Notice2022-21766
Equitrans, L.P.; Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Ohio Valley Connector Expansion Project
Primary source
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Published
October 6, 2022
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 193 (Thursday, October 6, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 193 (Thursday, October 6, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60681-60683]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-21766]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP22-44-000]
Equitrans, L.P.; Notice of Availability of the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Ohio Valley Connector
Expansion Project
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS)
for the Ohio Valley Connector Expansion Project (Project), proposed by
Equitrans, LP (Equitrans) in the above-referenced docket. Equitrans
requests authorization to construct and operate approximately 5.5 miles
of new pipeline and pipeline loop \1\; acquire and add compression to
one non-jurisdictional compressor station; and add compression at two
existing compression facilities in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and
Ohio to provide approximately 350,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas
to mid-continent and Gulf Coast markets.
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\1\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed next to an
existing pipeline to increase capacity.
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The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the Project in accordance with the
requirements of the National Environmental policy Act (NEPA). As
described in the draft EIS, FERC staff concludes that approval of the
proposed Project, with the mitigation measures recommended in the EIS,
would not result in significant adverse impacts. Regarding climate
change impacts, this EIS is not characterizing the Project's greenhouse
gas emissions as significant or insignificant because the Commission is
conducting a generic proceeding to determine whether and how the
Commission will conclude significance going forward.\2\ The EIS also
concludes that no system, route, or other alternative would meet the
Project objective while providing a significant environmental advantage
over the Project as proposed.
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\2\ Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Natural Gas
Infrastructure Project Reviews, 178 FERC ] 61,108 (2022); 178 FERC ]
61,197 (2022).
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District, participated
as a cooperating agency in the preparation of
[[Page 60682]]
the EIS. A cooperating agency has jurisdiction by law or special
expertise with respect to resources potentially affected by the
proposal and participates in the NEPA analysis. The EIS is intended to
fulfill the cooperating federal agencies' NEPA obligations, as
applicable, and to support subsequent conclusions and decisions made by
the cooperating agency. Although cooperating agencies provide input to
the conclusions and recommendations presented in a draft EIS, the
agencies may present their own conclusions and recommendations in any
applicable Records of Decision.
The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the following Project facilities:
Greene County, Pennsylvania
<bullet> acquisition of the existing non-jurisdictional Cygrymus
Compressor Station and addition of two Taurus 70 turbines;
<bullet> approximately 0.5 mile of new 16-inch-diameter natural gas
pipeline (H-327);
<bullet> approximately 0.5 mile of new 12-inch-diameter natural gas
pipeline (H-328);
<bullet> deep anode groundbed and rectifier; and
<bullet> ancillary facilities, such as a valve yard, taps, and
internal inspection device (e.g., pig launchers and receivers \3\).
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\3\ A ``pig'' is a tool that the pipeline company inserts into
and pushes through the pipeline for cleaning, conducting internal
inspections, or other purposes.
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Wetzel County, West Virginia
<bullet> addition of one Mars 100 compressor at the existing Corona
Compressor Station;
<bullet> approximately 3.7 miles of new 24-inch-diameter natural
gas pipeline (H-326);
<bullet> approximately 129 feet of new 8-inch-diameter natural gas
pipeline (H-329);
<bullet> approximately 0.7 mile of new 16-inch-diameter natural gas
pipeline (H-330);
<bullet> approximately 0.09 mile of new 16-inch-diameter natural
gas pipeline (H-330 Spur);
<bullet> approximately 160 feet of new 12-inch-diameter natural gas
pipeline; and
<bullet> ancillary facilities, such as mainline valves, valve
yards, measuring equipment, and pigging facilities.
Monroe County, Ohio
<bullet> addition of one Titan 130 compressor at the existing
Plasma Compressor Station.
The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability of the
draft EIS 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 draft EIS is only available in electronic format. It
may be viewed and downloaded from the FERC's website on the natural gas
environmental documents page (<a href="https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents">https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents</a>). In addition, the
draft EIS may be accessed by using the eLibrary link on FERC's website.
Click on the eLibrary link (<a href="https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search">https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search</a>),
select ``General Search,'' and enter the docket number in the ``Docket
Number'' field, excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP22-44). Be
sure to select an appropriate date range. For assistance, please
contact FERC Online Support at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2b6d4e594864454742454e785e5b5b44595f6b4d4e5948054c445d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="51173423321e3f3d383f34022421213e232511373423327f363e27">[email protected]</span></a> or toll free
at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659.
The draft EIS 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 draft EIS may do so.
Your comments should focus on the draft EIS's disclosure and discussion
of potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and
measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. To ensure
consideration of comments on the proposal in the final EIS, it is
important that the Commission receive your comments on or before 5:00
p.m. Eastern Time on November 21, 2022.
For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic
filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-
3676 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b4f2d1c6d7fbdad8dddad1e7c1c4c4dbc6c0f4d2d1c6d79ad3dbc2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="90d6f5e2f3dffefcf9fef5c3e5e0e0ffe2e4d0f6f5e2f3bef7ffe6">[email protected]</span></a>. 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 (<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">www.ferc.gov</a>) under the link to
FERC Online. This 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 on the Commission's website (<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">www.ferc.gov</a>) 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.'' Please
select ``Comment on a Filing'' as the filing type.
3. You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to
the Commission. Be sure to reference the Project docket number (CP22-
44-000) on your letter. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service
must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC
20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to:
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a
motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of
Practice and Procedures (18 Code of Federal Regulations 385.214).
Motions to intervene are more fully described at <a href="https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/ferc-online/how-guides">https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/ferc-online/how-guides</a>. Only intervenors have the right to
seek rehearing or judicial review of the Commission's decision. The
Commission grants intervenor status to affected landowners and others
with environmental concerns upon showing good cause by stating that
they have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding that no other
party can adequately represent. Simply filing environmental comments
will not give you intervenor status, but you do not need intervenor
status to have your comments considered.
Questions?
Additional information about the Project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the
FERC website (<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">www.ferc.gov</a>) 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.
In addition, the Commission offers a free service called
eSubscription that 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 <a href="https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview">https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview</a> to
register for eSubscription.
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Dated: September 30, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-21766 Filed 10-5-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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