Docket Nos. CP23-516-000, CP23-516-001
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Ridgeline Expansion Project proposed by East Tennessee Natural Gas, LLC (East Tennessee).
East Tennessee proposes to construct, operate, and maintain approximately 122.2 miles of 30 inch-diameter pipeline and associated facilities in Trousdale, Smith, Jackson, Putnam, Overton, Fentress, Morgan, and Roane Counties, Tennessee. The purpose of East Tennessee’s project is to provide about 300,000 dekatherms per day of new firm natural gas transportation capacity and up to 95,000 dekatherms of customized delivery service from multiple providers to the site of Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant. The Ridgeline Expansion Project consists of the following Project facilities, all in the state of Tennessee:
- 122.2 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipeline in Trousdale, Smith, Jackson, Putnam, Overton, Fentress, Morgan, and Roane Counties, including 4.0 miles of header pipeline and 118.2 miles of mainline pipeline (collectively referred to as the Mainline);
- a new 14,600-horsepower, electric-driven compressor station (Hartsville Compressor Station) and an associated solar array to partially power the facility in Trousdale County;
- a new meter and regulating station to receive gas from Columbia Gulf Transmission, LLC in Trousdale County;
- modifications to two existing meter and regulating stations to receive gas from Texas Eastern Transmission, LP and Midwestern Gas Transmission Company in Trousdale County;
- a new delivery meter station to measure gas delivered to the Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane County; and
- related appurtenances.
East Tennessee also proposes to remove approximately 24 miles of previously abandoned-in-place pipe segments along East Tennessee’s existing 22-inch-diameter Line 3100-1 associated with various prior pipeline replacement projects. East Tennessee would relay the new 30-inch-diameter Mainline pipe into the same trench.
The EIS was 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 [40 CFR] Part 1502.13) and the FERC regulations implementing NEPA (18 CFR Part 380).
The conclusions and recommendations presented in the EIS are those of the FERC environmental staff. Input from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service as cooperating agencies was considered during the development of the conclusions and recommendations in the draft EIS.
For most resources, the construction and operation of the Project would result in limited adverse environmental impacts. Most adverse environmental impacts would be temporary or short-term during construction, but some long-term and permanent environmental impacts would occur on some forested lands, including forested wetlands. This determination is based on our review of the information provided by East Tennessee and further developed from environmental information requests; scoping; literature research; a consideration of potential alternatives; and contacts with federal, state, and local agencies, and other stakeholders. We conclude that impacts would be less than significant with implementation of East Tennessee’s proposed avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures as well as the environmental conditions we recommend the Commission include in any Project authorization it may issue to East Tennessee.
The FERC Commissioners will take into consideration staff’s recommendations in the EIS when they make a decision on the project.
The draft EIS comment period closes on July 15, 2024.