[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 12 (Tuesday, January 20, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2697-2700]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-00733]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF14-23-000]


Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Planned Leach Xpress Project, 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public 
Scoping Meetings

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that 
will discuss the environmental impacts of the Leach XPress Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities by Columbia Gas 
Transmission, LLC (Columbia Gas) in Marshall and Wayne Counties, West 
Virginia and Fairfield, Vinton, Lawrence, Noble, Jackson and Hocking 
Counties, Ohio. The Commission will use this EIS in its decision-making 
process to determine whether the project is in the public convenience 
and necessity.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the 
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested 
agencies on the project. Your input will help the Commission staff 
determine what issues they need to evaluate in the EIS. Please note 
that the scoping period will close on February 12, 2015. However, this 
is not your only public input opportunity; please refer to the Review 
Process flow chart in appendix 1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in 
the Federal Register. Copies of the appendices were sent to all 
those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at 
www.ferc.gov using the link called ``eLibrary'' or from the 
Commission's Public Reference Room, 888 First Street NE., 
Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 502-8371. For instructions on 
connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice.
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    You may submit comments in written form or verbally. Further 
details on how to submit written comments are in the Public 
Participation section of this notice. In lieu of or in addition to 
sending written comments, the Commission invites you to attend the 
public scoping meetings scheduled as follows:

 
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             Date and time                       Meeting Location
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Tuesday, January 27, 2015, 6:30 p.m.     Grand Vue Park (Banquet Hall),
 EST.                                     250 Trail Drive, Moundsville,
                                          WV 26041.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015, 6:30 p.m.   Noble County Community Center,
 EST.                                     Noble County Fairgrounds,
                                          (Fairground Road), Caldwell,
                                          OH 43724.
Thursday, January 29, 2015, 6:30 p.m.    Oak Hill Elementary School, 401
 EST.                                     East Evans Street, Oak Hill,
                                          OH 45656.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015, 6:30 p.m.     Lee's Banquet Haus, 580 Radio
 EST.                                     Lane, Logan, OH 43138.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015, 6:30 p.m.   Huntington High School, 1
 EST.                                     Highlander Way, Huntington, WV
                                          25701.
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    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for this project. State and local government 
representatives should notify their constituents of this planned 
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
    The purpose of these scoping meetings is to provide the public an 
opportunity to learn more about the Commission's environmental review 
process, and to verbally comment on the Project. Each scoping meeting 
will start at 6:30 p.m. and representatives from Columbia Gas will be 
present one hour prior to the start of each scoping meeting to answer 
questions about the Project. Affected landowners and other interested 
parties are encouraged to attend the scoping meetings and to give their 
comments on the issues they believe should be addressed in the EIS. A 
transcript of each meeting will be added to the Commission's 
administrative record to ensure that your comments are accurately 
recorded.
    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a pipeline company 
representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to 
construct, operate, and maintain the planned facilities. The company 
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if 
the Commission approves the project, that approval conveys with it the 
right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to 
produce an agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation 
proceedings where compensation would be determined in accordance with 
state law.
    The ``For Citizens'' section of the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov) 
provides

[[Page 2698]]

more information about the FERC and the environmental review process. 
This section also includes information about getting involved in FERC 
jurisdictional projects, and a citizens' guide entitled ``An Interstate 
Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need to Know?'' This guide 
addresses a number of frequently asked questions, including the use of 
eminent domain and how to participate in the Commission's proceedings.

