The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) has prepared a final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Midcontinent Supply Header Interstate Pipeline Project (MIDSHIP Project).
The MIDSHIP Project, proposed by Midship Pipeline Company, LLC (Midship Pipeline), would include in the following facilities in Oklahoma:
- 199.7 miles of new 36-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline in Kingfisher, Canadian, Grady, Garvin, Stephens, Carter, Johnston, and Bryan Counties;
- 20.5 miles of new 30-inch-diameter pipeline lateral in Kingfisher County (the Chisholm Lateral);
- 13.8 miles of new 16-inch-diameter pipeline lateral in Stephens, Carter, and Garvin Counties (the Velma Lateral);
- 0.1 mile of new 24-inch-diameter tie-in piping in Canadian County (Tie-in Piping);
- three new compressor stations and one new booster station in Canadian, Garvin, Bryan, and Stephens Counties; and
- eight new receipt meters, two new receipt taps, four new delivery meters, and appurtenant facilities in Kingfisher, Canadian, Grady, Garvin, Stephens, Carter, Johnston, and Bryan Counties.
The EIS has been prepared in compliance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality regulations for implementing NEPA (Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500–1508), and the FERC regulations implementing NEPA (18 CFR 380).
The conclusions and recommendations presented in the EIS are those of the FERC environmental staff. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was a cooperating agency in the preparation of the EIS; however, the EPA will develop its own conclusions and recommendations and adopt the EIS per 40 CFR 1506.3 if, after an independent review of the document, it concludes that its permitting requirements and/or regulatory responsibilities have been satisfied.
The FERC staff concludes that construction and operation of the MIDSHIP Project would result in some limited adverse environmental impacts. However, if the project is constructed and operated in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, the mitigation measures discussed in the EIS, and our recommendations, these impacts would be reduced to acceptable levels. This determination is based on a review of the information provided by Midship Pipeline and further developed from data requests; field investigations; scoping; literature research; alternatives analyses; and contacts with federal, state, and local agencies, Native American tribes, and other stakeholders. Although many factors were considered in this determination, the principal reasons are:
- About 127.0 miles (54 percent) of the project pipeline facilities would be within or adjacent to existing rights-of-way, consisting of existing pipeline, electric transmission utility (i.e., powerline), and/or road rights-of-way.
- Midship Pipeline would minimize impacts on natural and cultural resources during construction and operation of the project by implementing FERC’s Upland Erosion Control, Revegetation, and Maintenance Plan and Wetland and Waterbody Construction and Mitigation Procedures as well as other project-specific plans (e.g., Fugitive Dust Control Plan, Horizontal Directional Drill Procedures and Mud Monitoring Plan, Migratory Bird Conservation Plan, Midship Procedure for Addressing Discovery of Unanticipated Contamination during Construction, Spill Prevention and Response Procedures, Karst Mitigation Plan, Blasting Plan).
- The FERC staff would complete Endangered Species Act consultations with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prior to allowing any construction to begin.
- The FERC staff would complete consultation under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and implementing regulations at 36 CFR 800 prior to allowing any construction to begin.
- Midship Pipeline would comply with all applicable air and noise regulatory requirements during construction and operation of the project.
- An environmental inspection program would be implemented to ensure compliance with the mitigation measures that become conditions of the FERC authorization
In addition, we developed and recommended other site-specific mitigation measures that Midship Pipeline should implement to further reduce the environmental impacts that would otherwise result from construction of the MIDSHIP Project.
The FERC Commissioners will take into consideration the FERC staff’s recommendations when they make a decision on the project.