Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC, Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC; Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Virginia Reliability Project Commonwealth Energy Connector Project, 65161-65162 [2023-20458]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 182 / Thursday, September 21, 2023 / Notices
On March 3, 2023, in Order No. 4960,
DOE granted the FTA portion of the
Application, as required by NGA section
3(c).13 NFE Altamira is thus authorized
to export natural gas to Mexico in the
total requested volume of 158 Bcf/yr of
natural gas—which includes export by
pipeline (13 Bcf/yr) and re-export after
liquefaction in Mexico to FTA countries
(145 Bcf/yr equivalent).14 The requested
non-FTA volume, if approved, would
not be additive to this FTA volume.
According to NFE Altamira, the U.S.sourced natural gas for which it has
acquired title in the United States
would be exported to Mexico at the
United States-Mexico border via the
existing border-crossing facilities of
Valley Crossing Pipeline, LLC (Valley
Crossing Pipeline), and potentially,
cross-border natural gas pipelines that
may be constructed in the future and
that interconnect with the Sur de
Texas–Tuxpan Pipeline offshore natural
gas pipeline system in Mexican
waters.15 Additionally, NFE Altamira
states that it may purchase U.S.-sourced
natural gas in Mexico from upstream
suppliers who have exported the natural
gas from the United States (under the
supplier’s own FTA export
authorization or under this requested
authorization), with NFE Altamira
acting as agent.16 Once constructed, the
Project would be capable of receiving,
processing, and liquefying the U.S.sourced natural gas, storing the resulting
LNG, and loading the LNG onto oceangoing LNG vessels for delivery to export
destinations.17
For the non-FTA portion of NFE
Altamira’s request,18 DOE published a
notice of the Application in the Federal
Register (Notice of Application) on
October 6, 2022.19 The Notice of
Application called on interested persons
to submit protests, motions to intervene,
notices of intervention, and comments
by December 5, 2022.20 On December 5,
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
13 NFE
Altamira FLNG, S. de R.L. de C.V., DOE/
FECM Order No. 4960, Docket No. 22–110–LNG,
Order Granting Long-Term Authorization to Export
Natural Gas to Mexico and to Other Free Trade
Agreement Nations (Mar. 3, 2023).
14 See id. at 4, 15–16.
15 Id. at 1 & n.5, 6.
16 Id. at 5–6, 8–9.
17 Id. at 5–7.
18 DOE finds that the requirement for public
notice of applications, as well as other hearing-type
procedures in 10 CFR part 590, will apply only to
applications seeking to export natural gas,
including LNG, to non-FTA countries.
19 See NFE Altamira FLNG, S. de R.L. de C.V.;
Application for Long-Term, Multi-Contract
Authorization To Export Domestically Produced
Natural Gas to Mexico and To Re-Export Liquefied
Natural Gas From Mexico to Non-Free Trade
Agreement Countries; Notice of Application, 87 FR
60667 (Oct. 6, 2022) [hereinafter Notice of App.].
20 Id. at 87 FR 60668.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:11 Sep 20, 2023
Jkt 259001
2022, Sierra Club filed a Motion to
Intervene and Protest, with
accompanying exhibits, opposing the
non-FTA portion of NFE Altamira’s
Application.21 Sierra Club
supplemented its filing on December 9,
2022, with electronic copies of
documents that were hyperlinked in its
initial filing. NFE Altamira filed an
Answer in Opposition to Sierra Club’s
Protest on December 20, 2022.22
Before reaching a final decision on a
non-FTA application under NGA
section 3(a), DOE must also comply
with NEPA.23 In evaluating applications
for re-export authorization similar to
NFE Altamira’s Application, DOE has
used recent guidance to inform its
environmental analysis. On January 27,
2021, the President issued Executive
Order (E.O.) No. 14008, Tackling the
Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.24
Additionally, on April 20, 2022, the
Council on Environmental Quality
(CEQ) issued a final rule for
implementing CEQ’s NEPA regulations,
including the definition of
environmental ‘‘effects.’’ 25 DOE has
determined that, consistent with E.O.
