Notice2026-19907
Guardian Pipeline, LLC; Notice of Schedule for the Preparation of an Environmental Assessment for the Guardian 3 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
September 29, 2026
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 187 (Tuesday, September 29, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 187 (Tuesday, September 29, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 61390]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-19907]
[[Page 61390]]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP26-548-000]
Guardian Pipeline, LLC; Notice of Schedule for the Preparation of
an Environmental Assessment for the Guardian 3 Expansion Project
On July 1, 2026, Guardian Pipeline, LLC (Guardian) filed an
application in Docket No. CP26-548-000 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 in Illinois and Wisconsin. The proposed project is known as
the Guardian 3 Expansion Project (Project) and would provide about
536,903 dekatherms/day (Dth/day) of long-term firm transportation
capacity to help meet the growing demand for additional natural gas
supplies in Wisconsin and neighboring states.
On July 14, 2026, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(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-019-20-000-1785915466.
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Schedule for Environmental Review
Issuance of EA--March 5, 2027
90-day Federal Authorization Decision Deadline \2\--June 3, 2027.
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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.
In accordance with Title 41 of the Fixing America's Surface
Transportation Act, agencies are to publish completion dates for all
federal environmental reviews and authorizations. This notice
identifies the Commission's anticipated schedule for issuance of the
final order for the project, which is based on the anticipated issuance
date for the final EA. We currently anticipate issuing a final order
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for the project no later than:
Issuance of Final Order--June 17, 2027
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
The Project would consist of the following facilities:
<bullet> approximately 42.6 miles of 36-inch-diameter looping
natural gas pipeline (Juliet Loop) in Kendall and DeKalb counties,
Illinois;
<bullet> approximately 25.5 miles of 36-inch-diameter looping
natural gas pipeline (Sycamore Loop) in DeKalb and McHenry counties,
Illinois;
<bullet> two new 11,110-horsepower (HP) compressor units within
Guardian's existing Joliet Compressor Station (CS) in Will County,
Illinois;
<bullet> modifications to the compression facilities within
Guardian's existing Sycamore CS in DeKalb County, Illinois;
<bullet> a greenfield 9,000-HP CS (Eden CS) in Dodge County,
Wisconsin;
<bullet> a greenfield meter and regulator station (MS) (Sheboygan
MS) in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin; and
<bullet> other appurtenant pipeline facilities in Illinois.
Background
On July 29, 2026, the Commission issued a Notice of Scoping Period
Requesting Comments on Environmental Issues for the Proposed Guardian 3
Expansion Project (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 to the Notice of Scoping, the Commission
received comments from The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and
twelve stakeholders. The primary issues raised by the commenters are
noise impacts and mitigation, agricultural drainage, pipeline safety,
and landowner notification. Eight comments were submitted expressing
support of the Project. One protest was filed that addresses legal,
procedural, environmental, agricultural, hydrologic and operational
aspects of the Project. All substantive comments will be addressed in
the EA.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)--Chicago District, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency Region 5, U.S. Department of
Agriculture--Natural Resources Conservation Service--Illinois are
cooperating agencies 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#2b647b7b6b4d4e5948054c445d"><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, select ``General
Search'' from the eLibrary menu, enter the selected date range and
``Docket Number'' excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP26-548), 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#dc9a998e9f93b2b0b5b2b98fa9acacb3aea89cbab9aebff2bbb3aa"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="763033243539181a1f181325030606190402361013041558111900">[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: September 24, 2026.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-19907 Filed 9-28-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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