Virtual Public Scoping Session on Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (PF24-2-000)

There are four methods you can use to submit your comments to the Commission.  Please carefully follow these instructions so that your comments are properly recorded.  The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-3676 or FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov.

1. You can file your comments electronically using the eComment feature, which is located on the Commission’s website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to FERC Online.  Using eComment is an easy method for submitting brief, text-only comments on a project;
2. You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling feature, which is located 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 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 can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to the Commission.  Be sure to reference the project docket number (PF24-2-000) on your letter.  Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC  20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
4. In lieu of sending written comments, the Commission invites you to attend the virtual public scoping session its staff will conduct by telephone, scheduled as follows:

Note that the scoping session will start at 6:00 pm and will end once all participants wishing to comment have had the opportunity to do so, or at 8:00 pm, whichever comes first.  Individual oral comments will be taken one at a time with a court reporter present on the line.

There will be a brief introduction by Commission staff when the session opens, so please attempt to call in at the beginning of the session.  All participants will be able to hear the comments provided by other participants; however, all lines will remain closed during the comments of others and then opened one at a time for providing comments.  Once you call in, the operator will provide directions on how to indicate you would like to provide a comment.  A time limit of 3 minutes may be implemented for each commentor. 

Your oral comments will be recorded by the court reporter and become part of the public record for this proceeding.  Transcripts of all comments received during the scoping session will be publicly available on FERC’s eLibrary system (see the last page of this notice for instructions on using eLibrary).

FERC staff intend to conduct additional in-person public scoping sessions in the Project area.  Once scheduled, scoping meeting dates, times, and locations will be provided in a separate notice at least two weeks prior to the date of the meeting(s).

Additionally, the Commission offers a free service called eSubscription, which makes it easy to stay informed of all issuances and submittals regarding the dockets/projects to which you subscribe.  These instant email notifications are the fastest way to receive notification and provide a link to the document files which can reduce the amount of time you spend researching proceedings.  Go to https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to register for eSubscription.

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. 

Transco plans to construct, modify, and operate natural gas pipeline facilities along its existing pipeline system in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.  The Southeast Supply Enhancement Project would provide 1,586,900 Dekatherms per day of new firm transportation capacity to the mid-Atlantic and southeast United States.  According to Transco, its project would remove pipeline capacity constraints and meet growing natural gas-fired power generation, commercial, residential, and industrial demand in the region.  The Southeast Supply Enhancement Project would consist of the facilities listed below.

• Construction of approximately 30.6 miles of 42-inch-diameter pipeline in Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Rockingham County, North Carolina, designated as the Eden Loop.[1]
• Construction of approximately 24.0 miles of 42-inch-diameter pipeline in Guilford, Forsyth, and Davidson Counties, North Carolina, designated as the Salem Loop.
• Addition of compressor units at the following existing Transco compressor stations (CS):
  • CS 165 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia (two compressor units);
  • CS 155 in Davidson County, North Carolina (three compressor units); and
  • CS 150 in Iredell County, North Carolina (one compressor unit).
• Replacement of three existing compressor units with larger compressor units at Transco’s existing CS 145 in Cleveland County, North Carolina.
• Piping modifications at the following existing Transco compressor stations:
  • CS 135 in Anderson County, South Carolina;
  • CS 125 in Walton County, Georgia;
  • CS 120 in Henry County, Georgia; and
  • CS 105 in Coosa County, Alabama.
• Regulator installation on the Eden Loop near mileposts 1382.5 and 1382.7 in Rockingham County, North Carolina and at CS 120 in Henry County, Georgia.

Based on preliminary estimates, construction of the planned facilities would disturb about 961 acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipeline.  Following construction, Transco would maintain about 392 acres for permanent operation of the project’s facilities; the remaining acreage would be restored.  Most of the planned pipeline route parallels Transco’s existing pipeline rights-of-way.

Any environmental document issued by Commission staff will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation of the planned project under the relevant general resource areas:

• geology and soils;
• water resources and wetlands;
• vegetation and wildlife;
• threatened and endangered species;
• cultural resources;
• land use;
• environmental justice;
• air quality and noise;
• reliability and safety; and
• climate change.

Commission staff will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the planned project or portions of the project and make recommendations on how to lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.  Your comments will help Commission staff identify and focus on the issues that might have an effect on the human environment and potentially eliminate others from further study and discussion in the environmental document.  

Although no formal application has been filed, Commission staff have already initiated a NEPA review under the Commission’s pre-filing process.  The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early involvement of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before the Commission receives an application.  As part of the pre-filing review, Commission staff will contact federal and state agencies to discuss their involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the environmental document.

If a formal application is filed, Commission staff will then determine whether to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).  The EA or the EIS will present Commission staff’s independent analysis of the environmental issues.  If Commission staff prepares an EA, a Notice of Schedule for the Preparation of an Environmental Assessment will be issued.  The EA may be issued for an allotted public comment period.  The Commission would consider timely comments on the EA before making its determination on the proposed project.  If Commission staff prepares an EIS, a Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS/Notice of Schedule will be issued once an application is filed, which will open an additional public comment period.  Staff will then prepare a draft EIS that will be issued for public comment.  Commission staff will consider all timely comments received during the comment period on the draft EIS, and revise the document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS.  Any EA or draft and final EIS will be available in electronic format in the public record through eLibrary[1] and the Commission’s natural gas environmental documents webpage

(https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents).  If eSubscribed, you will receive instant email notification when the environmental document is issued. 

With this notice, the Commission is asking agencies with jurisdiction by law and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues related to this project to formally cooperate in the preparation of the environmental document.[2]  Agencies that would like to request cooperating agency status should follow the instructions for filing comments provided under the Public Participation section of this notice.