[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 158 (Thursday, August 19, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46695-46696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-17782]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP21-57-000]


Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC; Notice of Availability of the 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline 
Amendment Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the 
Mountain Valley Pipeline Amendment Project (Amendment Project), 
proposed by Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC (Mountain Valley) in the 
above-referenced docket. Mountain Valley requests authorization to 
change the crossing method of specific waterbodies and wetlands from 
open-cut dry crossings (as authorized by its October 13, 2017 
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity [Certificate]) to 
trenchless methods (conventional bore, guided conventional bore, or 
Direct Pipe[supreg] \1\). In addition, Mountain Valley requests 
authorization for two minor route adjustments to avoid wetlands and 
waterbodies and authorization to conduct nighttime construction at 
eight trenchless crossings.
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    \1\ Direct Pipe[supreg] is a construction method developed by 
Herrenknecht AG that combines microtunneling and horizontal 
direction drill (HDD).
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    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Amendment 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 mitigating measures, would not constitute a major federal 
action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) is a federal cooperating 
agency who assisted us in preparing this EA because they have 
jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to impacts to 
waters of the U.S. The COE may adopt the EA per 40 CFR 1501.8 if, after 
an independent review of the document, it concludes that their 
requirements and/or regulatory responsibilities have been satisfied. 
However, the COE would present its own conclusions and recommendations 
in its respective and applicable records of decision or determinations. 
Otherwise, it may elect to conduct its own supplemental environmental 
analyses.
    The proposed Amendment Project includes the following:
     120 trenchless crossings (117 conventional bores, 2 guided 
conventional bores, and 1 Direct Pipe[supreg]) of 47 wetlands and 136 
streams in Wetzel, Lewis, Webster, Nicholas, Greenbrier, Summers, and 
Monroe counties, West Virginia and Giles, Montgomery, Roanoke, 
Franklin, and Pittsylvania, counties, Virginia;
     avoidance of one wetland via a shift in the permanent 
operational right-of-way at MP 0.70;
     avoidance of one waterbody due to a route adjustment at MP 
230.8; and
     24-hour construction activities at the previously 
authorized Gauley River and Roanoke River, two guided conventional bore 
crossings, the Direct Pipe[supreg] crossing, and three conventional 
bore locations.
    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 natural 
gas environmental documents page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents). In addition, the EA 
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., CP21-57). 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 EA 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 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 September 13, 2021.
    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 
FERC Online. 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 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.'' 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 Commission. Be sure to reference the project docket number (CP21-
57-000) 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.
    Filing environmental comments will not give you intervenor status, 
but you

[[Page 46696]]

do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered. Only 
intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or judicial review of the 
Commission's decision. At this point in this proceeding, the timeframe 
for filing timely intervention requests has expired. Any person seeking 
to become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene 
out-of-time pursuant to Rule 214(b)(3) and (d) of the Commission's 
Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214(b)(3) and (d)) and 
show good cause why the time limitation should be waived. Motions to 
intervene are more fully described at https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/ferc-online/how-guides.
    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 which 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: August 13, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-17782 Filed 8-18-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P