[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
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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]
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