Document ID: FERC-2022-1512-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Environmental Impact Statements; Availability, etc.: Gas Transmission Northwest, LLC, GTN XPress Project
Posted Date: 2022-11-25T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 226 (Friday, November 25, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 72472]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-25715]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP22-2-000]

Gas Transmission Northwest LLC; Notice of Availability of the 
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed GTN Xpress 
Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a final environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for the GTN XPress Project (Project), proposed by Gas Transmission 
Northwest LLC (GTN) in the above-referenced docket. GTN proposes to 
modify existing compressor stations in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. 
This Project would increase the capacity of GTN's existing natural gas 
transmission system by about 150 million standard cubic feet per day 
between Idaho and Oregon. According to GTN, the Project is necessary to 
serve the growing market demand its system is experiencing.
    The final EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of 
modifying and installing new facilities at the existing compressor 
stations in accordance with the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that approval 
of the proposed Project, with the mitigation measures recommended in 
the EIS, would result in some adverse environmental impacts, but none 
that are considered significant. Regarding climate change impacts, the 
EIS is not characterizing the Project's greenhouse gas emissions as 
significant or insignificant because the Commission is conducting a 
generic proceeding to determine whether and how the Commission will 
conduct significance determinations going forward.\1\ The EIS also 
concludes that no system or other alternative would meet the Project 
objectives while providing a significant environmental advantage over 
the Project as proposed.
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    \1\ Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Natural Gas 
Infrastructure Project Reviews, 178 FERC ] 61,108 (2022); 178 FERC ] 
61,197 (2022).
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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency participated as a 
cooperating agency in the preparation of the EIS. A cooperating agency 
has jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to resources 
potentially affected by the proposal and participates in the NEPA 
analysis.
    The final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of 
construction and operation of the following Project facilities at GTN's 
existing compressor stations:

Athol Compressor Station (Kootenai County, Idaho)

     Uprate an existing Solar Turban Titan 130 gas-fired 
turbine compressor from 14,300 horsepower (HP) to 23,470 HP via a 
software upgrade only, no mechanical work or ground disturbance would 
occur at this location.

Starbuck Compressor Station (Walla Walla County, Washington)

     Uprate an existing Solar Turban Titan 130 gas-fired 
turbine compressor from 14,300 HP to 23,470 HP; and
     Install a new 23,470 HP Solar Turbine Titan 130 gas-fired 
turbine compressor, 3 new gas cooling bays, and associated piping.

Kent Compressor Station (Sherman County, Oregon)

     Uprate an existing Solar Turban Titan 130 gas-fired 
turbine compressor from 14,300 HP to 23,470 HP;
     Install 4 new gas cooling bays and associated piping; and
     Improve an existing access road.
    The new Starbuck Compressor Station facilities would be located 
within the fenced boundaries of the existing site. The new Kent 
Compressor Station facilities would be located in an expanded and 
fenced area abutting the existing site.
    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability of the 
final EIS to federal, state, and local government representatives and 
agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; 
Indian tribes; potentially affected landowners and other interested 
individuals and groups; and newspapers and libraries in the Project 
area. The final EIS 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 final EIS 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., CP22-2). 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, or for TTY, 
contact (202) 502-8659.
    The EIS 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.
    Additional information about the Project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on 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 that 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.

    Dated: November 18, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-25715 Filed 11-23-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P