Heathrow has already exceeded the number of passenger flights promised by BAA after the approval of terminal four.
The government's approval of terminal five would inevitably lead to tighter controls on the number of aircraft which can land or take off during the night, and also on the number of passenger flights at the airport.
Nick Raynsford, who held a number of ministerial posts in Labour's first two terms, said: "BAA gave a very clear undertaking that they would not ask for further expansion - and specifically a third runway - if they were granted approval for terminal 5 and of course that has been torn up".
Lawmakers from both parties also support a measure to speed approval of terminals to export liquefied natural gas, another complication as Reid and other Democratic leaders consider when and how to allow a vote on the energy efficiency bill.
Those included the repeal of a provision in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 that had called for phasing out fossil fuels from new and renovated federal buildings by 2030, speeding up approvals of terminals exporting liquefied natural gas, and changes to the regulation of hydropower dams that they say would reduce dam owners' responsibility for any environmental damage.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell of Connecticut has said her state would challenge any approval for the terminal in court.
The report drew immediate criticism from Gov. M. Jodi Rell of Connecticut, who called the conclusions ludicrous and said the state would challenge in court any approval of the terminal.
The report is likely to spur a competitive lobbying campaign for regulatory approval of export terminals.
In Alabama, for instance, Exxon Mobil signaled in late January, after the Skikda explosion, that it would shift its focus to gaining regulatory approval for L.N.G. terminals at two locations in Texas instead of in Mobile Bay in Alabama.
In particular, the court opined that FERC does not have to analyze the extent to which natural gas exports would induce additional natural gas production and the effects of induced production on greenhouse gas emissions as indirect effects of the LNG terminal approvals.
This is understandably worrisome to airport officials because under the provisions of Measure B, approved in 2000, voters must give their approval before the new terminal can be built.
