selection from a more extensive glossary available from the DOT, 

Office of Pipeline Safety at http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/comm/Index.htm)

Compressor Stations 

Compressor Stations are facilities located along a natural gas pipeline that house 

and protect compressors. Compressors are used to compress (or pump) the gas to 

move it through the system. Compressor stations are strategically placed along 

the pipeline to boost the system pressure to maintain required flow rates. 

Easement 

An easement is an acquired privilege or right, such as a right-of-way, afforded a 

person or company to make limited use of another person's or company's real 

property. For example, the municipal water company may have an easement 

across your property for the purpose of installing and maintaining a water line. 

Similarly, natural gas pipeline companies acquire easements from property 

owners to establish rights-of-way for construction and operation of their pipelines. 

Lateral 

A lateral is a segment of a pipeline that branches off of the main or transmission 

line to transport the product to a termination point, such as a tank farm or a 

metering station. 

Launcher 

A launcher is a pipeline component that is used for inserting an inline inspection 

tool, cleaning pig, or other device into a pressurized pipeline. After performing 

its task, the tool or pig is removed via receiver. 

Loop 

A loop is a segment of pipeline installed adjacent to an existing pipeline and 

connected to it at both ends. A loop allows more gas to be moved through the 

system. 

Metering and Regulating (M&R) Stations 

Metering and regulating stations are installations containing equipment to 

measure the amount of gas entering or leaving a pipeline system and, sometimes, 

to regulate gas pressure. 

FERC’s Blanket Certificate Program 
Pig 

A pig, also known as a “smart” pig, is a generic term signifying any independent, 

self-contained device, tool, or vehicle that is inserted into and moves through the 

interior of a pipeline for inspecting, dimensioning, or cleaning. These tools are 

commonly referred to as 'pigs' because of the occasional squealing noises that can 

be heard as they travel through the pipe. 

Receiver 

A pipeline component used for removing an inline inspection tool, cleaning pig, 

or other device from a pressurized pipeline. The device is inserted into the 

pipeline via a launcher. 

Right-of-Way (ROW) 

A right-of-way is a defined strip of land on which an operator has the rights to 

construct, operate, and/or maintain a pipeline. A ROW may be owned outright by 

the operator or an easement may be acquired for specific use of the ROW. 

Trench 

A trench is a long narrow ditch dug into the ground and embanked with its own 

soil and used for concealment and protection of line pipe. Trenches are usually 

dug by a backhoe or by a specialized digging machine. 

Valve 

A valve is a mechanical device installed in a pipeline and used to control the flow 

of gas or liquid. 

FERC’s Blanket Certificate Program