[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 113 (Tuesday, June 12, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27320-27322]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12598]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP18-186-000]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the 
Proposed Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC Southeastern Trail 
Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of 
Public Scoping Sessions

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the environmental impacts of the Southeastern Trail Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities by Transcontinental 
Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC (Transco) across Virginia, South Carolina, 
Georgia, and Louisiana. The Commission will use this EA 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. 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. 
Your input will help the Commission staff determine what issues they 
need to evaluate in the EA. 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 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight 
Time on July 2, 2018.
    If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the 
opening of this docket on April 11, 2018, you will need to file those 
comments in Docket No. CP18-186-000 to ensure they are considered as 
part of this proceeding.
    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 proposed 
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
    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 proposed 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.
    Transco provided landowners with a fact sheet prepared by the FERC 
entitled ``An Interstate Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I 
Need To Know?'' This fact sheet addresses a number of typically asked 
questions, including the use of eminent domain and how to participate 
in the Commission's proceedings. It is also available for viewing on 
the FERC website (www.ferc.gov).

Public Participation

    For your convenience, there are four methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission will provide equal 
consideration to all comments received, whether filed in written form 
or provided verbally. The Commission encourages electronic filing of 
comments and has expert staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 
or [email protected]. Please carefully follow these 
instructions so that your comments are properly recorded.
    (1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment 
feature on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to 
Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for submitting brief, 
text-only comments on a project;
    (2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling 
feature on the Commission's website (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.'' If you are filing a comment on a particular project, 
please select ``Comment on a Filing'' as the filing type; or
    (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to 
the following address. Be sure to reference the project docket number 
(CP18-186-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, 
Washington, DC 20426.
    (4) In lieu of sending written or electronic comments, the 
Commission invites you to attend one of the public scoping sessions its 
staff will conduct in the project area, scheduled as follows:

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             Date and time                           Location
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Monday, June 18, 2018, 4:30-8:00 p.m...  Brentsville High School, 12109
                                          Aden Rd., Nokesville, VA
                                          20181, (703) 594-2161.
Tuesday, June 19, 2018, 4:30-8:00 p.m..  Scottsville Public Library, 330
                                          Bird Street, Scottsville, VA
                                          24590-0759, (434) 286-3541.
Wednesday, June 20, 2018, 4:30-8:00 p.m  Old Dominion Education Center,
                                          19783 U.S. Hwy. 29 South,
                                          Chatham, VA 24531, (434) 432-
                                          8026.
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    The primary goal of these scoping sessions is to have you identify 
the specific environmental issues and concerns that should be 
considered in the EA to be prepared for this Project. Individual verbal 
comments will be taken on a one-on-one basis with a court reporter. 
This format is designed to receive the maximum amount of verbal 
comments, in a convenient way during the timeframe allotted.

[[Page 27321]]

    Each scoping session is scheduled from 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. EDT. 
You may arrive at any time after 4:30 p.m. There will not be a formal 
presentation by Commission staff when the session opens. If you wish to 
speak, the Commission staff will hand out numbers in the order of your 
arrival. Comments will be taken until 8:00 p.m. However, if no 
additional numbers have been handed out and all individuals who wish to 
provide comments have had an opportunity to do so, staff may conclude 
the session at 7:30 p.m. Please see appendix 1 for additional 
information on the session format and conduct.\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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    Your scoping comments will be recorded by the court reporter (with 
FERC staff or representative present) and become part of the public 
record for this proceeding. Transcripts will be publicly available on 
FERC's eLibrary system (see below for instructions on using eLibrary). 
If a significant number of people are interested in providing verbal 
comments in the one-on-one settings, a time limit of 5 minutes may be 
implemented for each commentor.
    It is important to note that verbal comments hold the same weight 
as written or electronically submitted comments. Although there will 
not be a formal presentation, Commission staff will be available 
throughout the comment session to answer your questions about the 
environmental review process. Representatives from Transco will also be 
present to answer project-specific questions.
    Please note this is not your only public input opportunity; please 
refer to the review process flow chart in appendix 2.\2\
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    \2\ 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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Summary of the Proposed Project