14008 and its obligations under NEPA,
it is appropriate to evaluate the
potential environmental impacts—
including the greenhouse gas
emissions—of exporting (or reexporting) U.S.-sourced LNG from the
proposed Project to non-FTA countries.
Therefore, on June 27, 2023, DOE issued
a ‘‘Notice of Environmental
Assessment’’ announcing that it is
undertaking an EA under NEPA to
analyze NFE Altamira’s requested
exports of U.S.-sourced natural gas as
LNG to non-FTA countries.26
The Draft EA examined the potential
environmental impacts associated with
21 Sierra Club, Motion to Intervene and Protest of
NFE Altamira FLNG’s Request for Export and ReExport Authorization, Docket No. 22–110–LNG
(Dec. 5, 2022).
22 NFE Altamira FLNG, S. de R.L. de C.V., Answer
in Opposition to Protest of Sierra Club, Docket No.
22–110–LNG (Dec. 20, 2022).
23 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.
24 E.O. 14008 sets forth policies to address climate
change, specifically to ‘‘organize and deploy the full
capacity of [Federal] agencies to combat the climate
crisis.’’ Exec. Order No. 14008 of Jan. 27, 2021,
Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,
86 FR 7619 (Feb. 1, 2021), https://
www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/02/01/
2021-02177/tackling-the-climate-crisisat-home-andabroad. E.O. 14008 further requires the ‘‘Federal
Government [to] drive assessment, disclosure, and
mitigation of climate pollution and climate-related
risks in every sector’’ of the U.S. economy. Id.
25 See Council on Envtl. Quality, National
Environmental Policy Act Implementing
Regulations Revisions; Final Rule, 87 FR 23453
(Apr. 20, 2022).
26 NFE Altamira FLNG, S. De R.L. de C.V., Notice
of Environmental Assessment, Docket No. 22–110–
LNG (June 27, 2023).
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
65161
unconventional natural gas exploration
and production activities in the lower48 states; the utilization of the crossborder pipeline facilities in Texas
named in the Application that
interconnect the United States and
Mexico and that NFE Altamira may
utilize for its U.S. natural gas supply;
descriptions of Mexico’s environmental
review process for the construction and
operation of liquefaction terminals and
related facilities; marine transport of
LNG exported from the proposed
Project; and the global nature of GHG
emissions associated with re-exporting
U.S.-sourced natural gas as LNG from
Mexico from a life cycle perspective.
NEPA Process and Public Involvement
DOE prepared the Draft EA in
accordance with the CEQ regulations at
Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations,
parts 1500–1508 (40 CFR parts 1500–
1508) and DOE NEPA implementing
procedures at 10 CFR part 1021. DOE
published a Notice of Environmental
Assessment to Docket No. 22–110–LNG
on June 27, 2023, announcing its intent
to prepare an EA. DOE is providing
opportunities for public review and
comments on this Draft EA (see DATES
and ADDRESSES sections of this notice).
Signed in Washington, DC, on September
15, 2023.
Amy Sweeney,
Director, Office of Regulation, Analysis, and
Engagement, Office of Resource
Sustainability.
[FR Doc. 2023–20427 Filed 9–20–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP22–503–000; Docket No.
CP22–502–000]
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC,
Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line
Company, LLC; Notice of Availability
of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement for the Proposed Virginia
Reliability Project Commonwealth
Energy Connector Project
The staff of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared a final
environmental impact statement (EIS)
for the Virginia Reliability Project
(VRP), proposed by Columbia Gas
Transmission, LLC (Columbia), and the
Commonwealth Energy Connector
Project (CEC Project) proposed by
Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line
Company, LLC (Transco) in the abovereferenced dockets.
E:\FR\FM\21SEN1.SGM
21SEN1
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
65162
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 182 / Thursday, September 21, 2023 / Notices
Columbia requests authorization to
construct and operate its VRP in
Greensville, Prince George, Sussex,
Surry, Southampton, and Isle of Wight
Counties, Virginia, and in the cities of
Suffolk and Chesapeake, Virginia. The
VRP is designed to provide an
additional 100,000 Dekatherms per day
(Dth/d) of firm transportation service for
Virginia Natural Gas, Inc. (VNG), from
the existing interconnection between
Transco and Columbia in Greensville
County, Virginia to VNG’s existing
delivery point in Chesapeake County,
Virginia.
