ETC Tiger Pipeline, LLC; Notice of Schedule for the Preparation of an Environmental Assessment for the Franklin Farms Project

Issuing agencies

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 207 (Wednesday, October 28, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 207 (Wednesday, October 28, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67830-67831]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21989]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP26-549-000]


ETC Tiger Pipeline, LLC; Notice of Schedule for the Preparation 
of an Environmental Assessment for the Franklin Farms Project

    On July 1, 2026, ETC Tiger Pipeline, LLC (ETC Tiger) filed an 
application in Docket No. CP26-61-000 requesting a Certificate of 
Public Convenience and Necessity pursuant to Section 7c of the Natural 
Gas Act to construct and operate certain natural gas facilities. The 
proposed project, known as the Franklin Farms Project (Project), would 
enable ETC Tiger to provide Entergy Louisiana, LLC with 250,000 
dekatherms per day of firm transportation service mainline capacity and 
1,000,000 dekatherms per day of capacity on a newly constructed lateral 
for a new artificial intelligence data center campus in Richland 
Parish, Louisiana.
    On July 16, 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-019-20-000-1788263742.
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Schedule for Environmental Review

Issuance of EA January 8, 2027
90-day Federal Authorization Decision Deadline \2\ April 8, 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.

    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

    ETC Tiger is proposing to construct and operate the following 
facilities in Richland Parish, Louisiana:
    <bullet> approximately 13.2 miles of new 36-inch-diameter 
greenfield pipeline (Franklin Farms Lateral);
    <bullet> approximately 1.75 miles of 20-inch-diameter pipeline 
lateral (Franklin Farms Trio Farm Lateral);
    <bullet> the Franklin Farms, Bee Bayou, and Trio Farm Delivery 
Meter Stations;
    <bullet> the Midcontinent Express, Gulf South, and Gulf Crossing 
Receipt Meter Stations and the Gulf Run Bi-directional Meter Station;
    <bullet> the Franklin Farms Interconnect; and
    <bullet> three new mainline valves and other related appurtenant 
facilities.

Background

    On August 25, 2026, the Commission issued a Notice of Scoping 
Period Requesting Comments on Environmental Issues for the Proposed 
Franklin Farms Project (Notice of Scoping). The Notice of Scoping was 
sent to affected landowners; federal, state, and local government 
agencies; elected officials; Native American tribes; environmental and 
public interest groups; other interested parties; local libraries, and 
media outlets. To date, the Commission has received comments from the 
Sierra Club, one individual, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 
and Restore Explicit Symmetry To Our Ravaged Earth (RESTORE). The 
primary issues raised by the Sierra Club are concerns regarding 
alternatives, adverse effects on land use, water resources and water 
quality, wetlands, wildlife habitats, migratory birds, endangered 
species, soil erosion, air quality, and noise. The individual filed a 
comment opposed to the project and raised concerns about increased 
energy costs consumers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
recommended that the environmental document address water quality, 
groundwater, National

[[Page 67831]]

Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit coverage, ambient air 
conditions and air quality effects, and solid and hazardous waste 
generated. RESTORE filed comments regarding concerns of geological 
hazards impacting the pipeline and related impacts from the new Data 
Center in the project area. All substantive comments will be addressed 
in 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#f8b7a8a8b89e9d8a9bd69f978e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="27687777674142554409404851">[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, select ``General 
Search'' from the eLibrary menu, enter the selected date range and 
``Docket Number'' excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP26-549), 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#fbbdbea9b8b4959792959ea88e8b8b94898fbb9d9e8998d59c948d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="75333027363a1b191c1b10260005051a070135131007165b121a03">[email&#160;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: October 23, 2026.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-21989 Filed 10-27-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


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