1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Safe and Accountable Federal Energy Review for Pipelines Act of 2017 or the Safer Pipelines Act of 2017 . 2. Approval of new natural gas pipelines Section 7(e) of the Natural Gas Act ( 15 U.S.C. 717f(e) ) is amended— (1) by inserting (1) before Except in the cases ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (2) Before granting a certificate for a proposed pipeline expansion project for which an impacted State or political subdivision or intervener has raised a challenge to the project’s public necessity based upon factors that the Commission is required to consider including FERC Statement of Policy (88 FERC 61,227) modified by 89 FERC 61,040, further clarified by 90 FERC 61,128, the Commission shall— (A) assign the application to an administrative law judge who shall, as appropriate— (i) hold a full trial-type evidentiary hearing on any contested issue of need for the expansion; or (ii) conduct for an evidentiary hearing after conducting limited discovery; and (B) issue a staff report publishing the findings with respect to each factor which includes the data and analyses relied upon in reaching those findings. (3) The Commission shall conduct a cumulative review of major energy infrastructure projects planned throughout the region of the expansion, their purported purpose and need, and their prospective impacts on State and regional energy goals, which shall be updated regularly, but no less than every five years, and that considers— (A) the existence of underutilized or inefficient use of existing pipeline capacity; (B) the effect of approval on existing customers of other pipelines; (C) an analysis of demonstrated regional needs for the additional natural gas, including consideration of the existence of precedent contracts; (D) compatibility with the State’s clean power plan, renewable energy goals, and renewable portfolio standard