2011-8246. Dominion Transmission, Inc.; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Appalachian Gateway Project

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the Appalachian Gateway Project proposed by Dominion Transmission, Inc. (Dominion) in the above-referenced docket. Dominion requests authorization to construct and operate the Appalachian Gateway Project including 110 miles of 20- through 30-inch-diameter pipeline (26.3 miles in West Virginia and 74.9 miles in Pennsylvania) along with associated minor pipeline and support facilities, and additional compression, which would increase Dominion's authorized capacity for the transportation of natural gas by about 484 million cubic feet per day.

The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the construction and operation of the Appalachian Gateway Project in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that approval of the proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures, would not constitute a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.

The proposed Appalachian Gateway Project includes the following facilities:

Pipeline Facilities

• the 5.3 miles, 20-inch-diameter TL-570, EXT. 1 pipeline in Kanawha County, West Virginia;
• the 6 mile, 24-inch-diameter TL-492, EXT. 5 pipeline in Greene County, Pennsylvania;
• the 42.3 mile 30-inch-diameter TL-590 pipeline in Marshall and Greene Counties, Pennsylvania;
• the 54.2 mile, 24-inch-diameter TL-591 pipeline in Greene, Washington, Allegheny, and Westmoreland Counties, Pennsylvania;
• the 0.5 mile, 16 inch-diameter TL-596 pipeline in Wetzel County, West Virginia;
• the 0.1 mile, 10-inch-diameter TL-597 pipeline in Wetzel County, West Virginia;
• the 0.3 mile, 16-inch-diameter TL-598 pipeline in Harrison County, West Virginia;
• the 0.4 mile, 16-inch-diamter TL-599 pipeline in Harrison County, West Virginia;

Compressor Station Facilities

• the new 4,735 horsepower (hp) Chelyan Compressor Station in County, West Virginia;
• the new 3,550 hp Lewis Wetzel Compressor Station in Wetzel County, West Virginia;
• the new 1,775 hp Morrison Compressor Station in Harrison County, West Virginia;
• the new 6,130 hp Burch Ridge Compressor Station in Mashall County, West Virginia;
• modify the existing Pepper Compressor Station with the addition of 1,665 hp of new compression;
• modify the existing reciprocating engine at the Schutte Compressor Station in Doddridge County, West Virginia by replacing the cylinder liners;

Ancillary Facilities

• the TL-591 Metering and Regulation (M&R) Station, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania;
• the Crayne M&R Station in Green County, Pennsylvania; and
• pig launchers, receivers and mainline valves along the pipelines.

The EA has been placed in the public files of the FERC and is available for public viewing on the FERC's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using the eLibrary link. A limited number of copies of the EA are available for distribution and public inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426. [phone].

Copies of the EA have been mailed to Federal, State, and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials; Native American Tribes; potentially affected landowners and other interested individuals and groups; and newspapers in the project area; and parties to this proceeding.

Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. Your comments should focus on the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. The more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. To ensure that your comments are properly recorded and considered prior to a Commission decision on the proposal, it is important that the FERC receives your comments in Washington, DC on or before May 6, 2011.

For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the project docket number (CP10-448-000) with your submission. The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has dedicated eFiling expert staff available to assist you at [phone] or [e-mail].

(1) You may file your comments electronically by using the eComment feature, which is located on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. An eComment is an easy method for interested persons to submit brief, text-only comments on a project;

(2) You may file your comments electronically by using the eFiling feature, which is located on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. 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 will be asked to select the type of filing you are making. A comment on a particular project is considered a “Comment on a Filing”; or

(3) You may file a paper copy of your comments at the following address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.

Although your comments will be considered by the Commission, simply filing comments will not serve to make the commenter a party to the proceeding. 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 CFR 385.214).^[1] Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.

Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which would not be adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered.

Additional information about the project is available from the Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC or on the FERC Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on the eLibrary link, click on “General Search” and enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field (i.e., CP10-448). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at [e-mail] or toll free at [phone], or for TTY, contact [phone]. 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 http://www.ferc.gov/​esubscribenow.htm.

Dated: March 31, 2011.

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.

Footnotes

1.  Interventions may also be filed electronically via the Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing comments electronically.