[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 143 (Thursday, July 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40820-40821]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16164]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP15-554-009 and CP15-555-007]


Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC, Eastern Gas Transmission and 
Storage, Inc.; Notice of Availability of the Draft Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline 
Restoration Project and Supply Header Restoration Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a draft supplemental environmental impact 
statement (EIS) for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC's (Atlantic) 
Atlantic Coast Pipeline Restoration Project, and Eastern Gas 
Transmission and Storage, Inc.'s (EGTS) Supply Header Restoration 
Project (Restoration Projects), in the above-referenced dockets. 
Atlantic and EGTS request authorization to implement the Restoration 
Projects in order to stabilize lands affected by previous construction 
efforts for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Supply Header Project, 
respectively, and to facilitate cessation of all project-related 
activities. Implementation of the plans is proposed because Atlantic 
and EGTS have cancelled their respective projects and do not intend to 
complete them.
    The draft supplemental EIS assesses the potential impacts that 
would result

[[Page 40821]]

from the Restoration Projects, in accordance with the requirements of 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).\1\ The FERC staff 
concludes that the proposed actions, with the additional mitigation 
measures recommended in the supplemental EIS, would continue to avoid 
or reduce impacts to less than significant levels with the exception of 
climate change impacts, which FERC staff is unable to determine 
significance.
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    \1\ The construction and operation impacts of the then-proposed 
Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Supply Header Project were evaluated in 
a final EIS, which was issued by the Commission on July 21, 2017, in 
Docket Nos. CP15-554-00, CP15-554-001; and CP15-555-000.
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    The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and the U.S. 
Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service participated as 
cooperating agencies in the preparation of the draft supplemental EIS. 
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 draft supplemental EIS addresses the potential environmental 
effects of the following activities:
     Atlantic proposes to leave all installed pipeline in place 
(approximately 31.4 miles of the pipeline right-of-way), restore lands 
that were cleared and graded (approximately 82.7 miles of the pipeline 
right-of-way), and leave felled trees in place in areas where trees 
have not yet been cleared (approximately 25.2 miles of the pipeline 
right-of-way). For aboveground facilities, Atlantic proposes to restore 
the sites and manage the disposition of the materials and land through 
an investment recovery process. Workspace for these activities would 
occur in West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina.
     EGTS proposes to leave all installed pipeline in place 
(approximately 11.7 miles), leave approximately 0.13 mile of felled 
trees in place, and complete final restoration of approximately 9 miles 
of the pipeline right-of-way that EGTS previously cleared and/or 
graded. EGTS proposes to stabilize all aboveground facility sites and 
prepare assets for long term preservation. Workspace for these 
activities would occur in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability for the 
draft supplemental EIS 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 supplemental EIS 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-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents). In addition, the final supplemental 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), click on 
General Search, and enter the docket number in the ``Docket Number'' 
field, (i.e., CP15-554 or CP15-555). 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 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 supplemental EIS 
may do so. Your comments should focus on the EIS's disclosure and 
discussion of potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, 
and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. To ensure 
consideration of your comments on the proposal in the final 
supplemental EIS, it is important that the Commission receive your 
comments on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 13, 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. Your written comments must reference the Project docket 
number CP15-554-009 and/or CP15-555-007. 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 proposals 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.

    Dated: July 23, 2021.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-16164 Filed 7-28-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P