The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the Cape Cod Canal Pipeline Relocation Project proposed by Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC (Algonquin) in the above-referenced docket.^[1] Algonquin requests authorization to modify its existing interstate natural gas pipeline system facilities within the Town of Bourne, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, to accommodate the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's planned replacement of the Bourne Bridge and Sagamore Bridge by the Cape Cod Canal Bridges Program.^[2] The purpose of Algonquin's proposed project is to accommodate the replacement of the Bourne Bridge and Sagamore Bridge while continuing to provide uninterrupted natural gas service to the National Grid distribution system on both sides of the Cape Cod Canal.

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 5:00pm Eastern Time on June 29, 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 (NGA) and the lead federal agency for preparation of the EA. The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the Cape Cod Canal Pipeline Relocation Project in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act ( printed page 33167) (NEPA) ^[3] and the Commission's implementing regulations.^[4] 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.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Massachusetts Army National Guard participated as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EA. Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to resources potentially affected by the proposal and participate in the NEPA analysis. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will adopt and use the EA to consider the issuance of authorizations under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 United States Code [U.S.C.] Section 403), Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344), Section 408 of the River and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 408), and real estate outgrants for the portion of the project on its property. Although the cooperating agencies provided input to the conclusions and recommendations presented in the EA, the agencies will present their own conclusions and recommendations in their respective Record of Decisions for the project.

The EA addresses the potential environmental effects of the construction and operation, and abandonment of the following project facilities:

• Abandonment by removal of 0.61 mile of existing 8-inch-diameter G-8C pipeline; 0.61 mile of existing 8-inch-diameter G-8L pipeline; 0.31 mile of existing 8-inch-diameter G-11 pipeline; 0.49 mile of existing 18-inch-diameter G-24 pipeline; and two existing metering & regulating (M&R) stations, including tie-ins—Sagamore M&R Station and Bourne M&R Station.
• Abandonment in place of 0.72 mile of existing 8-inch-diameter G-8C pipeline and 0.72 mile of existing 8-inch-diameter G-8L pipeline.
• Construction of 0.43 mile of 8-inch-diameter G-11 pipeline and 0.66 mile of 18-inch-diameter G-24 pipeline (relocated lines to the segments of existing G-11 and G-24 pipelines that would be abandoned); 3.03 miles of 16-inch-diameter G-32 pipeline and 2.17 miles of 18-inch-diameter G-31 pipeline to replace National Grid's existing pipelines currently attached to the existing Bourne and Sagamore Bridges; four new M&R stations—Pave Paws Road M&R Station, Bourne Rotary M&R Station, and relocated Sagamore M&R Station and Bourne M&R Station; and 60 feet of 8-inch-diameter G-8L pipeline and 20 feet of 6-inch-diameter G-8C pipeline to tie into the new Bourne M&R Station.
• Expansion of one existing valve site at the origin of the G-31 pipeline.
• Installation of pig launchers and receivers on the G-31 and G-32 pipelines, and at the reconfigured terminus points of the G-11, G-8C, and G-8L pipelines.

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 media outlets and libraries in the project area. The EA is only available in electronic format. It may be viewed and downloaded from the FERC's website ( www.ferc.gov), on the natural gas environmental documents page ( https://www.ferc.gov/​industries-data/​natural-gas/​environment/​environmental-documents). In addition, the EA may be accessed by using the eLibrary link on the FERC's website. Click on the eLibrary link ( https://elibrary.ferc.gov/​eLibrary/​search), select “General Search” and enter the docket number in the “Docket Number” field, excluding the last three digits ( i.e. CP25-552). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov 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 FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. 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 ( www.ferc.gov) 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 ( www.ferc.gov) 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 (CP25-552-000) 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 ( printed page 33168) 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 https://www.ferc.gov/​how-intervene.

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 OPP@ferc.gov. Additional information about the project is available from the FERC website ( www.ferc.gov) 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 https://www.ferc.gov/​ferc-online/​overview to register for eSubscription.

(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)