Pipelines & Excess Impacts Not Needed
EPA: FERC’s Pipeline Environmental Impact Assessment Is Wrong
From an Article of Climate Nexus, EcoWatch.com, October 13, 2016
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) did not properly account for climate change in its environmental impact assessment of a $1.4 billion natural gas pipeline, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
FERC found that the 160-mile pipeline would have a limited impact on the environment, but the EPA argues potential emissions from burning the natural gas transported by the pipeline need to be factored in.
In April, FERC found that the 160-mile Leach Xpress pipeline would have a limited impact on the environment, but the EPA argues potential emissions from burning the natural gas transported by the pipeline need to be factored in.
The EPA’s statement comes just a few months after the Obama administration called on federal agencies to consider the climate impacts of their projects and at a time of increasing pipeline protests due to environmental justice and climate impacts.
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Xpress Pipeline has FERC and EPA Clashing over Climate Change
From an Article by Jonathan Crawford, Bloomberg News Service, October 12, 2016
A $1.4 billion natural gas line proposed by TransCanada Corp. is pitting two U.S. government agencies against each other and drawing attention to how major energy projects are reviewed.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission failed to undertake a “proper” analysis of climate change in its final environmental impact statement for the 160-mile (257-kilometer) Leach Xpress pipeline, according to a filing on Tuesday. Its input was at odds with the commission’s finding in April that the link would have limited effect on the environment that could be addressed.
“It’s been FERC’s decision to do a more limited scope of review” for these projects than the EPA has called for, Tyson Slocum, Washington-based director of energy at consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, said by phone.
The rift exposes divisions at the federal level over the approval process for pipelines when climate change is taken into account at a time when the U.S. gas network is undergoing a massive expansion driven by booming production. The filing comes on the heels of a call by the Obama administration in August for federal agencies to step up their assessment of global warming impacts in their review of projects.
“We view FERC’s response to our comments as very concerning in light of” the Obama administration’s new guidelines on greenhouse gas impacts, the EPA said in its letter to the commission. The agency seeks “a definitive resolution to this matter before you publish a record of decision.”
Increased output from prolific shale formations, such as the Marcellus in the Northeast, is driving developers to extend the pipeline network to bring more of the fuel to consumers. The commission has approved more than 880 miles (1,416 kilometers) of lines this year alone, the most since at least 2010.
The Leach Xpress project would allow for the shipment of 1.5 million dekatherms per day of natural gas from the Appalachian supply basin, or enough of the fuel to power about 14.3 million homes annually. The link is scheduled to start in the second half of 2017, according to the project website.
The commission declined to comment by phone. TransCanada, which bought Columbia Pipeline Group Inc. — the company behind the project — earlier this year, said the commission determines the level of environmental reviews. “Comprehensive environmental studies were conducted and results were provided in our applications to the FERC,” Scott Castleman, a spokesman, said by e-mail.
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FERC Considering Alternative Routes For Marcellus Pipeline Project
From the Oil & Gas Investor, Friday, October 14, 2016 – 1:55pm
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is considering rerouting a portion of the Atlantic Sunrise Project that is set to connect Marcellus shale gas production to southeastern states, Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. said Oct. 13.
The Houston-based company said FERC issued a letter that it’s evaluating certain alternatives to the project’s Central Penn Line North and South routes.
The Atlantic Sunrise Project will expand the existing Transco system, which is operated by Williams Cos. Inc., to add 1.7 million dekatherms per day of pipeline capacity.
The two alternative routes that are being evaluated include a potential 1.4 mile deviation, in aggregate, from the currently proposed route. Comments from the affected landowners regarding the alternative routes are due no later than Nov. 14.
Cabot said it anticipates that FERC will issue an updated notice of schedule in a timely manner. This should address the updated timeline for the issuance of the Final Environmental Impact Statement.
Pearce Hammond, analyst with Simmons & Co. International, concurred in an Oct. 14 research note. “We remain highly optimistic in its eventual approval given that the greenfield portion of the pipeline passes only through natural gas friendly Pennsylvania,” he wrote.
The preliminary project design of Atlantic Sunrise includes a total of about 183 miles of new greenfield pipe (Central Penn North and Central Penn South), two pipeline loops totaling about 12 miles (Chapman Loop, Unity Loop), two and half miles of existing pipeline replacement, two new compressor facilities in Pennsylvania, and other facility additions or modifications in five states (Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina).
Source: http://www.oilandgasinvestor.com/ferc-considering-alternative-routes-marcellus-pipeline-project-1401311#p=full
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