Transco requests authorization to
construct, operate, and maintain its CEC
Project in Mecklenburg, Brunswick, and
Greensville Counties, Virginia. The CEC
Project is designed to provide an
additional 105,000 Dth/d of firm
transportation service for VNG from
Transco’s existing Station 165 Zone 5
Pooling Point in Pittsylvania County,
Virginia, to the existing interconnection
between Transco and Columbia in
Greensville County, Virginia, where
VNG has contracted with Columbia for
further firm transportation service.
The final EIS assesses the potential
environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the VRP
and the CEC Project (the Projects) in
accordance with the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that
approval of the proposed Projects, with
the mitigation measures recommended
in the EIS, would result in some adverse
environmental impacts; however, with
the exception of potential impacts on
climate change, FERC staff concludes
that impacts would not be significant.
Climate change impacts are not
characterized in the EIS as significant or
insignificant.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE), Norfolk District, and the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
participated as cooperating agencies in
the preparation of the 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 these agencies
provided input to the conclusions and
recommendations presented in the EIS,
the agencies may present their own
conclusions and recommendations in
any applicable Records of Decision or
other documentation for the Projects.
The final EIS addresses the potential
environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the
following VRP facilities, all in Virginia:
• replacement of about 49.2 miles of
the existing 12-inch-diameter VM–107
and VM–108 pipelines with 24-inch-
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:11 Sep 20, 2023
Jkt 259001
diameter pipeline mostly within
Columbia’s existing right-of-way, in
Sussex, Surry, Southampton, and Isle of
Wight Counties, as well as in the cities
of Suffolk and Chesapeake;
• installation of one new 5,500horsepower (HP) dual-drive compressor
unit at the existing Emporia Compressor
Station in Greensville County;
• modification of the existing
compressor units and an increase in
power by 2,700 HP at the existing
Petersburg Compressor Station in Prince
George County;
• modification of the Emporia Point
of Receipt in Greensville County,
Regulator Station 7423 in Prince George
County, and MS–831010 Point of
Delivery in Chesapeake; and
• replacement of eight mainline
valves (MLV), installation of one new
MLV and five new launchers/receivers,
and replacement or installation of other
minor appurtenant facilities.
The final EIS addresses the potential
environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the
following CEC Project facilities, all in
Virginia:
• construction of a 6.35-mile-long, 24inch-diameter pipeline loop 1 (referred
to as the Commonwealth Loop),
including valve and launcher/receiver
facilities, in Brunswick and Greensville
Counties;
• addition of a 33,000–HP electric
motor-driven compressor unit at the
existing Compressor Station 168 in
Mecklenburg County; and
• modification of the existing
Emporia Metering and Regulation
Station in Greensville County.
The Commission mailed a copy of the
Notice of Availability 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 area
of the Projects. The final EIS 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/industriesdata/natural-gas/environment/
environmental-documents). In addition,
the final EIS may be accessed by using
the eLibrary link on the 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.,
1 A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed
parallel to an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
CP22–503 or CP22–502). 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, or
for TTY, contact (202) 502–8659.
Additional information about the
Projects 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.
The Commission’s Office of Public
Participation (OPP) supports meaningful
public engagement and participation in
Commission proceedings. OPP can help
members of the public, including
landowners, environmental justice
communities, Tribal members and
others, access publicly available
information and navigate Commission
processes. For public inquiries and
assistance with making filings such as
interventions, comments, or requests for
rehearing, the public is encouraged to
contact OPP at (202) 502–6595 or OPP@
ferc.gov.
