Notice2026-08961
Leaf River Energy Center, LLC; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Leaf River Capacity Expansion Project
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 6, 2026
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 87 (Wednesday, May 6, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 87 (Wednesday, May 6, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24535-24536]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-08961]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket no. CP26-17-000]
Leaf River Energy Center, LLC; Notice of Availability of the
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Leaf River Capacity Expansion
Project
Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. To ensure
consideration of your comments on the proposal prior to making a
decision on the Project, it is important that the Commission receive
your comments on or before 5:00pm Eastern Time on June 1, 2026.
Instructions for filing comments are provided on pages 2 and 3.
FERC is the lead federal agency for authorizing interstate natural
gas transmission and storage facilities under the Natural Gas Act of
1938 (NGA) and the lead federal agency for preparation of the EA. The
EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the Project in
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) \1\ and the Commission's implementing regulations.\2\ The
principal purposes of the EA are to: identify and assess the potential
effects on the natural and human environment; describe and evaluate
reasonable alternatives; identify and recommend mitigation measures;
and facilitate public involvement in the environmental review process.
The EA concludes that approval of the proposed project would not
constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality
of the human environment.
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\1\ National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended
(Public Law [Pub. L.] 91-190. 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347, as amended by
Pub. L. 94-52, July 3, 1975; Pub. L. 94-83, August 9, 1975; Pub. L.
97-258, 4(b), September 13, 1982; Pub. L. 118-5, June 3, 2023; Pub.
L. 119-21, July 4, 2025).
\2\ 18 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 380.
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The EA addresses the potential environmental effects of the
following project facilities:
<bullet> increase the working gas capacity of existing natural gas
storage Caverns 2 and 4 by 2.6 billion standard cubic feet (Bscf);
<bullet> construct and operate new Cavern 5 that would have 12.5
Bscf of working gas capacity, a well pad site, wellhead
[[Page 24536]]
equipment, and other pipeline appurtenances;
<bullet> construct a utility Service Corridor that includes 16- and
24-inch-diameter gas pipeline headers, 16-inch-diameter fresh water and
brine lines, and appurtenant facilities to connect Cavern 5 with
existing facilities;
<bullet> install two new gas-powered centrifugal compressors with a
total of 27,010 horsepower at the Compression Facility, including
enclosures, ancillary facilities, and equipment; and
<bullet> install one new 6,130 horsepower of gas-powered
centrifugal compressor at an existing Booster Station.
The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability of the
EA to federal, state, and local government representatives and
agencies; elected officials; Native American tribes; environmental and
public interest groups; potentially affected landowners and other
interested individuals and groups; and newspapers and libraries in the
project area. The EA 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 EA 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.
CP26-17). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a5e3c0d7c6eacbc9cccbc0f6d0d5d5cad7d1e5c3c0d7c68bc2cad3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b2f4d7c0d1fddcdedbdcd7e1c7c2c2ddc0c6f2d4d7c0d19cd5ddc4">[email protected]</span></a> or toll free at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY,
contact (202) 502-8659.
The EA 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.
Under section 7(c) of the NGA, the Commission determines whether
interstate natural gas transportation and storage facilities are in the
public convenience and necessity and, if so, grants a Certificate of
Public Convenience and Necessity to construct and operate them. The
Commission bases its decisions on both economic issues, including need,
and environmental effects.
Your comments should focus on the EA's disclosure and discussion of
potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures
to avoid or lessen environmental effects. The more specific your
comments, the more useful they will be. For your convenience, there are
three methods you can use to file 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#24624156476b4a484d4a41775154544b565064424156470a434b52"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7e381b0c1d31101217101b2d0b0e0e110c0a3e181b0c1d50191108">[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 also file your comments electronically 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.'' 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 Commission. Be sure to reference the project docket numbers (CP26-
17-000) 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, Maryland 20852.
Filing environmental comments will not give you intervenor status,
but you do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered.
Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or judicial review of
the Commission's decision. At this point in this proceeding, the
timeframe for filing timely intervention requests has expired. Any
person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a motion
to intervene out-of-time pursuant to Rule 214(b)(3) and (d) of the
Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214(b)(3) and
(d)) and show good cause why the time limitation should be waived.
Motions to intervene are more fully described at <a href="https://www.ferc.gov/how-intervene">https://www.ferc.gov/how-intervene</a>.
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#9ed1cecedef8fbecfdb0f9f1e8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="39766969795f5c4b5a175e564f">[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. 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 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 <a href="https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview">https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview</a> to
register for eSubscription.
(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1.)
Dated: May 1, 2026.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-08961 Filed 5-5-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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