Document ID: FERC-2017-0021-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Environmental Impact Statements; Availability, etc.: Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC Atlantic Sunrise Project
Posted Date: 2017-01-09T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 5 (Monday, January 9, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2344-2345]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-00073]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP15-138-000]

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC; Notice of 
Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Proposed Atlantic Sunrise Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a final environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for the Atlantic Sunrise Project, proposed by Transcontinental Gas Pipe 
Line Company, LLC (Transco) in the above-referenced docket. Transco 
requests authorization to expand its existing pipeline system from the 
Marcellus Shale production area in northern Pennsylvania to deliver an 
incremental 1.7 million dekatherms per day of year-round firm 
transportation capacity to its existing southeastern market areas.
    The final EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the project in accordance with the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC 
staff concludes that approval of the project would result in some 
adverse environmental impacts; however, most of these impacts would be 
reduced to less-than-significant levels with the implementation of 
Transco's proposed mitigation and the additional measures recommended 
in the final EIS.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service participated as 
cooperating agencies in the preparation of the final EIS. Cooperating 
agencies have jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to 
resources potentially affected by the proposal and participate in the 
NEPA analysis. Although the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the 
Natural Resources Conservation Service provided input to the 
conclusions and recommendations presented in the final EIS, the 
agencies will present their own conclusions and recommendations in 
their respective records of decision or determinations for the project.
    The final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of about 199.4 miles of pipeline composed of 
the following facilities:
     185.9 miles of new 30- and 42-inch-diameter natural gas 
pipeline in Pennsylvania;
     11.0 miles of new 36- and 42-inch-diameter pipeline 
looping in Pennsylvania;
     2.5 miles of 30-inch-diameter replacements in Virginia; 
and
     associated equipment and facilities.
    The project's proposed aboveground facilities include two new 
compressor stations in Pennsylvania; additional compression and related 
modifications to three existing compressor stations in Pennsylvania and 
Maryland; two new meter stations and three new regulator stations in 
Pennsylvania; and minor modifications at existing aboveground 
facilities at various locations in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, 
North Carolina, and South Carolina to allow for bi-directional flow and 
the installation of supplemental odorization, odor detection, and/or 
odor masking/deodorization equipment.
    The FERC staff mailed copies of the final 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; newspapers and libraries in the project area; and parties to 
this proceeding. Paper copy versions of this EIS were mailed to those 
specifically requesting them; all others received a CD version. In 
addition, the final 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.
    In accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) 
regulations implementing NEPA, no agency decision on a proposed action 
may be made until 30 days after the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency publishes a notice of availability of the final EIS in the 
Federal Register. However, the CEQ regulations provide an exception to 
this rule when an agency decision is subject to a formal internal 
appeal process that allows other agencies or the public to make their 
views known. In such cases, the agency decision may be made at the same 
time the notice of the final EIS is published, allowing both periods to 
run concurrently. The Commission decision for this proposed action is 
subject to a 30-day rehearing period.
    Additional information about the project 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., CP15-
138). 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; 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 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

[[Page 2345]]

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: December 30, 2016.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-00073 Filed 1-6-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P