[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 182 (Thursday, September 21, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65161-65162]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-20458]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP22-503-000; Docket No. CP22-502-000]


Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC, Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line 
Company, LLC; Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Virginia Reliability Project Commonwealth 
Energy Connector Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a final environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for the Virginia Reliability Project (VRP), proposed by Columbia Gas 
Transmission, LLC (Columbia), and the Commonwealth Energy Connector 
Project (CEC Project) proposed by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line 
Company, LLC (Transco) in the above-referenced dockets.

[[Page 65162]]

    Columbia requests authorization to construct and operate its VRP in 
Greensville, Prince George, Sussex, Surry, Southampton, and Isle of 
Wight Counties, Virginia, and in the cities of Suffolk and Chesapeake, 
Virginia. The VRP is designed to provide an additional 100,000 
Dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of firm transportation service for Virginia 
Natural Gas, Inc. (VNG), from the existing interconnection between 
Transco and Columbia in Greensville County, Virginia to VNG's existing 
delivery point in Chesapeake County, Virginia.
    Transco requests authorization to construct, operate, and maintain 
its CEC Project in Mecklenburg, Brunswick, and Greensville Counties, 
Virginia. The CEC Project is designed to provide an additional 105,000 
Dth/d of firm transportation service for VNG from Transco's existing 
Station 165 Zone 5 Pooling Point in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, to 
the existing interconnection between Transco and Columbia in 
Greensville County, Virginia, where VNG has contracted with Columbia 
for further firm transportation service.
    The final EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the VRP and the CEC Project (the 
Projects) in accordance with the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that approval 
of the proposed Projects, with the mitigation measures recommended in 
the EIS, would result in some adverse environmental impacts; however, 
with the exception of potential impacts on climate change, FERC staff 
concludes that impacts would not be significant. Climate change impacts 
are not characterized in the EIS as significant or insignificant.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Norfolk District, and the 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) 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 the proposal and participate in the NEPA 
analysis. Although these agencies provided input to the conclusions and 
recommendations presented in the EIS, the agencies may present their 
own conclusions and recommendations in any applicable Records of 
Decision or other documentation for the Projects.
    The final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following VRP facilities, all in 
Virginia:
     replacement of about 49.2 miles of the existing 12-inch-
diameter VM-107 and VM-108 pipelines with 24-inch-diameter pipeline 
mostly within Columbia's existing right-of-way, in Sussex, Surry, 
Southampton, and Isle of Wight Counties, as well as in the cities of 
Suffolk and Chesapeake;
     installation of one new 5,500-horsepower (HP) dual-drive 
compressor unit at the existing Emporia Compressor Station in 
Greensville County;
     modification of the existing compressor units and an 
increase in power by 2,700 HP at the existing Petersburg Compressor 
Station in Prince George County;
     modification of the Emporia Point of Receipt in 
Greensville County, Regulator Station 7423 in Prince George County, and 
MS-831010 Point of Delivery in Chesapeake; and
     replacement of eight mainline valves (MLV), installation 
of one new MLV and five new launchers/receivers, and replacement or 
installation of other minor appurtenant facilities.
    The final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following CEC Project facilities, all 
in Virginia:
     construction of a 6.35-mile-long, 24-inch-diameter 
pipeline loop \1\ (referred to as the Commonwealth Loop), including 
valve and launcher/receiver facilities, in Brunswick and Greensville 
Counties;
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    \1\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed parallel to 
an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
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     addition of a 33,000-HP electric motor-driven compressor 
unit at the existing Compressor Station 168 in Mecklenburg County; and
     modification of the existing Emporia Metering and 
Regulation Station in Greensville County.
    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 area of the 
Projects. The final 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 final 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, excluding the 
last three digits (i.e., CP22-503 or CP22-502). 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.
    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 all formal documents issued by the 
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
    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].
    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: September 15, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-20458 Filed 9-20-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P