Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc.; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Viola Project

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 198 (Thursday, October 15, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 198 (Thursday, October 15, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65541-65542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21073]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP26-74-000]


Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc.; Notice of Availability 
of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Viola Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the Viola 
Project, proposed by Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc. (Southern 
Star) in the above-referenced docket.\1\ Southern Star requests 
authorization to construct a new meter station, flow station, 
compressor station, and the 19.3-mile-long 16-inch-diameter Line UA 
natural gas pipeline in Sumner County, Kansas. The Viola Project would 
provide up to 116,296 dekatherms per day of natural gas service to the 
planned 710-megwatt combined cycle power generation Viola Plant located 
in Sumner County, Kansas, which is owned and operated by Evergy, Inc. 
(Evergy).
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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-019-20-000-1774341286.
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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 November 9, 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 and the 
lead federal agency for preparation of the EA. The EA assesses the 
potential environmental effects of the Viola Project in accordance with 
the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act \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. Code 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\ Title 18 Code of Federal Regulations Part 380.
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    The EA addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following project facilities:
    <bullet> approximately 19.3 miles of new 16-inch-diameter natural 
gas pipeline (Line UA), which would connect to Southern Star's existing 
20-inch-diamter Line U;
    <bullet> the new Wellington Compressor Station, sited along 
existing Line U, consisting of three compressor units totaling 12,375 
horsepower, along with ancillary station equipment;
    <bullet> the Evergy Flow Control Setting, to regulate the flow of 
natural gas from existing Line U; and
    <bullet> the Evergy Meter Setting, which would connect Line UA to 
the new Evergy Viola Plant.
    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 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., 
CP26-74). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For 
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2b6d4e594864454742454e785e5b5b44595f6b4d4e5948054c445d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="96d0f3e4f5d9f8fafff8f3c5e3e6e6f9e4e2d6f0f3e4f5b8f1f9e0">[email&#160;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

[[Page 65542]]

environmental issues for the Commission to consider when addressing the 
merits of all issues in this proceeding. Under section 7(c) of the 
Natural Gas Act, 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. 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#ce88abbcad81a0a2a7a0ab9dbbbebea1bcba8ea8abbcade0a9a1b8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="185e7d6a7b57767471767d4b6d6868776a6c587e7d6a7b367f776e">[email&#160;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-
74-000) 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, MD 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 (Title 18 Code of Federal 
Regulations Part 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#e0afb0b0a086859283ce878f96"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="94dbc4c4d4f2f1e6f7baf3fbe2">[email&#160;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: October 9, 2026.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-21073 Filed 10-14-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


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