[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 12 (Tuesday, January 20, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2697-2700]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-00733]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PF14-23-000]
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for the Planned Leach Xpress Project,
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public
Scoping Meetings
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that
will discuss the environmental impacts of the Leach XPress Project
involving construction and operation of facilities by Columbia Gas
Transmission, LLC (Columbia Gas) in Marshall and Wayne Counties, West
Virginia and Fairfield, Vinton, Lawrence, Noble, Jackson and Hocking
Counties, Ohio. The Commission will use this EIS 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 on the project. Your input will help the Commission staff
determine what issues they need to evaluate in the EIS. Please note
that the scoping period will close on February 12, 2015. However, this
is not your only public input opportunity; please refer to the Review
Process flow chart in appendix 1.\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'' or from the
Commission's Public Reference Room, 888 First Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 502-8371. For instructions on
connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice.
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You may submit comments in written form or verbally. Further
details on how to submit written comments are in the Public
Participation section of this notice. In lieu of or in addition to
sending written comments, the Commission invites you to attend the
public scoping meetings scheduled as follows:
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Date and time Meeting Location
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Tuesday, January 27, 2015, 6:30 p.m. Grand Vue Park (Banquet Hall),
EST. 250 Trail Drive, Moundsville,
WV 26041.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015, 6:30 p.m. Noble County Community Center,
EST. Noble County Fairgrounds,
(Fairground Road), Caldwell,
OH 43724.
Thursday, January 29, 2015, 6:30 p.m. Oak Hill Elementary School, 401
EST. East Evans Street, Oak Hill,
OH 45656.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015, 6:30 p.m. Lee's Banquet Haus, 580 Radio
EST. Lane, Logan, OH 43138.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015, 6:30 p.m. Huntington High School, 1
EST. Highlander Way, Huntington, WV
25701.
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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.
The purpose of these scoping meetings is to provide the public an
opportunity to learn more about the Commission's environmental review
process, and to verbally comment on the Project. Each scoping meeting
will start at 6:30 p.m. and representatives from Columbia Gas will be
present one hour prior to the start of each scoping meeting to answer
questions about the Project. Affected landowners and other interested
parties are encouraged to attend the scoping meetings and to give their
comments on the issues they believe should be addressed in the EIS. A
transcript of each meeting will be added to the Commission's
administrative record to ensure that your comments are accurately
recorded.
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 agreement. However, if
the Commission approves the project, that approval conveys with it the
right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to
produce an agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation
proceedings where compensation would be determined in accordance with
state law.
The ``For Citizens'' section of the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov)
provides
[[Page 2698]]
more information about the FERC and the environmental review process.
This section also includes information about getting involved in FERC
jurisdictional projects, and a citizens' guide entitled ``An Interstate
Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need to Know?'' This guide
addresses a number of frequently asked questions, including the use of
eminent domain and how to participate in the Commission's proceedings.
Summary of the Planned Project
Columbia Gas plans to construct approximately 161 miles of new
natural gas pipeline in West Virginia and Ohio; two new compressor
stations in Ohio and one new compressor station in West Virginia; and
four new regulator stations in Ohio; and modify two existing compressor
stations in West Virginia and Ohio as well as one existing regulator
station in Ohio. The Leach XPress Project would provide about 1.5
million dekatherms of natural gas per day of firm transportation
service to natural gas consumers served by the Columbia Gas and
Columbia Gulf pipeline systems. According to Columbia Gas, its project
would provide shippers outlets from constrained supply basins and
access to higher value markets.
The Leach XPress Project would consist of the following facilities:
LEX Pipeline--130 miles of new 36-inch-diameter pipeline
in Marshall County, West Virginia and Fairfield, Hocking, Monroe,
Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, and Perry Counties, Ohio;
R-801 Loop--27 miles of new 36-inch-diameter pipeline loop
in Fairfield, Hocking, and Vinton Counties, Ohio; \2\
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\2\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed parallel to
an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
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BM-111 Loop--2.9 miles of new 36-inch-diameter pipeline
loop from Lawrence County, Ohio to Wayne County, West Virginia;
LEX1 Pipeline--0.6 miles of new 30-inch-diameter pipeline
in Fairfield County, Ohio;
three new compressor stations, designated as the Lone Oak,
Summerfield, and Oak Hill Compressor Stations to be located in Marshall
County, West Virginia, and Noble and Jackson Counties, Ohio,
respectively;
four new regulator stations in Hocking and Vinton
Counties, Ohio, respectively;
modifications to the existing Ceredo and Crawford
Compressor Stations in Wayne County, West Virginia and Fairfield
County, Ohio, respectively;
modifications to the existing RS-1286 regular station in
Vinton County, Ohio; and
abandonment in-place of 28 miles of the 20-inch-diameter
R-501 Pipeline in Fairfield, Hocking, and Vinton Counties, Ohio.
