[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 101 (Friday, May 24, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24124-24125]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-10877]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP18-137-000]


Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Availability of the 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Buckeye XPpress Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the 
Buckeye XPress Project, proposed by Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC 
(Columbia) in the above-referenced docket. Columbia requests 
authorization to construct and operate facilities in Vinton, Jackson, 
Gallia, and Lawrence Counties, Ohio and Wayne County, West Virginia. 
The Buckeye XPress Project would increase the firm natural gas 
transportation capacity on Columbia's system by 275 million cubic feet 
per day.
    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Buckeye XPress Project in accordance 
with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 
The FERC staff concludes that approval of the proposed project, with 
appropriate

[[Page 24125]]

mitigating measures, would not constitute a major federal action 
significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Forest Service 
participated as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EA. 
Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by law or special expertise with 
respect to resources potentially affected by the proposal and 
participate in the NEPA analysis. The U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers will adopt the EA to fulfill their agency's 
NEPA obligations. The USFS will use the EA, as well as other supporting 
documentation, to consider the issuance of a special use permit 
authorization for the portion of the project on National Forest System 
lands. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will use the EA and supporting 
documentation to consider the issuance of Clean Water Act Section 404 
and Rivers and Harbors Act Section 10 permits. Although the cooperating 
agencies provided input to the conclusions and recommendations 
presented in the EA, the agencies will present their own conclusions 
and recommendations in their respective Records of Decision for the 
project.
    The proposed Buckeye XPress Project includes the following 
facilities:
     66.1 miles of new, 36-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline 
and various associated facilities, including four new tie-ins, four new 
mainline valves, various other appurtenant facilities, and installation 
of over-pressure protection at three locations (together resulting in a 
new R-801 system);
     0.2 mile of new 4-inch-diameter pipeline for the Wellston 
Lateral;
     a new regulation run at the existing Ceredo Compressor 
Station;
     abandonment of 58.7 miles of existing 20-inch-diameter 
pipeline and associated facilities on Columbia's R-501 system;
     abandonment of 1.1 miles of 2- to 3-inch-diameter 
distribution pipeline on Columbia's R-530 system; and
     abandonment of 2.1 miles of existing 20- and 24-inch-
diameter pipeline and associated facilities on Columbia's R-500 system.
    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability to 
federal, state, and local government representatives and agencies; 
elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native 
American tribes; potentially affected landowners and other interested 
individuals and groups; and newspapers and libraries in the project 
area. The EA is only available in electronic format. It may be viewed 
and downloaded from the FERC's website (www.ferc.gov), on the 
Environmental Documents page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/enviro/eis.asp). In addition, the EA may be accessed by using the 
eLibrary link on the FERC's website. Click on the eLibrary link 
(https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp), click on General 
Search, and enter the docket number in the ``Docket Number'' field, 
excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP18-137-000). 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.
    Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. Your comments 
should focus on the EA's disclosure and discussion of 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 the Commission has the 
opportunity to consider your comments prior to making its decision on 
this project, it is important that we receive your comments in 
Washington, DC on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on June 19, 2019.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to file 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic 
filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-
3676 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 also file your comments electronically 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.'' 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. Be sure to reference the project docket number 
(CP18-137-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, 
Washington, DC 20426.
    Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a 
motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of 
Practice and Procedures (Title 18 of the Code of Federal Regulations, 
Part 385.214). Motions to intervene are more fully described at http://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp. Only intervenors 
have the right to seek rehearing or judicial review of the Commission's 
decision. The Commission may grant affected landowners and others with 
environmental concerns intervenor status upon showing good cause by 
stating that they have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding 
which no other party can adequately represent. Simply filing 
environmental comments will not give you intervenor status, but you do 
not need intervenor status to have your comments considered.
    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the 
FERC website (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. The eLibrary link 
also provides access to the texts of all formal documents issued by the 
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
    In addition, the Commission offers a free service called 
eSubscription that 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.

    Dated: May 20, 2019.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-10877 Filed 5-23-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P