Document ID: FERC-2022-0644-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Environmental Issues: Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co., LLC, Southeast Energy Connector Project
Posted Date: 2022-05-25T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 101 (Wednesday, May 25, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31867-31869]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-11244]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF22-6-000]

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC; Notice of Scoping 
Period Requesting Comments on Environmental Issues for the Planned 
Southeast Energy Connector Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental document that will discuss 
the environmental impacts of the Southeast Energy Connector Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities by Transcontinental 
Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC (Transco) in Coosa and Chilton Counties, 
Alabama. The Commission will use this environmental document in its 
decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the 
public convenience and necessity.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the 
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested 
agencies regarding the project. As part of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) review process, the Commission takes into account 
concerns the public may have about proposals and the environmental 
impacts that could result from its action whenever it considers the 
issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. This 
gathering of public input is referred to as ``scoping.'' The main goal 
of the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the environmental 
document on the important environmental issues. Additional information 
about the Commission's NEPA process is described below in the NEPA 
Process and Environmental Document section of this notice.
    By this notice, the Commission requests public comments on the 
scope of issues to address in the environmental document. To ensure 
that your comments are timely and properly recorded, please submit your 
comments so that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or 
before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on June 20, 2022. Comments may be 
submitted in written. Further details on how to submit written comments 
are provided in the Public Participation section of this notice.
    Your comments should focus on the potential environmental effects, 
reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental 
impacts. Your input will help the Commission staff determine what 
issues they need to evaluate in the environmental document. Commission 
staff will consider all written comments during the preparation of the 
environmental document.
    If you submitted comments on this project to the Commission before 
the opening of this docket on February 22, 2022, you will need to file 
those comments in Docket No. PF22-6-000 to ensure they are considered.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for this project. State and local government 
representatives should notify their constituents of this planned 
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a pipeline company 
representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to 
construct, operate, and maintain the planned facilities. The company 
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable easement agreement. You 
are not required to enter into an agreement. However, if the Commission 
approves the project, the Natural Gas Act conveys the right of eminent 
domain to the company. Therefore, if you and the company do not reach 
an easement agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation 
proceedings in court. In such instances, compensation would be 
determined by a judge in accordance with state law. The Commission does 
not subsequently grant, exercise, or oversee the exercise of that 
eminent domain authority. The courts have exclusive authority to handle 
eminent domain cases; the Commission has no jurisdiction over these 
matters.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' addresses typically 
asked questions, including the use of eminent domain and how to 
participate in the Commission's proceedings. This fact sheet along with 
other landowner topics of interest are available for viewing on the 
FERC website (www.ferc.gov) under the links to Natural Gas Questions or 
Landowner Topics.

Public Participation

    There are three methods you can use to submit your comments to the 
Commission. Please carefully follow these instructions so that your 
comments are properly recorded. The Commission encourages electronic 
filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-
3676 or [email protected].
    (1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment 
feature, which is located on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) 
under the link to FERC Online. Using eComment is an easy method for 
submitting brief, text-only comments on a project;
    (2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling 
feature, which is also located 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 will be asked to select the type of 
filing you are making; a comment on a particular project is considered 
a ``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 (PF22-6-
000) on your letter. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must 
be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. 
Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Kimberly 
D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins 
Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
    It is important to note that the Commission provides equal 
consideration to all comments received.
    Additionally, the Commission offers a free service called 
eSubscription, which makes it easy to stay informed of all issuances 
and submittals regarding the dockets/projects to which you subscribe. 
These instant email notifications are the fastest way to receive 
notification and provide a link to the document files which can reduce 
the amount of time you spend researching proceedings. Go to https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to register for eSubscription.

[[Page 31868]]

Summary of the Planned Project

    Transco plans to install a new compressor unit and modify 
compressor units at Transco's existing Compressor Station 105 located 
in Coosa County, Alabama and construct the 1.83 mile 42-inch-diameter 
Chilton Loop pipeline in Coosa and Chilton Counties, Alabama. The 
general location of the planned project facilities is shown in appendix 
1.\1\ Specifically, the Southeast Energy Connector Project would 
consist of the following facilities:
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in 
the Federal Register. Copies of the appendices were sent to all 
those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at 
www.ferc.gov using the link called ``eLibrary''. For instructions on 
connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice. At 
this time, the Commission has suspended access to the Commission's 
Public Reference Room due to the proclamation declaring a National 
Emergency concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), 
issued by the President on March 13, 2020. For assistance, contact 
FERC at [email protected] or call toll free, (886) 208-3676 
or TTY (202) 502-8659.
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     Installation of a 11,110 horsepower Solar Taurus 70 gas-
fired turbine in a new building with associated appurtenant facilities 
at Transco's existing Compressor Station 105 in Coosa County, Alabama;
     Modification of compressor units 1-3 at Compressor Station 
105;
     Construction of 1.83 miles of new 42-inch-diameter `E' 
mainline loop \2\ pipeline from Mileposts (MP) 909.63 to 911.46 in 
Chilton and Coosa Counties, Alabama; and
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    \2\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed parallel to 
an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
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     Remove the existing pigging \3\ traps at MPs 909.63 and 
911.43 on Transco's existing `E' mainline and tie-in the planned 42-
inch-diameter Chilton Loop.
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    \3\ A ``pig'' is a tool that the pipeline company inserts into 
and pushes through the pipeline for cleaning the pipeline, 
conducting internal inspections, or other purposes.
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    The Southeast Energy Connector Project would enable Transco to 
construct and operate the project facilities to provide an incremental 
150,000 dekatherms per day of year-round firm transportation capacity 
from existing supply points in Mississippi and Alabama to the existing 
Gaston delivery meter station located adjacent to the existing 
Compressor Station 105 in Coosa County, Alabama. The purpose of the 
planned project is to provide natural gas solely to the Gaston Steam 
Plant for the conversion of existing 895-megawatt (MW) Unit 5 to 
natural gas. The Gaston Steam Plant is a 2,015-MW capacity power 
station in Shelby County, near Wilsonville, Alabama, currently powering 
its Unit 5 on coal.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction and modification of the planned facilities would 
disturb about 129 acres of land, which includes temporary construction 
workspace, permanent easement, and permanent access roads. Following 
construction, Transco would maintain 13 acres for permanent operation 
of the project's facilities and the remaining acreage would be restored 
to pre-construction conditions.

