[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 30 (Thursday, February 13, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8276-8278]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02902]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP19-491-000; CP19-494-000]


National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation; Transcontinental Gas Pipe 
Line Company, LLC; Notice of Availability of the Environmental 
Assessment for the Proposed Fm100 and Leidy South Projects

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the FM100 
Project and the Leidy South Project (collectively referred to as the 
Projects), proposed by National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation (National 
Fuel) and Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC (Transco), 
respectively, in the above-referenced dockets. National Fuel requests 
authorization to construct, operate, and maintain new natural gas 
facilities in McKean and Potter Counties; install new compressor 
stations in McKean and Clinton Counties; abandon existing pipeline 
facilities in Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, and Potter Counties; and 
abandon an existing compressor station in Potter County (all in 
Pennsylvania), to modernize National Fuel's existing transmission 
system and provide an additional 330,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of 
incremental natural gas transportation capacity to Transco. Transco 
requests authorization to construct, operate, and maintain new natural 
gas facilities in Clinton and Lycoming Counties; install new compressor 
stations in Luzerne and Schuylkill Counties; add additional compression 
at existing compressor stations in Wyoming and Columbia Counties; and 
abandon an existing pipeline in Clinton County (all in Pennsylvania), 
to provide 582,400 Dth/d of firm natural gas transportation service 
from shale producing areas in northern and western Pennsylvania to 
Transco's industrial, commercial, and residential customers in the 
eastern United States.
    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Projects in accordance with the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). 
The FERC staff concludes that approval of the proposed Projects, with 
appropriate mitigating measures, would not constitute a major federal 
action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Baltimore and Pittsburgh 
Districts) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 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 Projects would include the following facilities (all located in 
Pennsylvania):

FM100 Project

     Approximately 29.5 miles of new 20-inch-diameter pipeline 
in McKean and Potter Counties (Line YM58);

[[Page 8277]]

     approximately 1.4 miles of new 24-inch-diameter pipeline 
loop \1\ in Potter County (Line YM224);
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    \1\ A loop is a segment of pipe that is usually installed 
adjacent to an existing pipeline and connected to it at both ends. 
The loop allows more gas to be moved through the system
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     approximately 0.4 mile of 12-inch-diameter pipeline 
extension in McKean County (Line KL Extension);
     a new 15,165-horsepower (hp) compressor station in McKean 
County (Marvindale Compressor Station);
     a new 22,220-hp compressor station in Clinton County 
(Tamarack Compressor Station);
     a new producer interconnect station in McKean County 
(Marvindale Interconnect);
     a new over pressure protection (OPP) station in Potter 
County (Carpenter Hollow OPP Station);
     modification of the existing Leidy Interconnect LDC 2245 
at the Leidy Metering and Regulation Station in Clinton County;
     appurtenant facilities including valves, pig launchers, 
pig receivers, and anode beds;
     abandonment of approximately 44.9 miles of 12-inch-
diameter pipeline and associated appurtenant facilities in Cameron, 
Clearfield, Elk, and Potter Counties (Line FM100);
     abandonment of a 1,440-hp compressor station and 
associated facilities in Potter County (Costello Compressor Station); 
and
     abandonment of aboveground piping and measurement and over 
pressurization equipment in Potter County (Station WHP-MS-4317X).

Leidy South Project

     Approximately 6.3 miles of new 36-inch-diameter pipeline 
and associated abandonment by removal of approximately 5.8 miles of 
existing 23.375-inch-diameter pipeline Leidy Line A in Clinton County 
(Hensel Replacement);
     approximately 2.4 miles of new 36-inch-diameter pipeline 
looping in Clinton County (Hilltop Loop);
     approximately 3.5 miles of new 42-inch-diameter pipeline 
looping in Lycoming County (Benton Loop), including a new 90-foot-tall 
communication tower;
     uprate of the two existing compressor units to increase 
total hp from 30,000 hp to 42,000 hp at Compressor Station 605 in 
Wyoming County;
     uprate of the two existing compressor units to increase 
total hp from 40,000 hp to 42,000 hp and install a new 31,871-hp 
compressor unit at Compressor Station 610 in Columbia County;
     a new 46,930-hp compressor station in Luzerne County 
(Compressor Station 607), including a new 190-foot-tall, free-standing 
communication tower;
     a new 31,871-hp compressor station in Schuylkill County 
(Compressor Station 620); and
     appurtenant facilities including valves, pig launchers, 
and pig receivers.
    Additionally, both National Fuel and Transco propose to use 
temporary access roads and staging areas to support construction 
activities and would establish new permanent access roads to support 
operation of the new facilities.
    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability for the 
EA 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 
area of the Projects. The EA is only available in electronic format. It 
may be viewed and downloaded from FERC's website (www.ferc.gov), on the 
Environmental Documents page (http://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/enviro/eis.asp). In addition, the EA may be accessed by using the 
eLibrary link on 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., CP19-491 and/or CP19-494). 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 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 the Projects, it is important 
that the Commission receive your comments on or before 5:00 p.m. 
Eastern Time on March 9, 2020.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to file 
your comments with the Commission. In all instances, please reference 
the Project docket numbers (CP19-491-000 and/or CP19-494-000) with your 
submission. The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and 
has expert staff available to assist you at (866) 208-3676 or 
[email protected].
    (1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment 
feature located 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'' 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 Projects' docket 
numbers (CP19-491-000 and/or CP19-494-000) 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 (18 CFR 385.214). Motions to intervene are more 
fully described at https://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 Projects 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 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

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by automatically providing you with notification of these filings, 
document summaries, and direct links to the documents. Go to http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.

    Dated: February 7, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-02902 Filed 2-12-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P