Notice2026-11090
Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Cape Cod Canal Pipeline Relocation 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
June 3, 2026
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 3, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 3, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33166-33168]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-11090]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP25-552-000]
Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Availability of the
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Cape Cod Canal Pipeline
Relocation Project
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the Cape
Cod Canal Pipeline Relocation Project proposed by Algonquin Gas
Transmission, LLC (Algonquin) in the above-referenced docket.\1\
Algonquin requests authorization to modify its existing interstate
natural gas pipeline system facilities within the Town of Bourne,
Barnstable County, Massachusetts, to accommodate the Massachusetts
Department of Transportation's planned replacement of the Bourne Bridge
and Sagamore Bridge by the Cape Cod Canal Bridges Program.\2\ The
purpose of Algonquin's proposed project is to accommodate the
replacement of the Bourne Bridge and Sagamore Bridge while continuing
to provide uninterrupted natural gas service to the National Grid
distribution system on both sides of the Cape Cod Canal.
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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-019-20-000-1763050824.
\2\ The Cape Cod Canal Bridges Program is being undertaken by
the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to improve cross-
canal mobility and accessibility between Cape Cod and mainland
Massachusetts and to address the increasing maintenance needs and
functional obsolescence of the aging Sagamore and Bourne Highway
Bridges (<a href="https://www.mass.gov/info-details/program-background-cape-cod-bridges-program">https://www.mass.gov/info-details/program-background-cape-cod-bridges-program</a>).
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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 29, 2026.
Instructions for filing comments are provided on page 3.
FERC is the lead federal agency for authorizing interstate natural
gas transmission 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 Cape Cod Canal Pipeline
Relocation Project in accordance with the requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act
[[Page 33167]]
(NEPA) \3\ and the Commission's implementing regulations.\4\ 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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\3\ 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, Sec. 4(b), September 13, 1982; Pub. L. 118-5, June 3, 2023;
Pub. L. 119-21, July 4, 2025).
\4\ 18 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 380.
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, and the Massachusetts Army National Guard participated as
cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EA. Cooperating agencies
have jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to resources
potentially affected by the proposal and participate in the NEPA
analysis. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will adopt and use the EA to
consider the issuance of authorizations under Section 10 of the Rivers
and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 United States Code [U.S.C.] Section 403),
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344), Section 408 of the
River and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 408), and real estate
outgrants for the portion of the project on its property. Although the
cooperating agencies provided input to the conclusions and
recommendations presented in the EA, the agencies will present their
own conclusions and recommendations in their respective Record of
Decisions for the project.
The EA addresses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation, and abandonment of the following project
facilities:
<bullet> Abandonment by removal of 0.61 mile of existing 8-inch-
diameter G-8C pipeline; 0.61 mile of existing 8-inch-diameter G-8L
pipeline; 0.31 mile of existing 8-inch-diameter G-11 pipeline; 0.49
mile of existing 18-inch-diameter G-24 pipeline; and two existing
metering & regulating (M&R) stations, including tie-ins--Sagamore M&R
Station and Bourne M&R Station.
<bullet> Abandonment in place of 0.72 mile of existing 8-inch-
diameter G-8C pipeline and 0.72 mile of existing 8-inch-diameter G-8L
pipeline.
<bullet> Construction of 0.43 mile of 8-inch-diameter G-11 pipeline
and 0.66 mile of 18-inch-diameter G-24 pipeline (relocated lines to the
segments of existing G-11 and G-24 pipelines that would be abandoned);
3.03 miles of 16-inch-diameter G-32 pipeline and 2.17 miles of 18-inch-
diameter G-31 pipeline to replace National Grid's existing pipelines
currently attached to the existing Bourne and Sagamore Bridges; four
new M&R stations--Pave Paws Road M&R Station, Bourne Rotary M&R
Station, and relocated Sagamore M&R Station and Bourne M&R Station; and
60 feet of 8-inch-diameter G-8L pipeline and 20 feet of 6-inch-diameter
G-8C pipeline to tie into the new Bourne M&R Station.
<bullet> Expansion of one existing valve site at the origin of the
G-31 pipeline.
<bullet> Installation of pig launchers and receivers on the G-31
and G-32 pipelines, and at the reconfigured terminus points of the G-
11, G-8C, and G-8L pipelines.
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 media outlets 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.
CP25-552). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#23654651406c4d4f4a4d46705653534c515763454651400d444c55"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="52143720311d3c3e3b3c37012722223d202612343720317c353d24">[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 facilities are in the public
convenience and necessity and, if so, grants a Certificate of Public
Convenience and Necessity to construct and operate them. Section 7(b)
of the NGA specifies that no natural gas company shall abandon any
portion of its facilities subject to the Commission's jurisdiction
without the Commission first finding that the abandonment will not
negatively affect the present or future public convenience and
necessity. 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#b3f5d6c1d0fcdddfdaddd6e0c6c3c3dcc1c7f3d5d6c1d09dd4dcc5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="eea88b9c8da1808287808bbd9b9e9e819c9aae888b9c8dc0898198">[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 number (CP25-
552-000) 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
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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#044b545444626176672a636b72"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bff0efefffd9dacddc91d8d0c9">[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 29, 2026.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-11090 Filed 6-2-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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