[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 33 (Thursday, February 20, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9968-9969]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-02838]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP24-514-000]
National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation; Notice of Availability of
the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Tioga Pathway Project
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the Tioga
Pathway Project (Project), proposed by National Fuel Gas Supply
Corporation (National Fuel) in the above-referenced docket.\1\ National
Fuel requests authorization to provide 190,000 dekatherms per day of
firm transportation service from the Tioga County, Pennsylvania natural
gas production area to downstream delivery points with other interstate
pipelines, which reach various end-use markets and demand centers in
the United States and Canada, and modernize a portion of its existing
pipeline system.
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\1\ For tracking purposes, the Council on Environmental Quality
unique identification number for documents relating to this
environmental review is EAXX-019-20-000-1728990440. 40 CFR
1501.5(c)(4) (2024).
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The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of construction
and operation of the Project in accordance with the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act. FERC staff concludes that approval
of the Project would not constitute a major Federal action
significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.
The proposed Project includes the following facilities:
Line Z20: Replace approximately 3.8 miles of 12-inch-
diameter 1936-vintage bare steel pipeline with new 20-inch-diameter
coated steel pipeline and perform modifications to an existing valve
setting in Potter County, Pennsylvania;
Line YM59: Install approximately 19.5 miles of new 20-
inch-diameter coated steel pipeline beginning at the east end of the
3.8-mile Z20 Pipeline replacement, traversing Potter and Tioga
Counties, Pennsylvania, and ending at the NFG Midstream Covington, LLC
(Midstream) Lee Hill Interconnect;
McCutcheon Hill OPP Station: Construct a new over-pressure
protection (OPP) station at the interconnection between the eastern
terminus of the Z20 Pipeline replacement and the western terminus of
the YM59 Pipeline in Potter County;
Measurement equipment at Midstream's Lee Hill Interconnect
at the terminus of the proposed YM59 Pipeline in Tioga County;
Perform minor modifications at National Fuel's existing
Ellisburg Compressor Station,\2\ in Potter County, including replacing/
installing measurement, OPP devices, flow control, and other associated
appurtenances; and
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\2\ National Fuel does not propose any changes to compressor
units or to the certificated capacity at the Ellisburg Compressor
Station.
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Construct one new remote-control valve setting and install
a new cathodic protection ground bed along the Line YM59 Pipeline in
Tioga County.
[[Page 9969]]
The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability of the
EA to Federal, State, and local government representatives and
agencies; elected officials; non-governmental organizations,
environmental and public interest groups; potentially interested Native
American Tribes; potentially affected landowners; local libraries;
churches; and newspapers in the Project area. The EA is only available
in electronic format. It may be viewed and downloaded from 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 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.,
CP24-514). 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 March 17, 2025.
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 (CP24-
514-000) on your letter. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service
must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, 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, 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,
community organizations, 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: February 13, 2025.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-02838 Filed 2-19-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P