[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 129 (Friday, July 7, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43333-43334]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-14422]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP22-493-000]


Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, LLC; Notice of Availability of 
the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Cumberland 
Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
for the Cumberland Project (Project), proposed by Tennessee Gas 
Pipeline Company, LLC (Tennessee) in the above-referenced docket. 
Tennessee requests a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to 
construct, operate, and maintain certain natural gas transmission 
pipeline and facilities in Dickson, Houston, and Stewart Counties, 
Tennessee. The Project purpose is to provide up to 245,040 dekatherms 
per day of new firm transportation service to the Tennessee Valley 
Authority's (TVA) Cumberland Natural Gas Combined Cycle Power Plant. 
Prior to filing its application, Tennessee participated in the 
Commission's Pre-filing Process for this Project under Docket No. PF22-
2-000.
    The final EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Project in accordance with the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 
responds to comments that were received on the Commission's February 3, 
2023 draft EIS. The FERC staff concludes that approval of the proposed 
Project would result in some adverse environmental impacts; however, 
with the exception of climate change impacts, these impacts would be 
reduced to less-than-significant levels because of avoidance, 
minimization, and mitigation measures proposed by Tennessee and those 
recommended by staff in the EIS. Climate change impacts are not 
characterized in the EIS as significant or insignificant.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency participated as cooperating agencies in the 
preparation of the EIS. Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by law 
or special expertise with respect to resources potentially affected by 
a proposal and participate in the NEPA analysis. Although both agencies 
provided input to the conclusions and recommendations presented in the 
EIS, each agency may present its own conclusions and recommendations in 
any applicable Records of Decision or other documentation for the 
Project.
    The EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following Project facilities, all in 
the state of Tennessee:
     Cumberland Pipeline: Construction of approximately 32 
miles of new 30-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline, which would connect 
at Tennessee's existing Line 100-3 and Line 100-4. The Cumberland 
Pipeline would be located in Dickson, Houston, and Stewart Counties.
     Pressure Regulation Station: Construction of two new bi-
directional

[[Page 43334]]

back pressure regulation facilities on Line 100-3 and Line 100-4, at 
milepost 0.0 of the proposed new Cumberland Pipeline in Dickson County.
     Cumberland Meter Station: Construction of a new meter 
station at the terminus of the Cumberland Pipeline, located within 
TVA's property in Stewart County.
     Launcher and Receiver: Construction of in-line inspection 
traps, for in-line inspection tools at each end of the Cumberland 
Pipeline.
     Mainline Valves: Construction of three new mainline 
valves. One would be installed at an intermediate location along the 
Cumberland Pipeline, and the remaining two would be on Tennessee's Line 
100-3 and Line 100-4 within the new Pressure Regulation Station.
    The final 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.
    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability for the 
final 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 final EIS is only available in electronic format. It 
may be viewed and downloaded from the FERC website (https://ferc.gov/), 
on the natural gas environmental documents page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environmental-overview/environmental-documents-2023). In addition, the EIS may be accessed using the 
eLibrary link on the FERC 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, excluding the last 
three digits (i.e., CP22-493). 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 Commission's Office of Public Participation (OPP) supports 
meaningful public engagement and participation in Commission 
proceedings. OPP can help members of the public, including landowners, 
environmental justice communities, Tribal members and others, access 
publicly available information and navigate Commission processes. For 
public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as 
interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, the public is 
encouraged to contact OPP at (202) 502-6595 or [email protected].
    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 the 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 30, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-14422 Filed 7-6-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P