[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 87 (Friday, May 3, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36806-36808]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-09597]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP23-536-000]


Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company; Notice of Availability of the 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Worcester Resiliency Upgrade 
Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or

[[Page 36807]]

Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the 
Worcester Resiliency Upgrade Project, proposed by Eastern Shore Natural 
Gas Company (Eastern Shore) in the above-referenced docket. Eastern 
Shore requests authorization to construct and operate facilities in 
Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties, Maryland, and Sussex 
County, Delaware.
    Eastern Shore proposes to install five liquified natural gas (LNG) 
storage vessels and LNG vaporizers in Worcester County, Maryland, 
approximately 1.1 miles of 10-inch-diameter pipeline looping in Sussex 
County, Delaware and Wicomico County, Maryland, upgrades to an existing 
pressure control station in Sussex County, Delaware, and upgrades to 
three existing meter and regulating stations in Sussex County, Delaware 
and Worcester and Somerset Counties, Maryland. The Worcester Resiliency 
Upgrade Project would store approximately 475,000 gallons of LNG, 
equivalent to 39,627 Dekatherms, and provide 14,000 Dekatherms per day 
of corresponding peak firm natural gas transportation service. 
According to Eastern Shore, its project would enhance the resiliency of 
Eastern Shore's system.
    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Worcester Resiliency Upgrade Project 
in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that approval of the 
proposed project would not constitute a major federal action 
significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.
    The Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 
Safety Administration participated as a cooperating agency in the 
preparation of the EA. Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by law or 
special expertise with respect to resources potentially affected by the 
proposal and participate in the NEPA analysis.
    Specifically, the proposed Project includes construction and 
operation of five new facilities and upgrades to four existing 
facilities in Sussex County, Delaware, and Wicomico, Worcester, and 
Somerset Counties, Maryland including:
     Bishopville Facility, Worcester County, Maryland: 
construct a 10.6-acre LNG storage and vaporization facility situated 
within a rural 135-acre parcel that includes five 100,000-gallon 
horizontal storage vessels, with vaporization equipment and pumping 
systems to convert LNG to vapor for pipeline transport;
     Bishopville Tie-in, Worcester County, Maryland: construct 
0.4 mile of 8-inch-diameter pipeline to connect the Bishopville 
Facility to an Eastern Shore's existing Milford pipeline;
     Millsboro Controller Upgrade, Sussex County, Delaware: 
upgrade existing station to install two new control valve runs to 
provide pressure and directional control;
     Millsboro Tie-in, Sussex County, Delaware: construct 0.4 
mile of 10-inch-diameter pipeline extension to connect the upgraded 
Millsboro Controller to the Eastern Shore's existing Milford pipeline;
     Berlin Meter and Regulator (M&R) Upgrade, Worcester 
County, Maryland: replace approximately 350 feet of existing 
belowground 3-inch tie-in with a new 6-inch tie-in;
     Thompson M&R Upgrade, Somerset County, Maryland: upgrade 
existing M&R station, replacing the existing meters;
     Selbyville M&R Upgrade, Sussex County, Delaware: replace 
existing M&R station with new meter and regulator facilities;
     Delmar Receiver, Wicomico County, Maryland: install new 
aboveground Rupture Mitigation Valve (RMV) and In-line Inspection (ILI) 
Receiver and an access road located at the new connection between the 
Delmar Loop and the Parkesburg Line at the southern end of the Delmar 
Loop collocated east of US Route 13 (US 13); and
     Delmar Loop, Wicomico County, Maryland and Sussex County, 
Delaware: construct 1.1 miles of 10-inch diameter looping natural gas 
pipeline collocated with an existing Eastern Shore pipeline and US 13.
    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability of the 
Environmental Assessment for the Worcester Resiliency Upgrade 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 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, excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP23-536). 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 5:00pm Eastern Time on May 28, 2024.
    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 (CP23-
536-000) on your letter. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service 
must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting

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Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier 
must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 
20852.
    Filing environmental comments will not give you intervenor status, 
but you 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/how-intervene.
    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.
    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: April 26, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-09597 Filed 5-2-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P