Under Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA), DOE authorizes imports and exports of natural gas, including LNG and CNG. As needed, these imports and exports must be supported by natural gas commodity pipelines and gasification and liquefaction projects that involve large capital expenditures.

FERC regulates most such projects under sections 3 and 7 of the NGA. But, if the projects are located in deep-water ports, MARAD is the principal regulatory authority. If the projects cross federal lands, BLM at the Department of Interior is the principal regulatory authority. Within the Department of Transportation, PHMSA is responsible for enforcing safety standards on both gas and oil pipelines.