    Transco proposes to construct and operate about 7.7 miles of new 
natural gas pipeline (Manassas Loop) located along the existing Transco 
Mainline, expand three existing compressor stations in Virginia 
(Stations 185, 175, and 165), and modify 21 existing facilities in 
South Carolina, Georgia, and Louisiana as part of the Southeastern 
Trail Project. According to Transco, its project would provide 296.4 
million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day (MMcf/d) of 
additional firm transportation capacity from the Pleasant Valley 
Interconnect facility in Fairfax County, Virginia to the existing 
Station 65 pooling point in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana, to serve the 
following customers: Public Service Company of North Carolina 
Incorporated (60 MMcf/d), South Carolina Electric and Gas (215 MMcf/d), 
Virginia Natural Gas (14.6 MMcf/d), and the cities of Buford (3.8 MMcf/
d) and LaGrange (3 MMcf/d) in Georgia.
    The specific facilities proposed as part of the Southeastern Trail 
Project are as follows:
     Construction of approximately 7.7 miles of new 42-inch-
diameter pipeline loop \3\ (referred to as the Manassas Loop) in 
Fauquier and Prince William Counties, Virginia. The Manassas Loop would 
be collocated along the Transco Mainline from milepost 1568.13 to 
1575.85 between Station 180 and Station 185.
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    \3\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed parallel to 
an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
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     Expansion of existing compressor stations in Virginia
    [cir] Uprating the existing electric-driven compression unit driver 
from 25,000 to 30,000 horsepower (HP) and re-gearing the associated 
variable speed drive at Station 185 in Prince William County.
    [cir] Addition of one new 22,490 HP turbine-driven compression unit 
and station cooling, and uprating of the existing electric driven 
compression unit driver from 33,000- to 41,250-HP and rewheeling the 
associated centrifugal compressor at Station 175 in Fluvanna County.
    [cir] Addition of two new 22,490 HP turbine-driven compression 
units, station cooling, and miscellaneous piping modifications; the 
abandonment and removal of ten reciprocating compressor units totaling 
20,000 HP; and demolition of an existing compressor building at Station 
165 in Pittsylvania County.
     Mainline Facility Modifications in South Carolina, 
Georgia, and Louisiana
    [cir] Flow reversal modifications to existing Station 65 in St. 
Helena Parish, Louisiana and existing Station 140 in Spartanburg 
County, South Carolina.
    [cir] Flow reversal modifications and installation of deodorization 
at existing Station 130 in Madison County, Georgia and existing Station 
115 in Coweta County, Georgia.
    [cir] Installation of deodorization at existing Stations 116, 120, 
and 125 in Carroll, Henry, and Walton Counties, Georgia and Station 135 
in Anderson County, South Carolina.
    [cir] Installation of deodorization at 13 existing mainline valve 
facilities in South Carolina and Georgia along the Transco Mainline.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
3.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities would disturb about 185 
acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipeline, the 
majority of which is associated with the Manassas Loop (76.4 acres) in 
Fauquier and Prince William Counties, Virginia, and the Station 165 
expansion (72.8 acres) in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. About 96 
percent of the proposed Manassas Loop pipeline route would be co-
located at a 25-foot offset from the existing Transco Mainline C 
pipeline, expanding the existing permanent right-of-way by 25 feet. In 
addition, one new permanent access road would be constructed and 
maintained to provide access to the new mainline valve for the Manassas 
Loop at Station 180. In total, Transco would maintain about 34.2 acres 
for permanent operation of the project's facilities, including 24.0 
acres for the Manassas Loop and 10.0 acres for the Station 165 
expansion. The remaining acreage would be restored and revert to former 
uses.

The EA 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 
\4\ 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 EA on the important 
environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public 
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. We will 
consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EA.
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    \4\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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    In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the proposed project under these 
general headings:
     Geology and soils;

[[Page 27322]]

     Land use;
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
     Cultural resources;
     Vegetation and wildlife;
     Air quality and noise;
     Endangered and threatened species;
     Public safety; and
     Cumulative impacts
    We will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed 
project or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to 
lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    The EA will present our independent analysis of the issues. The EA 
will be available in the public record through eLibrary. We will 
publish and distribute the EA to the public for an allotted comment 
period. We will consider all comments on the EA before making our 
recommendations to the Commission. 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 2.
    With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law 
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues of 
this project to formally cooperate with us in the preparation of the 
EA.\5\ 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.
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    \5\ 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 Offices (SHPO), and to 
solicit their views and those of other government agencies, interested 
Indian tribes, and the public on the project's potential effects on 
historic properties.\6\ We will define the project-specific Area of 
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPOs 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 EA 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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    \6\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's 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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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 
proposed project.
    Copies of the EA 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).

Notice of Onsite Review

    On June 18-20, 2018, the Office of Energy Projects staff will be in 
Fauquier, Prince William, Fluvanna, and Pittsylvania Counties, Virginia 
to gather data related to the environmental analysis of the 
Southeastern Trail Project. Staff will review environmental resources 
on the proposed Manassas Loop and visit Stations 175 and 165 to review 
the extent of proposed ground-disturbing activities. This will assist 
staff in completing its comparative evaluation of environmental impacts 
of the proposed project. Viewing of these facilities is anticipated to 
be from existing Transco right-of-way and at existing Transco stations.

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 website at 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., CP18-
186). 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.
    Finally, public sessions or site visits will be posted on the 
Commission's calendar located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

    Dated: June 1, 2018.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-12598 Filed 6-11-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P