The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
2.
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the planned facilities would disturb about 2,534
acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipelines.
Following construction, Columbia Gas would maintain about 1,008 acres
for permanent operation of the project's aboveground facilities and
permanent pipeline easements; the remaining acreage would be restored
and revert to former uses. About 48 percent of the planned pipeline
routes parallels existing pipeline, utility, or road rights-of-way.
The EIS Process
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could
result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of a
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us
\3\ to discover and address concerns the public may have about
proposals. This process is referred to as scoping. The main goal of the
scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EIS on the important
environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EIS. We will
consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EIS.
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\3\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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In the EIS we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of
the construction and operation of the planned project under these
general headings:
Geology
soils;
water resources, including surface water and groundwater
wetlands;
vegetation and wildlife;
fisheries and aquatic resources;
threatened, endangered, and other special status species;
land use, recreation, special interest areas, and visual
resources;
socioeconomics;
cultural resources;
air quality and noise;
public safety and reliability; and
cumulative environmental impacts.
We will also evaluate possible 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.
Although no formal application has been filed, we have already
initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing process.
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
participated in public Open Houses meetings sponsored by Columbia Gas
in the project area in November 2014 to explain the environmental
review process to interested stakeholder. We have also begun to contact
some federal and state agencies to discuss their involvement in the
scoping process and the preparation of the EIS.
The EIS will present our independent analysis of the issues. We
will publish and distribute the draft EIS for public comment. After the
comment period, we will consider all timely comments and revise the
document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS. To ensure we have
the opportunity to consider and address your comments, please carefully
follow the instructions in the Public Participation section beginning
on page 7.
With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues
related to this project to formally cooperate with us in the
preparation of the EIS.\4\ 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 Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has
expressed its intention to participate as a cooperating agency in the
preparation of the EIS to satisfy its NEPA responsibilities related to
this project.
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\4\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
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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, we are 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
[[Page 2699]]
historic properties.\5\ We will define the project-specific Area of
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO(s) as the project
develops. On natural gas facility projects, the APE at a minimum
encompasses all areas subject to ground disturbance (examples include
construction right-of-way, contractor/pipe storage yards, compressor
stations, and access roads). Our EIS 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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\5\ 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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Currently Identified Environmental Issues
We have already identified several issues that we think deserve
attention based on a preliminary review of the planned facilities and
the environmental information provided by Columbia Gas. This
preliminary list of issues may change based on your comments and our
analysis. Issues identified include:
Geology--effects as a result of blasting to remove
existing surface and subsurface bedrock during Project construction;
soils--effects on soil stability during and after project
construction;
land use--effects on residential areas and agricultural
lands during construction and operation of Project facilities including
public safety;
water resources--effects on wetlands and waterbodies;
Mississippi River crossing in two locations, as well as
Muskingum River;
biological resources--effect on threatened and endangered
species occurring within or adjacent to the Project right-of-way;
cultural--effects on archeological sites and historic
resources;
socioeconomic and transportation--effects of increased
workforce and impacts to local population; and
air quality and noise--effect on local air quality and
noise environment from construction and operation and maintenance of
Project facilities.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. Your comments should focus on
the 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 your
comments are timely and properly recorded, please send your comments so
that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before
February 12, 2015.
For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the
project docket number (PF14-23-000) with your submission. The
Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert
staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or [email protected].
(1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment
feature located on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the
link to Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for interested
persons to submit brief, text-only comments on a project;
(2) You can file your comments electronically using the eFiling
feature located on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the
link to Documents and Filings. 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 following address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC
20426.
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; 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. We 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.
Copies of the completed draft EIS will be sent to the environmental
mailing list for public review and comment. If you would prefer to
receive a paper copy of the document instead of the CD version or would
like to remove your name from the mailing list, please return the
attached Information Request (appendix 2).
Becoming an Intervenor
Once Columbia Gas files its application with the Commission, you
may want to become an ``intervenor'' which is an official party to the
Commission's proceeding. Intervenors play a more formal role in the
process and are able to file briefs, appear at hearings, 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. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are in
the User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web
site. 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.
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 Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on the
eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket number,
excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field (i.e., PF14-
23). 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.
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 www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp. Public
meetings or site visits will be posted on the Commission's calendar
located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/
[[Page 2700]]
EventsList.aspx along with other related information.
Finally, Columbia Gas has established a toll-free phone number (1-
888-499-3450) and an email support address ([email protected]) so
that parties can contact it directly with questions about the Project.
Columbia Gas has also established a Project Web site (https://www.columbiapipelinegroup.com/current-projects/leach-xpress-project)
where additional information on the Project is available.
Dated: January 13, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-00733 Filed 1-16-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P