An environmental review of Empire Pipeline Inc.'s proposal for a 205,000-Dth/d expansion of its natural gas pipeline system in the Northeast raised no red flags for staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The FERC staff concluded that a commission approval of the National Fuel Gas Co. pipeline company's compression-based expansion, called the Empire North project, would not be a major federal action causing significant harm to the environment. In the Oct. 30 environmental assessment, the staff outlined mitigation measures that the commission should attach as conditions to any Natural Gas Act certificate.
Empire Pipeline applied for the project in February with a target in-service date of Nov. 1, 2019. It is designed to bring more gas to markets in the U.S. Northeast and Canada and estimated to cost $143 million. Repsol Oil & Gas USA LLC, Empire affiliate National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp. and EnergyMark LLC have signed up for transportation service provided by the project.
The project would include two new compressor stations in Tioga County, Pa., and Ontario County, N.Y., that would help raise the pressure on the system. The project would involve modifications or removal of other facilities. (FERC docket CP18-89)
