Notice2026-15884
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed NKY Gate Enhancement Project
Primary source
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Published
August 5, 2026
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 149 (Wednesday, August 5, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 149 (Wednesday, August 5, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50527-50528]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-15884]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP26-19-000]
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Availability of the
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed NKY Gate Enhancement Project
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the NKY
Gate Enhancement Project, proposed by Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC
(Columbia) in the above-referenced docket.\1\ Columbia requests
authorization to construct about 30.2 miles of new natural gas
pipeline, abandon 48.5 miles of existing natural gas pipeline, and
construct or abandon associated auxiliary and appurtenant facilities in
Kentucky and Ohio. The project purpose is to enhance the safety,
integrity, and reliability of Columbia's existing natural gas
transmission system by replacing vintage pipeline infrastructure
originally installed in the 1950s with new, modern pipeline facilities.
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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-019-20-000-1770220686.
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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 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 31, 2026.
Instructions for filing comments are provided on page 4.
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 NKY Gate Enhancement Project in
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) \2\ and the Commission's implementing regulations.\3\ 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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\2\ 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).
\3\ 18 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 380.
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The EA addresses the potential environmental effects of the
construction/installation, operation, and abandonment of the following
project facilities:
<bullet> installing about 24.62 miles of new 36-inch-diameter
natural gas transmission pipeline in northeastern Kentucky (Line AM36),
primarily parallelling Columbia's existing Line AM04 and Line AM09
pipelines, crossing the Ohio River and terminating south of Interstate
275 in Ohio;
<bullet> installing about 0.10 mile of new 8-inch-diameter natural
gas pipeline lateral, beginning at Line AM36 milepost (MP) 2.22, and
terminating at the proposed Black River Meter Station in Bracken
County, Kentucky;
<bullet> installing about 0.36 mile of new 24-inch diameter natural
gas pipeline lateral, beginnings at Line AM36 MP 21.50 and terminating
at the proposed Cold Spring Meter Station in Campbell County, Kentucky;
<bullet> installing about 0.06 mile of new 24-inch-diameter natural
gas pipeline lateral, beginning at Line AM36 MP 24.60, and terminating
a customer tie-in in Hamilton County, Ohio;
<bullet> installing about 5.02 miles of new 30-inch-diameter
natural gas pipeline, beginning at Columbia's existing Moorefield Site,
and primarily paralleling the existing Line EKY pipeline, and
terminating at the existing Carlisle Meter Station in Nicholas County,
Kentucky;
<bullet> abandoning in-place and by removal a total of about 22.48
miles of existing 24-inch-diameter, interstate, natural gas
transmission pipeline (Line AM04), beginning at Columbia's existing
Foster Launcher Receiver in Bracken County, KY and terminating before
the Ohio River crossing east of Mary Ingles Highway (KY State Highway
445);
<bullet> abandoning in-place and by removal a total of about 20.50
miles of existing 26-inch-diamter, interstate, natural gas transmission
pipeline (Line AM09), beginning at Columbia's existing Foster Regulator
Station in Bracken County, Kentucky and terminating at Columbia's
existing Cold Spring Meter Station;
<bullet> abandoning in-place and by removal a total of about 4.99
miles of existing 14-inch-diameter, interstate, natural gas
transmission pipeline;
<bullet> abandoning by removal a total of about 0.57 mile of
existing 20-inch-diameter interstate, natural gas transmission
pipeline;
<bullet> constructing four new meter stations (Bracken Meter
Station, Gubsur Mill Meter Station, Parkview Meter Station, UL47 Meter
Station);
<bullet> modifying six existing stations (Foster Regulator Station;
Black River Meter Station, Pendleton Meter Station, Alexandria Meter
Station, Cold Spring Meter Station, Carlisle Meter Station); and
<bullet> installing tap facilities, launchers/receiver sites,
mainline valves, and other associated pipeline facilities.
The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability of the
EA to
[[Page 50528]]
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 libraries and media outlets 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., CP26-19). Be
sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance,
please contact FERC Online Support at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#21674453426e4f4d484f44725451514e535561474453420f464e57"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4f092a3d2c00212326212a1c3a3f3f203d3b0f292a3d2c61282039">[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#75331007163a1b191c1b10260005051a070135131007165b121a03"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="94d2f1e6f7dbfaf8fdfaf1c7e1e4e4fbe6e0d4f2f1e6f7baf3fbe2">[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 (CP26-
19-000) 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#a8e7f8f8e8cecddacb86cfc7de"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="155a454555737067763b727a63">[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: July 31, 2026.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-15884 Filed 8-4-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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