Scoping Session for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) Southgate Amendment Project (CP25-60-000) (Chatham, VA)

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 [email protected].

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”;
3. You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to the Commission.  Be sure to reference the Amendment Project docket number (CP25-60-000) on your letter.  Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to:  Debbie-Anne A. Reese, 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, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852; or
4.  In lieu of sending written comments, the Commission invites you to attend one of the public scoping sessions its staff will conduct in the Amendment Project area, scheduled as follows:

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.  Individual oral comments will be taken on a one-on-one basis with a court reporter.  This format is designed to receive the maximum amount of oral comments in a convenient way during the timeframe allotted.

Each scoping session is scheduled from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm Eastern Time.  There will not be a formal presentation by Commission staff when the session opens.  If you wish to speak, the Commission staff will hand out numbers in the order of your arrival, starting at 5:00 pm.  Comments will be taken until 8:00 pm.  However, if no additional numbers have been handed out and all individuals who wish to provide comments have had an opportunity to do so, staff may conclude the session at 7:30 pm.  Please see Appendix 1 for additional information on the session format and conduct.[1]

Your oral comments will be recorded by a court reporter (with FERC staff or FERC representative present) and become part of the public record for this proceeding.  Transcripts will be publicly available on FERC’s eLibrary system (see the last page of this notice for instructions on using eLibrary).  If a significant number of people are interested in providing oral comments in the one-on-one settings, a time limit of 5 minutes may be implemented for each commentor.  Although there will not be a formal presentation, Commission staff will be available throughout the scoping session to answer your questions about the environmental review process. Representatives from MVP will also be present to answer project-specific questions. 

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 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.

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, community organizations, 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]. 

Any environmental document issued by the Commission will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation of the proposed Amendment 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;
• air quality and noise; and
• reliability and safety.

Commission staff have already identified several issues that deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the environmental information provided by MVP.  This preliminary list of issues may change based on your comments and our analysis:

• waterbodies and wetlands;
• forested areas;
• cumulative impacts;
• pipeline safety associated with the increased diameter and capacity.

Commission staff will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed Amendment Project or portions of the Amendment 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.

Following this scoping period, Commission staff will 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 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 decision regarding the proposed Amendment Project.  If Commission staff prepares an EIS, a Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS/Notice of Schedule will be issued, which will open up an additional comment period.  Staff will then prepare a draft EIS which 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 of this Amendment 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.  Currently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Virginia and North Carolina Ecological Services Field Offices have expressed their intention to participate as a cooperating agency in the preparation of the environmental document.