Notice2026-03787
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Schedule for the Preparation of an Environmental Assessment for the Southeast Virginia Energy Storage Project
Primary source
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Published
February 25, 2026
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 37 (Wednesday, February 25, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 37 (Wednesday, February 25, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9249-9250]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-03787]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP26-20-000]
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Schedule for the
Preparation of an Environmental Assessment for the Southeast Virginia
Energy Storage Project
On November 13, 2025, Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC (Columbia)
filed an application in Docket No. CP26-20-000 requesting a Certificate
of Public Convenience and Necessity pursuant to Section 7(c) of the
Natural Gas Act to construct and operate certain natural gas pipeline
facilities. The proposed project is known as the Southeast Virginia
Energy Storage Project (Project), consisting of a new energy storage
facility that upon completion would provide up to 1,100,000 dekatherms
per day of commercial natural gas storage capacity in Sussex County,
Virginia.
On November 24, 2025, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[[Page 9250]]
(Commission or FERC) issued its Notice of Application for the Project.
Among other things, that notice alerted agencies issuing federal
authorizations of the requirement to complete all necessary reviews and
to reach a final decision on a request for a federal authorization
within 90 days of the date of issuance of the Commission staff's
environmental document for the Project.
This notice identifies Commission staff's intention to prepare an
environmental assessment (EA) for the Project and the planned schedule
for the completion of the environmental review.\1\ The EA will be
issued for a 30-day comment period.
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\1\ For tracking purposes under the National Environmental
Policy Act, the unique identification number for documents relating
to this environmental review is EAXX-019-20-000-1769775072.
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Schedule for Environmental Review
Issuance of EA--July 17, 2026
90-day Federal Authorization Decision Deadline \2\--October 15, 2026
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\2\ The Commission's deadline applies to the decisions of other
federal agencies, and state agencies acting under federally
delegated authority, that are responsible for federal
authorizations, permits, and other approvals necessary for proposed
projects under the Natural Gas Act. Per 18 CFR 157.22(a), the
Commission's deadline for other agency's decisions applies unless a
schedule is otherwise established by federal law.
If a schedule change becomes necessary, additional notice will be
provided so that the relevant agencies are kept informed of the
Project's progress.
Project Description
Columbia proposes to construct and operate the new Waverly Energy
Storage Facility comprised of the following facilities in Sussex
County, Virginia: a new 1.3 billion cubic feet liquified natural gas
storage (LNG) storage tank; associated liquefaction and vaporization
facilities; approximately 5,398 feet of 12-inch-diameter natural gas
pipeline connecting to Columbia's existing VM-107 and VM-108 pipelines;
and other appurtenant facilities on the site. The new Waverly Energy
Storage Facility would be constructed on 22.5 acres of land within a
700-acre parcel recently purchased by Columbia.
Background
On January 13, 2026, the Commission issued a Notice of Scoping
Period Requesting Comments on Environmental Issues for the Proposed
Southeast Virginia Energy Storage Project and Notice of Public Scoping
Session (Notice of Scoping). The Notice of Scoping was sent to affected
landowners; federal, state, and local government agencies; elected
officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native American
tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers.
In response, the Commission received comments from the Virginia Chamber
of Commerce, Virginia Natural Gas, Inc., and Virginia State Senator
Emily M. Jordan, the Newport News Shipbuilding, the Hampton Roads
Chamber of Commerce, an adjacent landowner, and the Hampton Roads
Military and Federal Facilities Alliance in support of the Project. The
Viginia Department of Environmental Quality provided comments
concerning the state's role in the NEPA process. All substantive
comments will be addressed in the EA.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration is a cooperating agency in the
preparation of the EA.
Additional Information
In order to receive notification of the issuance of the EA and to
keep track of formal issuances and submittals in specific dockets, the
Commission offers a free service called eSubscription. This service
provides automatic notification of filings made to subscribed dockets,
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.
For public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as
interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, contact the Office
of Public Participation at (202) 502-6595 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ace3fcfceccac9decf82cbc3da"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d09f808090b6b5a2b3feb7bfa6">[email protected]</span></a>.
Additional information about the Project is available from the FERC
website (<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">www.ferc.gov</a>). Using the ``eLibrary'' link, select ``General
Search'' from the eLibrary menu, enter the selected date range and
``Docket Number'' excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP26-20-000),
and follow the instructions. For assistance with access to eLibrary,
the helpline can be reached at (866) 208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or
at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4a0c0f180905242623242f193f3a3a25383e0a2c2f3829642d253c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d2949780919dbcbebbbcb781a7a2a2bda0a692b4b7a0b1fcb5bda4">[email protected]</span></a>. The eLibrary link on the FERC website
also provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rule makings.
(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)
Dated: February 20, 2026.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-03787 Filed 2-24-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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