[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 91 (Tuesday, May 13, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20301-20304]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-08365]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PF25-6-000]
Gulf South Pipeline Company, LLC, Texas Gas Transmission, LLC;
Notice of Scoping Period Requesting Comments on Environmental Issues
for the Planned Kosciusko Junction Pipeline Project and Notice of
Public Scoping Sessions
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental document that will discuss
the environmental impacts of the Kosciusko Junction Pipeline Project,
proposed by Texas Gas Transmission, LLC (Texas Gas) and Gulf South
Pipeline Company, LLC (Gulf South) in Washington, Sunflower, Humphreys,
Holmes, Attala, Leake, Newton, Jasper, and Clarke Counties,
Mississippi. The Commission will use this environmental document in its
decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the
public convenience and necessity.
This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested
agencies regarding the project. As part of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) review process, the Commission takes into account
concerns the public may have about proposals and the environmental
impacts that could result from its action whenever it considers the
issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to
construct and an authorization to abandon gas pipeline facilities. The
gathering of public input is referred to as ``scoping.'' The main goal
of the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the environmental
document on the important environmental issues. Additional information
about the Commission's NEPA process is described below in the NEPA
Process and Environmental Document section of this notice.
By this notice, the Commission requests public comments on the
scope of issues to address in the environmental document. To ensure
that your comments are timely and properly recorded, please submit your
comments so that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or
before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on June 6, 2025. Comments may be
submitted in written or oral form. Further details on how to submit
comments are provided in the Public Participation section of this
notice.
Your comments should focus on the potential environmental effects,
reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental
impacts. Your input will help the Commission staff determine what
issues they need to evaluate in the environmental document. Commission
staff will consider all written or oral comments during the preparation
of the environmental document.
If you submitted comments on this project to the Commission before
the opening of this docket on February 27, 2025, you will need to file
those comments in Docket No. PF25-6-000 to ensure they are considered.
This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental
mailing list for this project. State and local government
representatives should notify their constituents of this planned
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a pipeline company
representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the planned facilities. The company
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable easement agreement. You
are not required to enter into an agreement. However, if the Commission
approves the project, the Natural Gas Act conveys the right of eminent
domain to the company. Therefore, if you and the company do not reach
an easement agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation
proceedings in court. In such instances, compensation would be
determined by a judge in accordance with state law. The Commission does
not subsequently grant, exercise, or oversee the exercise of that
eminent domain authority. The courts have exclusive authority to handle
eminent domain cases; the Commission has no jurisdiction over these
matters.
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' addresses typically
asked questions, including the use of eminent domain and how to
participate in the Commission's proceedings. This fact sheet along with
other landowner topics of interest are available for viewing on the
FERC website (www.ferc.gov) under the Natural Gas, Landowner Topics
link.
Public Participation
There are four methods you can use to submit your comments to the
Commission. Please carefully follow these instructions so that your
comments are properly recorded. The Commission encourages electronic
filing of comments and has expert staff available to assist you at
(866) 208-3676 or [email protected].
(1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment
feature, which is located on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov)
under the link to FERC Online. Using eComment is an easy method for
submitting brief, text-only comments on a project;
(2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling
feature, which is located on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov)
[[Page 20302]]
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 will be asked to select the type of filing you
are making; a comment on a particular project is considered a ``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 (PF25-6-
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, MD 20852.
(4) In lieu of sending written or electronic comments, the
Commission invites you to attend one of the public scoping meetings its
staff will conduct in the project areas, scheduled as follows:
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Date and time Location
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Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 5:00 p.m.- Newton County High School Career
7:00 p.m. CDT. Center, 16389 Highway 503, Decatur,
MS 39327.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 5:00 p.m.- Leake Central Elementary School, 603
7:00 p.m. CDT. MS-16, Carthage, MS 39051.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 5:00 p.m.- City of Lexington Multipurpose
7:00 p.m. CDT. Building, 22521 MS-12, Lexington,
MS 39095.
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The primary goal of these scoping sessions is to have you identify
the specific environmental issues and concerns that should be
considered in the environmental document. Individual oral comments will
be taken on a one-on-one basis with a court reporter. This format is
designed to receive the maximum amount of oral comments in a convenient
way during the timeframe allotted.
