CONCORD, Mass. – The Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company is seeking a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District to conduct work in waters of the U.S. in conjunction with expanding existing interstate natural gas pipeline systems in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
The project purpose is expansion of Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company’s existing pipeline system to increase natural gas delivery capacity and transportation service up to 72,100 dekatherms per day to the northeast region of the U.S. for use in northeast markets. Work is proposed in various wetlands and U.S. waters adjacent to the 200-line and 300-line pipelines in the towns of Sandisfield and Agawam, Mass., and Suffield and East Granby, Conn. for the Connecticut Expansion Project.
In Massachusetts, the project includes 3.8 miles of new 36-inch pipeline looping in conjunction with the “Massachusetts Loop” and 8.3 miles of new 24-inch pipeline lopping in Connecticut for the “Connecticut Loop” project segment. Minor work at an existing compressor station (number 261) in Agawam, Mass., and fill for a single permanent access road also is proposed.
Work regulated by the Corps of Engineers is water body crossings and the placement of permanent or temporary fill in wetlands and streams along the proposed natural gas pipeline route for construction and temporary work areas. Other portions of the proposed project with impact to U.S. waters will be undertaken in the state of New York and this work is the subject of a concurrent permit application to the Corps’ New York District (NAN-2014-00869-UDA).
The Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company (TennGas) includes other facilities that are outside the purview of the Corps of Engineers such as pipe storage yards, cathodic protection and access roads in upland. These facilities will not impact waters of the U.S. and therefore do not require a Corps permit.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the lead Federal review agency for this project proposed by Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company which is identified as Docket No. CP14-529-000. As lead agency, FERC will prepare a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). FERC issued a “Notice of Schedule for Environmental Review of the Connecticut Expansion Project” on Sept. 1, 2015. The FERC EA will describe the potential environmental impacts of the project and evaluate alternatives and it also will include a review and required consultations under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and Section 106 of the National Historical Preservation Act, as well as other applicable Federal regulations. The EA is expected to be published on Oct. 23, 2015 and its release will be announced in the Federal Register.
The public may submit comments directly to FERC at http://www.ferc.gov. Using the “eLibrary” link on the FERC website, select “General Search” from the eLibrary menu, enter the selected date range and FERC “Docket No” excluding the last three digits (CP14-529), and follow the instructions. For assistance call 1-866-208-3676 or email FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov.
Besides FERC, the proposed work is being coordinated with the following Federal, state and local agencies: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service; Connecticut Departments of Energy and Environmental Protection, Transportation and Historical Commission; and the Massachusetts Departments of Environmental Protection, Transportation and Natural Heritage.
The regulated work proposed by the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company in this permit application involves the temporary impacts from the discharge of backfill and construction activities over approximately 54.58 acres of waters and wetlands as pipeline trench backfill and discharge of temporary fill or associated disturbance in wetlands and waters for construction in conjunction with the installation of 12.1 miles of new gas pipeline loop known as the “Connecticut Expansion Project.” Included in the project is the construction of 11.91 miles of new pipeline with associated rights-of-way (ROW). New ROW will be obtained for both of the project segments.
This work will result in direct temporary impact to 54.58 acres of wetlands and 205 linear feet of waters and temporary secondary impact to 25.43 acres of wetlands. The aquatic resources affected by this project are affiliated with, but not limited to the Clam River, Lower Spectacle Pond, Spectacle Pond Brook, Clay Brook, Muddy Brook, DeGrayes Brook and Stony Brook. In all it is estimated that 27 water bodies (11 in Massachusetts and 16 in Connecticut) and 68 wetland areas (16 in Massachusetts and 52 in Connecticut) will be impacted.
The application for the federal permit was filed with the Corps in compliance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which regulates the discharge or fill of material in U.S. waters, including wetlands. The Corps’ New England District public notice, with more specifics on the proposed work, can be viewed on the Corps website at: http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/PublicNotices.aspx.
Public comments on this permit application to the Corps in New England (file #NAE-2013-02329) should be forwarded no later than Nov. 14, 2015 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Regulatory Division (ATTN: Cori Rose), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751. Additional information on the Corps’ New England District review of the permit application for Section 404 impacts is available from Permit Project Manager Cori Rose at 978-318-8306 or toll free 800-343-4789 or 800-362-4367 (if calling from within Massachusetts) or by email to: cori.m.rose@usace.army.mil.