[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 115 (Thursday, June 17, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32257-32258]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-12786]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP20-48-000]


Iroquois Gas Transmission System, L.P.; Notice of Availability of 
the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Enhancement 
by Compression Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for the Enhancement by Compression Project (Project), proposed by 
Iroquois Gas Transmission System, L.P. (Iroquois) in the above-
referenced docket. Iroquois requests authorization to construct and 
operate natural gas transmission facilities in New York and 
Connecticut. The Project is designed to provide a total of 125,000 
dekatherms per day of incremental firm transportation service for two 
existing customers of Iroquois, Consolidated Edison Company of New 
York, Inc. and KeySpan Gas East Corporation doing business as National 
Grid.
    The draft EIS responds to comments that were received on the 
Commission's September 30, 2020 Environmental Assessment (EA) \1\ and 
discloses downstream greenhouse gas emissions for the Project. With the 
exception of greenhouse gas emissions, the FERC staff concludes that 
approval of the proposed Project, with the mitigation measures 
recommended in this EIS, would not result in significant environmental 
impacts. FERC staff continues to be unable to come to a determination 
of significance with regards to greenhouse gas emissions.
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    \1\ The Project's Environmental Assessment is available on 
eLibrary under accession no. 20200930-3011.
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    The draft EIS incorporates the above referenced EA, which addressed 
the potential environmental effects of the construction and operation 
of the following Project facilities:
     Athens Compressor Station--installation of one new 12,000 
horsepower (hp) natural gas turbine (Unit A2) in a new building with 
associated cooling, filter separators, and other facilities connecting 
to Iroquois' existing 24-inch-diameter mainline within the existing 
fenced compressor station boundary (Greene County, New York).
     Dover Compressor Station--installation of one new 12,000 
hp natural gas turbine (Unit A2) in a new building with associated 
cooling, filter separators, and other facilities connecting to 
Iroquois' existing 24-inch-diameter mainline and expansion of the 
existing compressor station fenceline within the property boundary 
(Dutchess County, New York).
     Brookfield Compressor Station--construction of a control/
office building, addition of two new, natural gas 12,000 hp turbines 
(Unit B1 and Unit B2) in a new building with associated cooling, filter 
separators, and other typical facilities connecting to Iroquois' 
existing 24-inch-diameter mainline. Additionally, Iroquois would 
install incremental cooling at Plant 2-A to allow for compressed 
discharge gas to be cooled, prior to being compressed at the proposed 
downstream compressors (Units B1 and B2). Iroquois would also replace 
existing turbine stacks on the existing compressor units (Unit-A1 and 
Unit-A2) and add other noise reduction measures (e.g., louvers, seals) 
to minimize existing noise at the site. Modifications at this site 
would require expansion of the existing compressor station fenceline 
within the property boundary (Fairfield County, Connecticut).
     Milford Compressor Station--addition of gas cooling to 
existing compressor units and associated piping to allow for compressed 
discharge gas to be cooled within the current fenced boundaries of the 
existing compressor station, where no gas cooling facilities currently 
exist (New Haven County, Connecticut).
    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability of the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Enhancement by 
Compression Project 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 draft EIS is only available in 
electronic format. It may be viewed and downloaded from the FERC's 
website (www.ferc.gov), on the natural gas environmental documents page 
(https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents). In addition, the draft EIS may be accessed by 
using the eLibrary link on the FERC's website. Click on the eLibrary 
link (https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search) select ``General 
Search'' and enter the docket number in the ``Docket Number'' field 
(i.e. CP20-48). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. 
For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected]

[[Page 32258]]

or toll free at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659.
    The draft EIS is not a decision document. It presents Commission 
staff's independent analysis of the environmental issues for the 
Commission to consider when addressing the merits of all issues in this 
proceeding. Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. 
Your comments should focus on draft EIS's disclosure and discussion of 
potential environmental effects, including climate impacts due to 
downstream greenhouse gas emissions, and measures to avoid or lessen 
environmental impacts. To ensure consideration of your comments on the 
proposal in the final EIS, it is important that the Commission receive 
your comments on or before 5:00pm Eastern Time on August 2, 2021.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit 
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 
FERC Online. 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 
FERC Online. 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 Commission. Be sure to reference the Project docket number (CP20-
48-000) on your letter. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service 
must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 
20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
    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 part 385.214). Motions to intervene are 
more fully described at https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/ferc-online/how-guides. Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or 
judicial review of the Commission's decision. The Commission grants 
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.

Questions

    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 https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to 
register for eSubscription.

    Dated: June 11, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-12786 Filed 6-16-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P