ST. LOUIS — The president of Spire Missouri is again cautioning customers to be prepared for possible natural gas outages this winter if an extension to operate the STL Pipeline isn’t approved.
Scott Carter said the utility company has been working to get a certificate to continue operating its 65-mile long natural gas pipeline. This week, the company’s CEO and lawyer went to Washington, D.C. to talk to lawmakers about the impact the shutdown could have on the St. Louis area, Carter said.
“We feel that the comprehensive data submitted to the [Federal Energy Regulatory Commission] has more than adequately demonstrated the need to keep the STL Pipeline in service this winter,” Carter said in an emailed news release Friday morning. “The St. Louis region has a safe, established, high-performance pipeline that’s been bringing reliable and affordable natural gas to our community since 2019.”
Environmental groups have said the Spire STL Pipeline is unnecessary, and a three-judge panel with the US Court of Appeals voted to shut down production, but the FERC granted emergency authorization to keep production pumping until Dec. 13.
After that date, without an extension, upwards of 400,000 homes and businesses could be left without a reliable heat source this winter.
“We don’t want to alarm customers, but we want to be transparent with everyone about the energy they rely on,” said Carter. “Customers need to know that without the STL Pipeline in service during winter weather, the possibility of service disruptions and outages throughout the St. Louis area is very real.”
Spire Missouri officials have said they’ve been working to secure alternative, emergency supply options, and that they’ve been coordinating with emergency management agencies, lawmakers and municipalities in the area should the pipeline be shuttered.
To conserve resources, Spire said residents might be asked to turn down their thermostats and cut back on using natural gas appliances. Some large businesses might have to limit their overall natural gas use.
Even with these measures in place, if the pipeline is forced to close this winter, Spire said outages could still happen.
“Losing the STL Pipeline would have a detrimental impact on the health and safety, property and economic prosperity of the St. Louis region,” said Carter.
St. Louis area businesses have put their concerns in writing, sending a letter to FERC. Among them: Anheuser-Busch.
In a letter to FERC, Anheuser-Busch Senior General Manager Jim Bicklein said, “St. Louis is home to our oldest and largest brewery, and it relies on natural gas for brewing. Further, more than 30% of our shipments from the St. Louis brewery to our wholesalers is via trucks that use compressed natural gas (CNG). If the STL Pipeline were to be shut off, our brewery operations would be impacted and the station we use near the brewery would be impacted and the station we use near the brewery would also be shut off, severely curtailing our fleet. This, in turn, would cause a ripple effect throughout our broader industry. With the potential limitation and outages extending beyond our own operations to other businesses, negative economic consequences for the entire St. Louis region are inevitable.”
The STL Pipeline has drawn bipartisan support from Sen. Roy Blunt and Mayor Tishaura Jones. As it stands, the STL Pipeline must cease production on Dec. 13.