Summary of the Planned Project

    Columbia Gas plans to construct approximately 161 miles of new 
natural gas pipeline in West Virginia and Ohio; two new compressor 
stations in Ohio and one new compressor station in West Virginia; and 
four new regulator stations in Ohio; and modify two existing compressor 
stations in West Virginia and Ohio as well as one existing regulator 
station in Ohio. The Leach XPress Project would provide about 1.5 
million dekatherms of natural gas per day of firm transportation 
service to natural gas consumers served by the Columbia Gas and 
Columbia Gulf pipeline systems. According to Columbia Gas, its project 
would provide shippers outlets from constrained supply basins and 
access to higher value markets.
    The Leach XPress Project would consist of the following facilities:
     LEX Pipeline--130 miles of new 36-inch-diameter pipeline 
in Marshall County, West Virginia and Fairfield, Hocking, Monroe, 
Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, and Perry Counties, Ohio;
     R-801 Loop--27 miles of new 36-inch-diameter pipeline loop 
in Fairfield, Hocking, and Vinton Counties, Ohio; \2\
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    \2\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed parallel to 
an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
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     BM-111 Loop--2.9 miles of new 36-inch-diameter pipeline 
loop from Lawrence County, Ohio to Wayne County, West Virginia;
     LEX1 Pipeline--0.6 miles of new 30-inch-diameter pipeline 
in Fairfield County, Ohio;
     three new compressor stations, designated as the Lone Oak, 
Summerfield, and Oak Hill Compressor Stations to be located in Marshall 
County, West Virginia, and Noble and Jackson Counties, Ohio, 
respectively;
     four new regulator stations in Hocking and Vinton 
Counties, Ohio, respectively;
     modifications to the existing Ceredo and Crawford 
Compressor Stations in Wayne County, West Virginia and Fairfield 
County, Ohio, respectively;
     modifications to the existing RS-1286 regular station in 
Vinton County, Ohio; and
     abandonment in-place of 28 miles of the 20-inch-diameter 
R-501 Pipeline in Fairfield, Hocking, and Vinton Counties, Ohio.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
2.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the planned facilities would disturb about 2,534 
acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipelines. 
Following construction, Columbia Gas would maintain about 1,008 acres 
for permanent operation of the project's aboveground facilities and 
permanent pipeline easements; the remaining acreage would be restored 
and revert to former uses. About 48 percent of the planned pipeline 
routes parallels existing pipeline, utility, or road rights-of-way.

The EIS Process

    The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the 
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could 
result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of a 
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us 
\3\ to discover and address concerns the public may have about 
proposals. This process is referred to as scoping. The main goal of the 
scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EIS on the important 
environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public 
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EIS. We will 
consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EIS.
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    \3\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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    In the EIS we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the planned project under these 
general headings:
     Geology
     soils;
     water resources, including surface water and groundwater
     wetlands;
     vegetation and wildlife;
     fisheries and aquatic resources;
     threatened, endangered, and other special status species;
     land use, recreation, special interest areas, and visual 
resources;
     socioeconomics;
     cultural resources;
     air quality and noise;
     public safety and reliability; and
     cumulative environmental impacts.
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the planned project 
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen 
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    Although no formal application has been filed, we have already 
initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing process. 
The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early involvement 
of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before 
the FERC receives an application. As part of our pre-filing review, we 
participated in public Open Houses meetings sponsored by Columbia Gas 
in the project area in November 2014 to explain the environmental 
review process to interested stakeholder. We have also begun to contact 
some federal and state agencies to discuss their involvement in the 
scoping process and the preparation of the EIS.
    The EIS will present our independent analysis of the issues. We 
will publish and distribute the draft EIS for public comment. After the 
comment period, we will consider all timely comments and revise the 
document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS. To ensure we have 
the opportunity to consider and address your comments, please carefully 
follow the instructions in the Public Participation section beginning 
on page 7.
    With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law 
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues 
related to this project to formally cooperate with us in the 
preparation of the EIS.\4\ Agencies that would like to request 
cooperating agency status should follow the instructions for filing 
comments provided under the Public Participation section of this 
notice. Currently, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has 
expressed its intention to participate as a cooperating agency in the 
preparation of the EIS to satisfy its NEPA responsibilities related to 
this project.
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    \4\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing 
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
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Consultations Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act

    In accordance with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's 
implementing regulations for section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act, we are using this notice to initiate consultation 
with the applicable State Historic Preservation Office(s), and to 
solicit their views and those of other government agencies, interested 
Indian tribes, and the public on the project's potential effects on

