Notice2022-25715
Gas Transmission Northwest LLC; Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed GTN Xpress Project
Primary source
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Published
November 25, 2022
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 226 (Friday, November 25, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 226 (Friday, November 25, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 72472]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-25715]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP22-2-000]
Gas Transmission Northwest LLC; Notice of Availability of the
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed GTN Xpress
Project
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared a final environmental impact statement (EIS)
for the GTN XPress Project (Project), proposed by Gas Transmission
Northwest LLC (GTN) in the above-referenced docket. GTN proposes to
modify existing compressor stations in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.
This Project would increase the capacity of GTN's existing natural gas
transmission system by about 150 million standard cubic feet per day
between Idaho and Oregon. According to GTN, the Project is necessary to
serve the growing market demand its system is experiencing.
The final EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of
modifying and installing new facilities at the existing compressor
stations in accordance with the requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that approval
of the proposed Project, with the mitigation measures recommended in
the EIS, would result in some adverse environmental impacts, but none
that are considered significant. Regarding climate change impacts, the
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
conduct significance determinations going forward.\1\ The EIS also
concludes that no system or other alternative would meet the Project
objectives while providing a significant environmental advantage over
the Project as proposed.
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\1\ 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. Environmental Protection Agency participated as a
cooperating agency in the preparation of 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 final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of
construction and operation of the following Project facilities at GTN's
existing compressor stations:
Athol Compressor Station (Kootenai County, Idaho)
<bullet> Uprate an existing Solar Turban Titan 130 gas-fired
turbine compressor from 14,300 horsepower (HP) to 23,470 HP via a
software upgrade only, no mechanical work or ground disturbance would
occur at this location.
Starbuck Compressor Station (Walla Walla County, Washington)
<bullet> Uprate an existing Solar Turban Titan 130 gas-fired
turbine compressor from 14,300 HP to 23,470 HP; and
<bullet> Install a new 23,470 HP Solar Turbine Titan 130 gas-fired
turbine compressor, 3 new gas cooling bays, and associated piping.
Kent Compressor Station (Sherman County, Oregon)
<bullet> Uprate an existing Solar Turban Titan 130 gas-fired
turbine compressor from 14,300 HP to 23,470 HP;
<bullet> Install 4 new gas cooling bays and associated piping; and
<bullet> Improve an existing access road.
The new Starbuck Compressor Station facilities would be located
within the fenced boundaries of the existing site. The new Kent
Compressor Station facilities would be located in an expanded and
fenced area abutting the existing site.
The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability of the
final EIS to federal, state, and local government representatives and
agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups;
Indian tribes; potentially affected landowners and other interested
individuals and groups; and newspapers and libraries in the Project
area. The final EIS is only available in electronic format. It may be
viewed and downloaded from the FERC's website (<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">www.ferc.gov</a>), 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 final EIS may be accessed by using the eLibrary link on
the 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., CP22-2). Be sure you have selected an appropriate
date range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4e082b3c2d01202227202b1d3b3e3e213c3a0e282b3c2d60292138"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="04426176674b6a686d6a61577174746b767044626176672a636b72">[email protected]</span></a> or toll free at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY,
contact (202) 502-8659.
The 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.
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.
Dated: November 18, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-25715 Filed 11-23-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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