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: September 15, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023–20458 Filed 9–20–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. ER23–2838–000]
BCD 2023 Fund 1 Lessee, LLC;
Supplemental Notice That Initial
Market-Based Rate Filing Includes
Request for Blanket Section 204
Authorization
This is a supplemental notice in the
above-referenced proceeding of BCD
2023 Fund 1 Lessee, LLC’s application
for market-based rate authority, with an
accompanying rate tariff, noting that
such application includes a request for
E:\FR\FM\21SEN1.SGM
21SEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 182 (Thursday, September 21, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65161-65162]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-20458]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP22-503-000; Docket No. CP22-502-000]
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC, Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line
Company, LLC; Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement for the Proposed Virginia Reliability Project Commonwealth
Energy Connector Project
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared a final environmental impact statement (EIS)
for the Virginia Reliability Project (VRP), proposed by Columbia Gas
Transmission, LLC (Columbia), and the Commonwealth Energy Connector
Project (CEC Project) proposed by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line
Company, LLC (Transco) in the above-referenced dockets.
[[Page 65162]]
Columbia requests authorization to construct and operate its VRP in
Greensville, Prince George, Sussex, Surry, Southampton, and Isle of
Wight Counties, Virginia, and in the cities of Suffolk and Chesapeake,
Virginia. The VRP is designed to provide an additional 100,000
Dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of firm transportation service for Virginia
Natural Gas, Inc. (VNG), from the existing interconnection between
Transco and Columbia in Greensville County, Virginia to VNG's existing
delivery point in Chesapeake County, Virginia.
Transco requests authorization to construct, operate, and maintain
its CEC Project in Mecklenburg, Brunswick, and Greensville Counties,
Virginia. The CEC Project is designed to provide an additional 105,000
Dth/d of firm transportation service for VNG from Transco's existing
Station 165 Zone 5 Pooling Point in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, to
the existing interconnection between Transco and Columbia in
Greensville County, Virginia, where VNG has contracted with Columbia
for further firm transportation service.
The final EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the VRP and the CEC Project (the
Projects) in accordance with the requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that approval
of the proposed Projects, with the mitigation measures recommended in
the EIS, would result in some adverse environmental impacts; however,
with the exception of potential impacts on climate change, FERC staff
concludes that impacts would not be significant. Climate change impacts
are not characterized in the EIS as significant or insignificant.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Norfolk District, and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) participated as cooperating
agencies in the preparation of the 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 these agencies provided input to the conclusions and
recommendations presented in the EIS, the agencies may present their
own conclusions and recommendations in any applicable Records of
Decision or other documentation for the Projects.
The final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the following VRP facilities, all in
Virginia:
replacement of about 49.2 miles of the existing 12-inch-
diameter VM-107 and VM-108 pipelines with 24-inch-diameter pipeline
mostly within Columbia's existing right-of-way, in Sussex, Surry,
Southampton, and Isle of Wight Counties, as well as in the cities of
Suffolk and Chesapeake;
installation of one new 5,500-horsepower (HP) dual-drive
compressor unit at the existing Emporia Compressor Station in
Greensville County;
modification of the existing compressor units and an
increase in power by 2,700 HP at the existing Petersburg Compressor
Station in Prince George County;
modification of the Emporia Point of Receipt in
Greensville County, Regulator Station 7423 in Prince George County, and
MS-831010 Point of Delivery in Chesapeake; and
replacement of eight mainline valves (MLV), installation
of one new MLV and five new launchers/receivers, and replacement or
installation of other minor appurtenant facilities.
The final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the following CEC Project facilities, all
in Virginia:
construction of a 6.35-mile-long, 24-inch-diameter
pipeline loop \1\ (referred to as the Commonwealth Loop), including
valve and launcher/receiver facilities, in Brunswick and Greensville
Counties;
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed parallel to
an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
addition of a 33,000-HP electric motor-driven compressor
unit at the existing Compressor Station 168 in Mecklenburg County; and
modification of the existing Emporia Metering and
Regulation Station in Greensville County.
The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability 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 area of the
Projects. The final EIS 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 final EIS may be accessed by using the eLibrary link on
the 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., CP22-503 or CP22-502). 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.
Additional information about the Projects 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.
The Commission's Office of Public Participation (OPP) supports
meaningful public engagement and participation in Commission
proceedings. OPP can help members of the public, including landowners,
environmental justice communities, Tribal members and others, access
publicly available information and navigate Commission processes. For
public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as
interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, the public is
encouraged to contact OPP at (202) 502-6595 or [email protected].
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: September 15, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-20458 Filed 9-20-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
