"FERC: Public Barred From Meeting As Protests Loom"

"The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is barring the public from its monthly meeting today [Thursday] in downtown Washington, D.C., in light of planned climate and anti-fracking protests.

FERC Chairman Norman Bay and Commissioners Tony Clark, Cheryl LaFleur and Colette Honorable agreed yesterday in a unanimous vote that the meeting should be "open to the public via webcast only."

The notice was posted on the agency's website at 6:13 p.m. Credentialed press will still be able to attend, according to FERC.

FERC has ramped up security in recent months to combat disruptions at its monthly meetings by protesters opposed to hydraulic fracturing and the agency's approval of interstate natural gas infrastructure."

Hannah Northey reports for EnergyWire May 19, 2016.