Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Schedule for Environmental Review of the Buckeye Xpress Project, 8090-8091 [2019-03997]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 6, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8090-8091]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-03997]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP18-137-000]


Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Schedule for 
Environmental Review of the Buckeye Xpress Project

    On March 26, 2018, Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC (Columbia) filed 
an application in Docket No. CP18-137-000 requesting a Certificate of 
Public Convenience and Necessity pursuant to Section 7(c) of the 
Natural Gas Act to construct and operate certain natural gas pipeline 
facilities. The proposed Project is known as the Buckeye Xpress Project 
(Project), and would increase the firm natural gas transportation 
capacity on Columbia's system by 275 million cubic feet per day.
    On April 9, 2018, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(Commission or

[[Page 8091]]

FERC) issued its Notice of Application for the Project. Among other 
things, that notice alerted agencies issuing federal authorizations of 
the requirement to complete all necessary reviews and to reach a final 
decision on a request for a federal authorization within 90 days of the 
date of issuance of the Commission staff's Environmental Assessment 
(EA) for the Project. This instant notice identifies the FERC staff's 
planned schedule for the completion of the EA for the Project.

                    Schedule for Environmental Review
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Issuance of EA............................  April 8, 2019.
90-day Federal Authorization Decision       July 7, 2019.
 Deadline.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    If a schedule change becomes necessary, additional notice will be 
provided so that the relevant agencies are kept informed of the 
Project's progress.

Project Description

    Columbia's Project would consist of replacing 60.8 miles of aging 
20- to 24-inch-diameter pipeline with 66.2 miles of new 36-inch-
diameter pipeline on Columbia's existing Line R-501, constructing 0.2 
mile of 4-inch-diameter pipeline for the Wellston Lateral, installing 
four new mainline valves, and modifying existing compressor and 
regulator stations, all in Ohio and West Virginia. The project would 
also abandon 1.1 miles of 2- to 3-inch-diameter distribution pipeline. 
The new pipeline would be 5.4 miles longer than the existing pipeline 
to avoid steep land contours.

Background

    On October 16, 2017, the Commission issued a Notice of Intent to 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Planned Buckeye Xpress 
Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of 
Public Scoping Sessions (NOI). The NOI was issued during the pre-filing 
review of the Project in Docket No. PF17-6 and was sent to affected 
landowners; federal, state, and local government agencies; elected 
officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native American 
tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. 
In response to the NOI, the Commission received comments from the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Ohio Farm Bureau, the Ohio 
Environmental Protection Agency, the Sierra Club, the Center for 
Biological Diversity, the Ohio Environmental Council, the Ohio Valley 
Conservation Coalition, and four landowners. Major issues raised during 
scoping include alternatives, greenhouse gas emissions, the need for an 
environmental impact statement instead of an environmental assessment, 
upstream and downstream impacts, climate impacts, induced development, 
compliance with Wayne National Forest's 2006 Forest Plan, and that the 
project is not needed. All substantive comments will be addressed in 
the EA.
    The U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are 
cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EA.

Additional Information

    In order to receive notification of the issuance of the EA and to 
keep track of all formal issuances and submittals in specific dockets, 
the Commission offers a free service called eSubscription. 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 
www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.
    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, select General 
Search from the eLibrary menu, enter the selected date range and Docket 
Number excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP18-137), and follow the 
instructions. For assistance with access to eLibrary, the helpline can 
be reached at (866) 208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or at 
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. The eLibrary link on the FERC website also 
provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the 
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rule makings.

    Dated: February 28, 2019.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-03997 Filed 3-5-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P