82 FR 36130 - Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Mountaineer Xpress and Gulf Xpress Projects

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 148 (August 3, 2017)

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 148 (Thursday, August 3, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36130-36131]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-16346]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Mountaineer Xpress and Gulf Xpress Projects

Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC.   Docket No. CP16-357-000.
Columbia Gulf Transmission, LLC   Docket No. CP16-361-000.
 

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a final environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for the Mountaineer XPress Project (MXP), proposed by Columbia Gas 
Transmission, LLC (Columbia Gas), and the Gulf XPress Project (GXP), 
proposed by Columbia Gulf Transmission, LLC (Columbia Gulf), in the 
above-referenced dockets. Columbia Gas requests authorization to 
construct and operate a total of 170.9 miles of natural gas 
transmission pipeline and ancillary facilities in West Virginia, and to 
modify one existing, one approved, and one pending compressor station. 
The MXP would provide about 2,700,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of 
available capacity for transport to Columbia Gas' TCO Pool \1\ for 
delivery to markets

[[Page 36131]]

across Columbia Pipeline Group's system, including the Columbia Gulf 
Leach interconnect with Columbia Gulf. Columbia Gulf requests 
authorization to construct and operate seven new natural gas-fired 
compressor stations and to upgrade one approved compressor station and 
one existing meter station in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi. The 
GXP would provide about 860,000 Dth/d of natural gas delivery to 
markets in the Gulf Coast region.
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    \1\ The TCO Pool is the main natural gas pooling point for gas 
pricing and trading on Columbia Gas' system. Shippers may make 
deliveries into the TCO Pool from any source of delivery into 
Columbia Gas' system.
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    The EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the MXP and GXP in accordance with the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC 
staff concludes that approval of the proposed projects would result in 
some adverse and significant environmental impacts. However, if the 
projects are constructed and operated in accordance with applicable 
laws and regulations, the mitigation measures discussed in this EIS, 
and our recommendations, these impacts would be reduced to acceptable 
levels.
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, West Virginia Division of 
Natural Resources, and West Virginia Department of Environmental 
Protection participated as cooperating agencies in the preparation of 
this EIS. Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by law or special 
expertise with respect to resources potentially affected by the 
proposal and may participate in the NEPA analysis. The U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers would adopt and use the EIS to comply with the 
requirements of NEPA before issuing permits for the projects under 
section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which governs the discharge of 
dredged or fill material into waters of the United States (including 
wetlands). Although the cooperating agencies provided input to the 
conclusions and recommendations presented in this EIS, the agencies 
would present their own conclusions and recommendations in their 
respective records of decision (where applicable) for the projects.
    The EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation in West Virginia of the following MXP 
facilities:
     About 164.5 miles of new 36-inch-diameter natural gas 
pipeline extending from Marshall County to Cabell County (MXP-100);
     about 6.0 miles of new 24-inch-diameter natural gas 
pipeline in Doddridge County (MXP-200);
     three new compressor stations in Doddridge, Calhoun, and 
Jackson Counties (one that also includes a new regulator station);
     two new regulating stations in Jackson and Cabell 
Counties;
     about 296 feet of new, 10-inch-diameter natural gas 
pipeline at the Ripley Regulator Station to tie Columbia Gas' existing 
X59M1 pipeline into the MXP-100 pipeline in Jackson County;
     an approximately 0.4-mile-long replacement segment of 30-
inch-diameter natural gas pipeline in Cabell County; and
     upgrades to one existing compressor station (Wayne County) 
and two compressor stations (Marshall and Kanawha Counties) that are 
approved or pending, respectively, under separate FERC proceedings.
    The EIS also addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following GXP facilities:
     Seven new compressor stations in Kentucky (Rowan, Garrard, 
and Metcalfe Counties), Tennessee (Davidson and Wayne Counties), and 
Mississippi (Union and Granada Counties);
     upgrades to one approved compressor station in Carter 
County, Kentucky; and
     upgrades at one existing meter station in Boyd County, 
Kentucky.
    The FERC staff mailed copies of the EIS to federal, state, and 
local government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American tribes; 
potentially affected landowners and other interested individuals and 
groups; and newspapers and libraries in the project areas. Paper copies 
of this EIS were mailed to those specifically requesting them; all 
others received a CD version. In addition, the EIS is available for 
public viewing on the FERC's Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary 
link. A limited number of copies are available for distribution and 
public inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public 
Reference Room, 888 First Street NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, 
(202) 502-8371.
    Additional information about the projects is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the 
FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on the 
eLibrary link, click on General Search, and enter the docket number 
excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field (i.e., CP16-
357 and CP16-361). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. 
For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or toll free at (866) 208-3676; for TTY, 
contact (202) 502-8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the 
texts of 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 www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.

    Dated: July 28, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-16346 Filed 8-2-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P