Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

FERC is Requesting Comments and Scheduling Meeting for Atlantic Coast Pipeline

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,  Announcement, March 5, 2015

The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission sent out a notice late last month announcing that its staff will begin preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

That process includes a request for comments and a series of public scoping meetings. Read the full notice here.

The notice gives three methods for submitting comments to FERC (make sure to include the docket number for ACP — PF15-6-000 — in any correspondence):

Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street NE, Room 1A
Washington, DC 20426

The public scoping meeting schedule is below:

Monday, March 23, 2015 at 7:00 PM.  Elkins High School, 100 Kennedy Drive, Elkins, WV.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at 7:00 PM.  Bridgeport High School, 515 Johnson Avenue, Bridgeport, WV.

Public Issues that may be addressed during the scoping meetings:

• All alternatives need to be evaluated; there is only one route being surveyed by Dominion’s consultants, but it is FERC’s duty to fully assess all alternatives to lessen or avoid environmental impacts. Include review of alternatives using existing pipelines and existing corridors.

• The pipeline impacts need to be evaluated during all phases of the project, from construction through completion. FERC should evaluate impacts during construction, including the potential use of fly ash for backfill, and cumulative impacts following the completion of the pipeline, such as increased fracking.

• FERC should evaluate whether it is a public necessity to use eminent domain to build an additional pipeline when there are existing pipelines and corridors already in place which are not being operated at full capacity.

• The Monongahela National Forest is sensitive ecosystem, and FERC should evaluate whether there are alternatives that would avoid impacting this area. Constructing a pipeline will increase forest fragmentation, so FERC should evaluate how many acres of forest will be fragmented and the impact on local wildlife.

• Geology and soils: West Virginia contains many unique geologic features including an extensive underground cave system that is an important part of WV tourism. FERC should also evaluate the impacts of increased sedimentation from runoff and loss of topsoil during construction.

• Land use: WV is known for its outdoor recreational opportunities. FERC should evaluate how the pipeline would impact outdoor recreation and tourism.

• Water resources, fisheries and wetland: The pipeline will have to cross numerous streams, rivers, and wetlands. FERC should evaluate how many crossings will occur, the acres of wetlands to be disturbed and how the pipeline will impact springs and drinking water sources. Impacts to freshwater streams will also affect fisheries resources, which is an important part of the state’s ecology and tourism. With impacts to the hydrology there could be cumulative effects such as flooding, so FERC should evaluate how the construction impacts from disturbing streams and wetlands will impact flood events.

• West Virginia contains many cultural resources, such as Native American and civil war artifacts; How the pipeline’s construction will impact these cultural resources?

• Vegetation and wildlife: Appalachian mountains contain very diverse vegetation that provide a lot of economic benefits such as ginseng and several tree species such as red spruce that are already in decline. FERC should evaluate how the pipeline will impact these and other important vegetation species. West Virginia has diverse wildlife populations from large mammals to small salamanders that play an important role in the ecosystem. FERC should evaluate how the construction will impact West Virginia’s wildlife species including breeding and nesting grounds, migration routes, and increased predation from the proposed pipeline corridor.

• Air Quality and Noise: Compression stations and construction will diminish air quality and have increased noise levels. The proximity of the compressor station and pipeline to communities and nearby residences and how to mitigate adverse effects should be fully evaluated.

• Endangered and Threatened Species: West Virginia contains many threatened and endangered species; evaluate how the pipeline will impact all the threatened and endangered species through disturbance, habitat loss, breeding, etc and how the negative impact will be mitigated or avoided.

• Public Safety: Because of the flammability of natural gas, the pipeline is at risk of an explosion. FERC should consider the blast radius should an explosion occur and how many residences are within the blast radius. Further, they should evaluate mitigation efforts to avoid densely populated areas. Evaluate the health risks associated with living near a compressor station or a leaking natural gas pipeline.

See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net