[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 244 (Thursday, December 23, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72947-72948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-27872]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP15-554-009 and CP15-555-007]


Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC, Eastern Gas Transmission and 
Storage, Inc.; Notice of Availability of the Final Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline 
Restoration Project and Supply Header Restoration Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a final supplemental environmental impact 
statement (sEIS) for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC's (Atlantic) 
Atlantic Coast Pipeline Restoration Project, and Eastern Gas 
Transmission and Storage, Inc.'s (EGTS) Supply Header Restoration 
Project (Restoration Projects), in the above-referenced dockets. 
Atlantic and EGTS request authorization to implement the Restoration 
Projects in order to stabilize lands affected by previous construction 
efforts for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Supply Header Project, 
respectively, and to facilitate cessation of all project-related 
activities. Implementation of the plans is proposed because Atlantic 
and EGTS have cancelled their respective projects and do not intend to 
complete them.
    The final sEIS assesses the potential impacts that would result 
from the Restoration Projects, in accordance with the requirements of 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).\1\ The FERC staff 
concludes that the proposed actions, with the additional mitigation 
measures recommended in the sEIS, would continue to avoid or reduce 
impacts to less than significant levels, with the exception of climate 
change impacts, for which FERC staff is unable to determine 
significance.
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    \1\ The construction and operation impacts of the then-proposed 
Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Supply Header Project were evaluated in 
a final EIS, which was issued by the Commission on July 21, 2017, in 
Docket Nos. CP15-554-00, CP15-554-001; and CP15-555-000.
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    The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and the U.S. 
Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service participated as 
cooperating agencies in the preparation of the sEIS. Cooperating 
agencies have jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to 
resources potentially affected by the proposal and participate in the 
NEPA analysis.
    The sEIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
following activities:
     Atlantic proposes to leave all installed pipeline in place 
(approximately 31.4 miles of the pipeline right-of-way), restore lands 
that were cleared and graded (approximately 82.7 miles of the pipeline 
right-of-way), and leave felled trees in place in areas where trees 
have not yet been cleared (approximately 25.2 miles of the pipeline 
right-of-way). For aboveground facilities, Atlantic proposes to restore 
the sites and manage the disposition of the materials and land through 
an investment recovery process. Workspace for these activities would 
occur in West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina.
     EGTS proposes to leave all installed pipeline in place 
(approximately 11.7 miles), leave approximately 0.13 mile of felled 
trees in place, and complete final restoration of approximately 9 miles 
of the pipeline right-of-way that EGTS previously cleared and/or 
graded. EGTS proposes to stabilize all aboveground facility sites and 
prepare assets for long term preservation. Workspace for these 
activities would occur in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability for the 
final sEIS 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 areas. The final sEIS is only available in electronic format. 
It may be

[[Page 72948]]

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 sEIS 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., CP15-554 or CP15-555). 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 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 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: December 17, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-27872 Filed 12-22-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