[[Page 2699]]

historic properties.\5\ We will define the project-specific Area of 
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO(s) as the project 
develops. On natural gas facility projects, the APE at a minimum 
encompasses all areas subject to ground disturbance (examples include 
construction right-of-way, contractor/pipe storage yards, compressor 
stations, and access roads). Our EIS for this project will document our 
findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize the status 
of consultations under section 106.
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    \5\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation regulations 
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Those 
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or 
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in 
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic 
Places.
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Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the planned facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Columbia Gas. This 
preliminary list of issues may change based on your comments and our 
analysis. Issues identified include:
     Geology--effects as a result of blasting to remove 
existing surface and subsurface bedrock during Project construction;
     soils--effects on soil stability during and after project 
construction;
     land use--effects on residential areas and agricultural 
lands during construction and operation of Project facilities including 
public safety;
     water resources--effects on wetlands and waterbodies;
     Mississippi River crossing in two locations, as well as 
Muskingum River;
     biological resources--effect on threatened and endangered 
species occurring within or adjacent to the Project right-of-way;
     cultural--effects on archeological sites and historic 
resources;
     socioeconomic and transportation--effects of increased 
workforce and impacts to local population; and
     air quality and noise--effect on local air quality and 
noise environment from construction and operation and maintenance of 
Project facilities.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. Your comments should focus on 
the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and 
measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. The more specific 
your comments, the more useful they will be. To ensure that your 
comments are timely and properly recorded, please send your comments so 
that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before 
February 12, 2015.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the 
project docket number (PF14-23-000) with your submission. The 
Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert 
staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or [email protected].
    (1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment 
feature located on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the 
link to Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for interested 
persons to submit brief, text-only comments on a project;
    (2) You can file your comments electronically using the eFiling 
feature located on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the 
link to Documents and Filings. With eFiling, you can provide comments 
in a variety of formats by attaching them as a file with your 
submission. New eFiling users must first create an account by clicking 
on ``eRegister.'' You must select the type of filing you are making. If 
you are filing a comment on a particular project, please select 
``Comment on a Filing''; or
    (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to 
the following address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 
20426.

Environmental Mailing List

    The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local 
government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other 
interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. This list also 
includes all affected landowners (as defined in the Commission's 
regulations) who are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property 
may be used temporarily for project purposes, or who own homes within 
certain distances of aboveground facilities, and anyone who submits 
comments on the project. We will update the environmental mailing list 
as the analysis proceeds to ensure that we send the information related 
to this environmental review to all individuals, organizations, and 
government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the 
planned project.
    Copies of the completed draft EIS will be sent to the environmental 
mailing list for public review and comment. If you would prefer to 
receive a paper copy of the document instead of the CD version or would 
like to remove your name from the mailing list, please return the 
attached Information Request (appendix 2).

Becoming an Intervenor

    Once Columbia Gas files its application with the Commission, you 
may want to become an ``intervenor'' which is an official party to the 
Commission's proceeding. Intervenors play a more formal role in the 
process and are able to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be heard 
by the courts if they choose to appeal the Commission's final ruling. 
An intervenor formally participates in the proceeding by filing a 
request to intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are in 
the User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web 
site. Please note that the Commission will not accept requests for 
intervenor status at this time. You must wait until the Commission 
receives a formal application for the project.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the 
FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on the 
eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket number, 
excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field (i.e., PF14-
23). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For 
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or toll free at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY, 
contact (202) 502-8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the 
texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, 
notices, and rulemakings.
    In addition, the Commission offers a free service called 
eSubscription which allows you to keep track of all formal issuances 
and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time 
you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with 
notification of these filings, document summaries, and direct links to 
the documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp. Public 
meetings or site visits will be posted on the Commission's calendar 
located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/

[[Page 2700]]

EventsList.aspx along with other related information.
    Finally, Columbia Gas has established a toll-free phone number (1-
888-499-3450) and an email support address ([email protected]) so 
that parties can contact it directly with questions about the Project. 
Columbia Gas has also established a Project Web site (https://www.columbiapipelinegroup.com/current-projects/leach-xpress-project) 
where additional information on the Project is available.

    Dated: January 13, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-00733 Filed 1-16-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P