Document ID: FERC-2022-1272-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Environmental Impact Statements; Availability, etc.: Equitrans, L.P.; Proposed Ohio Valley Connector Expansion Project
Posted Date: 2022-10-06T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 193 (Thursday, October 6, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60681-60683]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-21766]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP22-44-000]

Equitrans, L.P.; Notice of Availability of the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Ohio Valley Connector 
Expansion Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for the Ohio Valley Connector Expansion Project (Project), proposed by 
Equitrans, LP (Equitrans) in the above-referenced docket. Equitrans 
requests authorization to construct and operate approximately 5.5 miles 
of new pipeline and pipeline loop \1\; acquire and add compression to 
one non-jurisdictional compressor station; and add compression at two 
existing compression facilities in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and 
Ohio to provide approximately 350,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas 
to mid-continent and Gulf Coast markets.
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    \1\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed next to an 
existing pipeline to increase capacity.
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    The draft 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). As 
described in the draft EIS, FERC staff concludes that approval of the 
proposed Project, with the mitigation measures recommended in the EIS, 
would not result in significant adverse impacts. Regarding climate 
change impacts, this 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 conclude significance going forward.\2\ The EIS also 
concludes that no system, route, or other alternative would meet the 
Project objective while providing a significant environmental advantage 
over the Project as proposed.
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    \2\ 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. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District, participated 
as a cooperating agency in the preparation of

[[Page 60682]]

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 EIS is intended to 
fulfill the cooperating federal agencies' NEPA obligations, as 
applicable, and to support subsequent conclusions and decisions made by 
the cooperating agency. Although cooperating agencies provide input to 
the conclusions and recommendations presented in a draft EIS, the 
agencies may present their own conclusions and recommendations in any 
applicable Records of Decision.
    The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following Project facilities:

Greene County, Pennsylvania

     acquisition of the existing non-jurisdictional Cygrymus 
Compressor Station and addition of two Taurus 70 turbines;
     approximately 0.5 mile of new 16-inch-diameter natural gas 
pipeline (H-327);
     approximately 0.5 mile of new 12-inch-diameter natural gas 
pipeline (H-328);
     deep anode groundbed and rectifier; and
     ancillary facilities, such as a valve yard, taps, and 
internal inspection device (e.g., pig launchers and receivers \3\).
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    \3\ A ``pig'' is a tool that the pipeline company inserts into 
and pushes through the pipeline for cleaning, conducting internal 
inspections, or other purposes.
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Wetzel County, West Virginia

     addition of one Mars 100 compressor at the existing Corona 
Compressor Station;
     approximately 3.7 miles of new 24-inch-diameter natural 
gas pipeline (H-326);
     approximately 129 feet of new 8-inch-diameter natural gas 
pipeline (H-329);
     approximately 0.7 mile of new 16-inch-diameter natural gas 
pipeline (H-330);
     approximately 0.09 mile of new 16-inch-diameter natural 
gas pipeline (H-330 Spur);
     approximately 160 feet of new 12-inch-diameter natural gas 
pipeline; and
     ancillary facilities, such as mainline valves, valve 
yards, measuring equipment, and pigging facilities.

Monroe County, Ohio

     addition of one Titan 130 compressor at the existing 
Plasma Compressor Station.
    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability of the 
draft 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 area. The draft EIS is only available in electronic format. It 
may be viewed and downloaded from the FERC's website on the natural gas 
environmental documents page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents). In addition, the 
draft EIS may be accessed by using the eLibrary link on 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., CP22-44). Be 
sure to select 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 draft 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. Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. 
Your comments should focus on the draft EIS's disclosure and discussion 
of potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and 
measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. To ensure 
consideration of comments on the proposal in the final EIS, it is 
important that the Commission receive your comments on or before 5:00 
p.m. Eastern Time on November 21, 2022.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic 
filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-
3676 or [email protected]. 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 file your comments electronically by 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.'' Please 
select ``Comment on a Filing'' as the filing type.
    3. You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to 
the Commission. Be sure to reference the Project docket number (CP22-
44-000) 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, MD 20852.
    Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a 
motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of 
Practice and Procedures (18 Code of Federal Regulations 385.214). 
Motions to intervene are more fully described at https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/ferc-online/how-guides. Only intervenors have the right to 
seek rehearing or judicial review of the Commission's decision. The 
Commission grants intervenor status to affected landowners and others 
with environmental concerns upon showing good cause by stating that 
they have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding that no other 
party can adequately represent. Simply filing environmental comments 
will not give you intervenor status, but you do not need intervenor 
status to have your comments considered.

Questions?

    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.

[[Page 60683]]

    Dated: September 30, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-21766 Filed 10-5-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P