Scoping Meeting Regarding the Wisconsin Reliability Project

Docket No. PF22-5-000

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) will prepare an environmental document that will discuss the environmental impacts of the Wisconsin Reliability Project involving construction and operation of facilities by ANR Pipeline Company (ANR) in Sheboygan, Waupaca, Washington, Marathon, Portage, Manitowoc, Merrill, Oconto, Outagamie, and Winnebago counties Wisconsin, and McHenry County, Illinois.  The Commission will use this environmental document in its decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity. 

This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested agencies regarding the project.  As part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process, the Commission takes into account concerns the public may have about proposals and the environmental impacts that could result from its action whenever it considers the issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity.  This gathering of public input is referred to as “scoping.”  The main goal of the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the environmental document on the important environmental issues.  Additional information about the Commission’s NEPA process is described below in the NEPA Process and Environmental Document section of this notice. 

By this notice, the Commission requests public comments on the scope of issues to address in the environmental document.  To ensure that your comments are timely and properly recorded, please submit your comments so that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before 5:00pm Eastern Time on August 8, 2022.  Comments may be submitted in written or oral form.

Public Participation

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 (PF22-5-000) on your letter.  Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC  20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
4. In lieu of sending written comments, the Commission invites you to attend one of the virtual public scoping sessions its staff will conduct by telephone, scheduled as follows:

Date and Time

Wednesday, July 27, 2022
6:00PM CST (7:00PM ET)
Call in number:  800-779-8625
Participant passcode: 3472916

Thursday, July 28, 2022
5:00PM CST (6:00PM ET)
Call in number:  800-779-8625
Participant passcode: 3472916

The primary goal of these scoping sessions is to have you identify the specific environmental issues and concerns that should be considered in the environmental document.  Note that the scoping sessions will start at the time stated above and will end once all participants wishing to comment have had the opportunity to do so, or at 8:00PM CST on July 27, and 7:00PM on July 28, 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 three 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 sessions will be publicly available on FERC’s eLibrary system (see the last page of this notice for instructions on using eLibrary). 

It is important to note that the Commission provides equal consideration to all comments received, whether filed in written form or provided orally at a virtual scoping session. 

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.