Each scoping session is scheduled from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in
the appropriate local time zone. You may arrive at any time after 5:00
p.m. There will not be a formal presentation by Commission staff when
the session opens. If you wish to speak, the Commission staff will hand
out numbers in the order of your arrival. Comments will be taken until
7:00 p.m. However, if no additional numbers have been handed out and
all individuals who wish to provide comments have had an opportunity to
do so, staff may conclude the session at 6:30 p.m. Please see appendix
1 for additional information on the session format and conduct.\1\
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\1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in
the Federal Register. Copies of the appendices were sent to all
those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at
www.ferc.gov using the link called ``eLibrary.'' For instructions on
connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice. For
assistance, contact FERC at [email protected] or call toll
free, (886) 208-3676 or TTY (202) 502-8659.
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Your scoping comments will be recorded by a court reporter (with
FERC staff or representative present) and become part of the public
record for this proceeding. Transcripts will be publicly available on
FERC's eLibrary system (see the last page of this notice for
instructions on using eLibrary). If a significant number of people are
interested in providing oral comments in the one-on-one settings, a
time limit of 5 minutes may be implemented for each commentor.
It is important to note that the Commission provides equal
consideration to all comments received, whether filed in written form
or provided orally at a scoping session. Although there will not be a
formal presentation, Commission staff will be available throughout the
scoping session to answer your questions about the environmental review
process. Representatives from Gulf South and Texas Gas will also be
present to answer project-specific questions.
Additionally, the Commission offers a free service called
eSubscription, which makes it easy to stay informed of all issuances
and submittals regarding the dockets/projects to which you subscribe.
These instant email notifications are the fastest way to receive
notification and provide a link to the document files which can reduce
the amount of time you spend researching proceedings. Go to https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to register for eSubscription.
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].
Summary of the Planned Project
For its portion of the Kosciusko Junction Pipeline Project,\2\
Texas Gas plans to expand and continue to own and operate the existing
Greenville Compressor Station and construct a new compressor unit at
the site. In addition, Gulf South proposes to purchase Texas Gas'
existing 98-mile-long Greenville Lateral and the Isola Compressor
Station and additional ancillary facilities. Once purchased, Gulf South
would expand the Greenville Lateral by adding a new compressor station
in Holmes County and add a new compressor unit to the existing Isola
Compressor Station.
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\2\ All project components described in this notice are or would
be in the state of Mississippi.
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Gulf South also proposes to construct approximately 9 miles of new
36-inch-diameter pipeline as part of the Columbia Lateral in Humphreys
and Sunflower Counties. The Columbia Lateral would be tied into the
Greenville Lateral at the Isola Compressor Station and would connect to
a new Receipt Meter and Regulator (M&R) Station in Humphreys County.
The project would also include the Kosciusko Junction Pipeline which
consists of 101 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline from the terminus of
the Greenville Lateral in Attala County to Gulf South's Destin
Compressor Station in Clarke County. The new pipeline would include the
new Kosciusko Compressor Station and the new Delivery M&R Station in
Attala County and two new Delivery M&R Stations in Clarke County.
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the planned new 36-inch-diameter pipelines would
disturb an estimated 1,468 acres of land, of which the applicants would
maintain about 667 acres for permanent operation of the new
pipelines.\3\ Additional
[[Page 20303]]
disturbance from development of new aboveground facilities and
modifications at existing aboveground facilities would be required for
project. All land disturbed during construction that is outside of the
permanent pipeline rights-of-way and facility sites would be restored
and revert to former uses. About 51 percent of the planned new pipeline
would be collocated with existing pipeline rights-of-way and utility
corridors.
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\3\ The estimated construction and operational footprints are
based on reported pipeline lengths and construction rights-of-way
during construction and operation, respectively, as reported in the
applicants' April 1, 2025 filing of draft Resource Report 1,
available on eLibrary under accession number 20250401-5123.
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The NEPA Process and the Environmental Document
Any environmental document issued by Commission staff will discuss
impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation
of the planned project under the relevant general resource areas:
geology and soils;
land use;
water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
cultural resources;
vegetation and wildlife;
air quality and noise;
endangered and threatened species;
socioeconomics; and
reliability and safety.
Commission staff will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the
planned project or portions of the project and make recommendations on
how to lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas. Your
comments will help Commission staff identify and focus on the issues
that might have an effect on the human environment and potentially
eliminate others from further study and discussion in the environmental
document.
