Transportation Security Administration officials defended efforts to protect the country’s natural gas pipelines, telling FERC they are adding more staff.

TSA oversight of natural gas pipeline security is hampered by staffing constraints and vague criteria for identifying critical facilities, GAO reported.

FERC received about 2,000 comments on its Notice of Inquiry about how it balances natural gas pipeline project benefits against adverse consequences.

FERC on Thursday approved a rule to improve coordination of the natural gas and electric markets, adopting two gas scheduling changes but declining to move the start of the gas day to 4 a.m. CT from 9 a.m.

Natural gas pipelines will move their nominating schedules later in the day, and PJM will move its Day Ahead schedule forward enhancing gas electric coordination.

FERC moved to improve gas-electric communication by giving gas pipeline operators explicit permission to exchange non-public operational data with PJM.