Gas - Environment - Environmental Impact Statements (EISs)
Draft Environmental Impact Statement on Florida Gas Transmission Company, LLC’s Phase VIII Expansion Project (Docket No. CP09-17-000)
Issued: April 17, 2009
FERC staff prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for Florida Gas Transmission Company, LLC’s (FGT) Phase VIII Expansion Project (Project). The Project is proposed in various counties in Alabama and Florida and would increase FGT’s certificated capacity of natural gas by 820 million cubic feet per day. FGT would construct about 483.2 miles of multi-diameter pipeline (357.3 miles of looping and 125.9 miles of Greenfield); acquire 22.7 miles of lateral pipeline; add 198,000 horsepower (hp) of compression to 8 existing compressor stations; construct a new 15,600 hp compressor station; construct 3 new meter and regulator (M&R) stations, upgrade two existing M&R stations, and construct a new regulator station; and other appurtenant facilities.
FERC’s environmental staff concludes that the Phase VIII Expansion Project with appropriate mitigating measures, as recommended, would have limited adverse environmental impact and would be an environmentally acceptable action.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Forest Service cooperated in the preparation of the draft EIS.
Staff concludes the project would be an environmentally acceptable action (with appropriate mitigation) because:
- FGT’s collocation of the pipeline: more than 99 percent would follow existing rights-of-way.
- The Project would be consistent with or in conformance with federal resource management plans.
- FGT would implement resource- or activity-specific plans, procedures, and agreements to protect natural resources, avoid or limit environmental impacts, and promote restoration of all disturbed areas during construction and operation of the Project.
- The use of the HDD method would avoid disturbances to a number of major and sensitive waterbodies along the route, including the Tampa Bypass Canal and Hillsborough River and several waterbodies in Alabama and Florida.
- The appropriate consultations with the FWS, COE, USFS, SHPOs, FDEP, ADCNR, and other affected land management agencies, and any appropriate compliance actions resulting from these consultations, would be completed before FGT would begin construction in any given area.
- An environmental inspection and monitoring program would be implemented to ensure compliance with all mitigation measures, Certificate conditions, and other stipulations included in permits from other authorizing federal, state, and local agencies.
Comments on the draft EIS must be received in Washington, DC on or before June 8, 2009. FERC Commissioners will take into consideration staff’s recommendations and the final EIS when they make a decision on the Project.
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
eFile your Comments
 |
eFile your Comments on or before June 8, 2009
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