NEPA Process and the Environmental Document

    Any environmental document issued by Commission staff will discuss 
impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation 
of the planned project under the relevant general resource areas:
     Geology and soils;
     water resources and wetlands;
     vegetation and wildlife;
     threatened and endangered species;
     cultural resources;
     land use;
     socioeconomics;
     environmental justice;
     air quality and noise; and
     reliability and safety.
    Community groups, schools, churches, and businesses within these 
environmental justice communities, along with known environmental 
justice organizations, have been included on the Commission's 
environmental mailing list for the project, as further explained in the 
Environmental Mailing List section of this notice.
    Commission staff will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the 
planned project or portions of the project and make recommendations on 
how to lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas. Your 
comments will help Commission staff identify and focus on the issues 
that might have an effect on the human environment and potentially 
eliminate others from further study and discussion in the environmental 
document.
    Although no formal application has been filed, Commission staff 
have already initiated a NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing 
process. The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early 
involvement of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve 
issues before the Commission receives an application. As part of the 
pre-filing review, Commission staff will contact federal and state 
agencies to discuss their involvement in the scoping process and the 
preparation of the environmental document.
    If a formal application is filed, Commission staff will then 
determine whether to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) or an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The EA or the EIS will present 
Commission staff's independent analysis of the environmental issues. If 
Commission staff prepares an EA, a Notice of Schedule for the 
Preparation of an Environmental Assessment will be issued. The EA may 
be issued for an allotted public comment period. The Commission would 
consider timely comments on the EA before making its determination on 
the planned project. If Commission staff prepares an EIS, a Notice of 
Intent to Prepare an EIS/Notice of Schedule will be issued once an 
application is filed, which will open an additional public comment 
period. Staff will then prepare a draft EIS that will be issued for 
public comment. Commission staff will consider all timely comments 
received during the comment period on the draft EIS, and revise the 
document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS. Any EA or draft and 
final EIS will be available in electronic format in the public record 
through eLibrary \4\ and the Commission's natural gas environmental 
documents web page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents). If eSubscribed, you will receive 
instant email notification when the environmental document is issued.
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    \4\ For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the 
last page of this notice.
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    With this notice, the Commission is asking agencies with 
jurisdiction by law and/or special expertise with respect to the 
environmental issues related to this project to formally cooperate in 
the preparation of the environmental document.\5\ Agencies that would 
like to request cooperating agency status should follow the 
instructions for filing comments provided under the Public 
Participation section of this notice.
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    \5\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing 
cooperating agency responsibilities are at title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations, part 1501.8.
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Consultation Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act

    In accordance with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's 
implementing regulations for section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act, the Commission is using this notice to initiate 
consultation with the applicable State Historic Preservation Office(s), 
and to solicit their views and those of other government agencies, 
interested Indian tribes, and the public on the project's

[[Page 31869]]

potential effects on historic properties.\6\ The environmental document 
for this project will document our findings on the impacts on historic 
properties and summarize the status of consultations under section 106.
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    \6\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation regulations 
are at title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, part 800. Those 
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or 
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in 
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic 
Places.
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Environmental Mailing List

    The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local 
government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; local 
community groups, schools, churches, and businesses; other interested 
parties; and local libraries and newspapers. This list also includes 
all affected landowners (as defined in the Commission's regulations) 
who are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used 
temporarily for project purposes, or who own homes within certain 
distances of aboveground facilities, and anyone who submits comments on 
the project and includes a mailing address with their comments. 
Commission staff will update the environmental mailing list as the 
analysis proceeds to ensure that Commission notices related to this 
environmental review are sent to all individuals, organizations, and 
government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the 
planned project.
    If you need to make changes to your name/address, or if you would 
like to remove your name from the mailing list, please complete one of 
the following steps:
    (1) Send an email to [email protected] stating your 
request. You must include the docket number PF22-6-000 in your request. 
If you are requesting a change to your address, please be sure to 
include your name and the correct address. If you are requesting to 
delete your address from the mailing list, please include your name and 
address as it appeared on this notice. This email address is unable to 
accept comments.

OR

    (2) Return the attached ``Mailing List Update Form'' (appendix 2).

Becoming an Intervenor

    Once Transco files its application with the Commission, you may 
want to become an ``intervenor'' which is an official party to the 
Commission's proceeding. Only intervenors have the right to seek 
rehearing of the Commission's decision and be heard by the courts if 
they choose to appeal the Commission's final ruling. An intervenor 
formally participates in the proceeding by filing a request to 
intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice 
and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214). Motions to intervene are more fully 
described at https://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to.asp. Please 
note that the Commission will not accept requests for intervenor status 
at this time. You must wait until the Commission receives a formal 
application for the project, after which the Commission will issue a 
public notice that establishes an intervention deadline.

Additional Information

    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. Click on the 
eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket number 
in the ``Docket Number'' field (i.e., PF22-6). 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 eLibrary link also 
provides access to the texts of all formal documents issued by the 
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
    Public sessions or site visits will be posted on the Commission's 
calendar located at https://www.ferc.gov/news-events/events along with 
other related information.

    Dated: May 19, 2022.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-11244 Filed 5-24-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P