PennEast Pipeline Company, LLC; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Penneast 2020 Amendment Project, 47960-47961 [2020-17298]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 153 (Friday, August 7, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47960-47961]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-17298]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP20-47-000]


PennEast Pipeline Company, LLC; Notice of Availability of the 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Penneast 2020 Amendment 
Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the 
PennEast 2020 Amendment Project, proposed by PennEast Pipeline Company, 
LLC (PennEast) in the above-referenced docket. PennEast proposes to 
amend its certificate of public convenience and necessity for the 
PennEast Pipeline Project (Docket No. CP15-558-000) that was issued by 
the Commission on January 19, 2018 and the PennEast Pipeline Project 
Amendment (CP19-78-000) that was issued by the Commission on March 19, 
2020. In the PennEast 2020 Amendment Project, PennEast requests 
authorization to construct and operate the previously authorized 
project in two phases, beginning with the facilities located in 
Pennsylvania through approximately milepost (MP) 68.2 of the 
certificated route. As part of Phase 1, PennEast proposes to include 
new delivery points with Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC and Adelphia 
Gateway, LLC at a new metering and regulating station (Church Road 
Interconnects) in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. The Phase 1 
facilities would deliver up to 650,000 dekatherms per day of firm 
transportation service to the new delivery points. PennEast states it 
will continue to work towards acquiring the New Jersey authorizations 
for the Phase 2 facilities located in New Jersey.
    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the PennEast 2020 Amendment Project in 
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that approval of the proposed 
amendment, with appropriate mitigating measures, would not constitute a 
major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human 
environment.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)--
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) participated as 
cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EA. Cooperating agencies 
have jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to resources 
potentially affected by the proposal and participate in the NEPA 
analysis. In addition to the lead and cooperating agencies, other 
federal, state, and local agencies may use this EA in approving or 
issuing permits for all or part of the PennEast 2020 Amendment Project.
    The proposed PennEast 2020 Amendment Project includes the following 
facilities:
     New interconnection facilities in Bethlehem Township, 
Northampton County, Pennsylvania (Church Road Interconnects), 
including:
    [cir] A metering and regulation station, and a pig \1\ launcher and 
receiver, at approximate at MP 68.2 of the certificated route; and
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    \1\ A pipeline pig is a device used to clean or inspect the 
pipeline. A pig launcher/receiver is an aboveground facility where 
pigs are inserted or retrieved from the pipeline.
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    [cir] two separate interconnection and measurement facilities;
     phasing of the certificated facilities, such that PennEast 
would construct and operate the facilities--including the modifications 
under the PennEast 2020 Amendment application--in two phases:
    [cir] Phase 1 would consist of construction of the certificated 
route to approximate milepost 68.2, including two of the compressor 
units at the Kidder Compressor Station in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, 
as well as the new interconnection facilities in Northampton County, 
Pennsylvania; and
    [cir] Phase 2 would consist of the remainder of the certificated 
facilities from approximate MP 68.2 to MP 114 and would include the 
third compressor unit at the Kidder Compressor Station. Proposed Phase 
2 facilities are located in Northampton and Bucks Counties, 
Pennsylvania, and Hunterdon and Mercer Counties, New Jersey.
    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability to 
federal, state, and local government representatives and agencies; 
Native American tribes; potentially affected landowners; and other 
interested individuals and groups

[[Page 47961]]

that filed comments on the project docket prior to issuance of the 
notice. The EA 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 EA may be accessed by using the eLibrary link on 
the FERC's website. Click on the eLibrary link (https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/elibrary/overview), select General Search and enter the 
docket number in the Docket Number field, excluding the last three 
digits (i.e. CP20-47). 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 EA 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 issues raised in this 
proceeding. Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. Your 
comments should focus on the EA's disclosure and discussion of 
potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures 
to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. The more specific your 
comments, the more useful they would be. To ensure that the Commission 
has the opportunity to consider your comments prior to making its 
decision on this project, it is important that we receive your comments 
in Washington, DC on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 2, 
2020.
    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 also file your comments electronically 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. You must select the type of filing you are making. If you 
are filing a comment on a particular project, please select Comment on 
a Filing; or
    (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to 
the following address using the U.S. Postal Service. Be sure to 
reference the project docket number (CP20-47-000) with your submission: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426 NE, Room 1A, Washington, 
DC 20426. Submissions sent through carriers other than the U.S. Postal 
Service must be sent to 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852 
for processing.
    Filing environmental comments will not give you intervenor status, 
but you do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered. 
Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or judicial review of 
the Commission's decision. At this point in this proceeding, the 
timeframe for filing timely intervention requests has expired. Any 
person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a motion 
to intervene out-of-time pursuant to Rule 214(b)(3) and (d) of the 
Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214(b)(3) and 
(d)) and show good cause why the time limitation should be waived. 
Motions to intervene are more fully described at https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/ferc-online/how-guides.
    Additional information about the PennEast 2020 Amendment Project is 
available from the Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 
208-FERC, or on the FERC website (www.ferc.gov) using eLibrary. 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, which 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: August 3, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-17298 Filed 8-6-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P