Although no formal application has been filed, we have already
initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing process for
the project. The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage
early involvement of interested stakeholders and to identify and
resolve issues before the FERC receives an application. As part of our
pre-filing review, we will contact federal and state agencies to
discuss their involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of
the environmental document.
If a formal application(s) is filed, Commission staff will then
determine whether to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) or an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The EA or the EIS will present
our independent analysis of the environmental issues. If Commission
staff prepares an EA, a ``Notice of Schedule for the Preparation of an
Environmental Assessment'' will be issued. The EA may be issued for an
allotted public comment period. The Commission would consider timely
comments on the EA before making its determination on the proposed
project. If Commission staff prepares an EIS, a ``Notice of Intent to
Prepare an EIS/Notice of Schedule'' will be issued once an
application(s) is filed, which will open an additional public comment
period. Staff will then prepare a draft EIS that will be issued for
public comment. Commission staff will consider all timely comments
received during the comment period on the draft EIS, and revise the
document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS. Any EA or draft and
final EIS will be available in electronic format in the public record
through eLibrary \4\ and the Commission's natural gas environmental
documents web page https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents) If eSubscribed, you will receive
instant email notification when the environmental document is issued.
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\4\ For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the
last page of this notice.
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With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues
related to these projects to formally cooperate with us in the
preparation of the environmental document.\5\ Agencies that would like
to request cooperating agency status should follow the instructions for
filing comments provided under the Public Participation section of this
notice. Currently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency--Region 4,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service--Mississippi Ecological Field Office,
and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have expressed their intention to
participate as a cooperating agency in the preparation of the
environmental document to provide special resource expertise and/or to
satisfy their NEPA responsibilities related to this project.
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\5\ Cooperating agency responsibilities are addressed in section
107(a)(3) of NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4336(a)(3)).
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Consultations Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation
Act
In accordance with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's
implementing regulations for section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act, the Commission is using this notice to initiate
consultation with the applicable State Historic Preservation Office(s),
and to solicit their views and those of other government agencies,
interested Indian tribes, and the public on the project's potential
effects on historic properties.\6\ The environmental document for this
project will document our findings on the impacts on historic
properties and summarize the status of consultations under section 106.
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\6\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation regulations
are at title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, part 800. Those
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic
Places.
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Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local
government representatives and agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; local
community groups, schools, churches, and businesses; other interested
parties; and local libraries and newspapers. This list also includes
all affected landowners (as defined in the Commission's regulations)
who are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used
temporarily for project purposes, or who own homes within certain
distances of aboveground facilities, and anyone who submits comments on
the project (and includes a mailing address with their comment).
Commission staff will update the environmental mailing list as the
analysis proceeds to ensure that we send the information related to
this environmental review to all individuals, organizations, and
government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the
planned project.
If you need to make changes to your name/address, or if you would
like to remove your name from the mailing list, please complete one of
the following steps:
(1) Send an email to [email protected] stating your
request. You must include the docket number PF25-6-000 in your request.
If you are requesting a change to your address, please be sure to
include your name and updated address. If you are requesting to delete
your address from the mailing list, please include your name and
address as it appeared on this notice. This email address is unable to
accept comments, OR
(2) Return the attached ``Mailing List Update Form'' (appendix 3).
Becoming an Intervenor
Once the applicants file their combined application with the
Commission, you may want to become an ``intervenor,'' which is an
official party to the Commission's proceeding.
[[Page 20304]]
Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's
decision and be heard by the courts if they choose to appeal the
Commission's final ruling. An intervenor formally participates in the
proceeding by filing a request to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the
Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214). Motions
to intervene are more fully described at https://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to.asp. Please note that the Commission will not
accept requests for intervenor status at this time. You must wait until
the Commission receives a formal application for the project, after
which the Commission will issue a public notice that establishes an
intervention deadline.
Additional Information
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. Click on the
eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket number
in the Docket Number field. 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 eLibrary link also provides access to the
texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders,
notices, and rulemakings.
Public meetings or site visits will be posted on the Commission's
calendar located at https://www.ferc.gov/news-events/events along with
other related information.
Dated: May 7, 2025.
Carlos D. Clay,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-08365 Filed 5-12-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P