[Green] Fw: FW: Buckeye Xpress project
Rebecca Phillips
bennphil at hotmail.com
Fri May 31 20:31:50 CDT 2019
The comment period on the Buckeye Xpress pipeline opens tomorrow.
Rebecca
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."-- Cicero
________________________________
From: Becca Pollard <beccaepollard at gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, May 31, 2019 8:17 PM
Subject: Fwd: FW: Buckeye Xpress project
FYI
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Wendy Park <WPark at biologicaldiversity.org<mailto:WPark at biologicaldiversity.org>>
Date: Fri, May 31, 2019 at 1:40 PM
Subject: FW: Buckeye Xpress project
To: Elly Benson <elly.benson at sierraclub.org<mailto:elly.benson at sierraclub.org>>, Taylor McKinnon <TMcKinnon at biologicaldiversity.org<mailto:TMcKinnon at biologicaldiversity.org>>, Nathan Johnson <njohnson at theoec.org<mailto:njohnson at theoec.org>>, Becca Pollard <beccaepollard at gmail.com<mailto:beccaepollard at gmail.com>>, Heartwood Coordinator <info at heartwood.org<mailto:info at heartwood.org>>, David Miller <dmiller at theoec.org<mailto:dmiller at theoec.org>>, Loraine McCosker <loraine.mccosker at gmail.com<mailto:loraine.mccosker at gmail.com>>, roxannegroff1227 at gmail.com<mailto:roxannegroff1227 at gmail.com> <roxannegroff1227 at gmail.com<mailto:roxannegroff1227 at gmail.com>>, mccosker at ohio.edu<mailto:mccosker at ohio.edu> <mccosker at ohio.edu<mailto:mccosker at ohio.edu>>, Gabby Brown <gabby.brown at sierraclub.org<mailto:gabby.brown at sierraclub.org>>, Joseph Hazelbaker <j.a.hazelbaker at gmail.com<mailto:j.a.hazelbaker at gmail.com>>, Diana Dascalu-Joffe <DDascaluJoffe at biologicaldiversity.org<mailto:DDascaluJoffe at biologicaldiversity.org>>, Carol Davey <cdavey at theoec.org<mailto:cdavey at theoec.org>>, Heather Cantino <heather.cantino at gmail.com<mailto:heather.cantino at gmail.com>>, Elise Ferguson <EFerguson at biologicaldiversity.org<mailto:EFerguson at biologicaldiversity.org>>, Chris Tavenor <ctavenor at theoec.org<mailto:ctavenor at theoec.org>>
Hi all,
FERC recently released the EA for the Buckeye Xpress pipeline expansion, which crosses the Wayne’s Ironton Unit—see attached notice and our map that shows the pipeline route in relation to the Wayne’s management areas. The Forest Service will be relying on the EA for its special use permit approval for the right-of-way. According to USFS, this will be the public’s only chance to comment on the special use permit, even though many of the terms and conditions for the permit are still undefined. There will also be an appeal process, but you must participate in the public comment process to appeal.
OEC, Sierra Club, Fair Shake, and the Center are preparing technical comments that we’ll be submitting to FERC and USFS. The comments to USFS are due June 18, while comments to FERC are due June 19. I’ve reached out to USFS about the discrepancy in deadlines and they are looking into it.
I’ve highlighted a few of the resources that will be impacted below, according to the EA. Please feel free to share.
Wendy
The pipeline would cross sensitive resources of the Wayne National Forest including
- Vesuvius Main Loop Trail, a hiking trail and horseback riding trail
- An Important Bird Area recognized for its global importance in the conservation of migratory birds such as the Acadian flycatcher, black vulture, blue-winged warbler, cerulean warbler, Kentucky warbler, Louisiana waterthrush, wood thrush, worm-eating warbler, and yellow-breasted chat
- An area close to known endangered Indiana bat maternal roost trees and a known bat cave (within 10 miles of pipeline route but exact distance not specified)
- Occupied habitat of the Timber Rattlesnake, a state endangered species
- The Bluegrass Ridge Special Area which contains a high value oak barren community and other rare plant species such as juniper sedge, bigtree plum, Virginia ground cherry, Cumberland sedge, and Carolina thistle
- Interior forest habitat, resulting in the direct loss of 91 acres of habitat and conversion of 544.6 acres of prior interior forest habitat into edge habitat
In addition, the pipeline crosses:
- 335 water bodies, including 125 perennial streams (unclear how many in the Wayne) – construction will dewater and cause sedimentation of streams, and could require instream blasting.
From: McCarthy, Dawn R -FS [mailto:dawn.mccarthy at usda.gov<mailto:dawn.mccarthy at usda.gov>]
Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2019 1:24 PM
To: Wendy Park
Cc: Jones, Richard K -FS; Miller, Kelly - FS
Subject: RE: Buckeye Xpress project
Good afternoon Wendy,
Thank you for contacting us. I will attempt to respond to your questions first, then provide some general information about the Buckeye Xpress Project. Please note, I will be out of the office June 1 – 16, and Kelly Miller will be serving as acting Public Affairs Officer. If you have additional questions, please reach out to Kelly.
1. This is your only opportunity to comment on the USFS special use permit authorization.
2. As the lead agency, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should be contacted to request the FWS June 1, 2018 concurrence letter and the biological assessment. The Wayne National Forest is a cooperating agency (for more information on what this means, please see the attached FAQs).
3. Due to differing regulations and publication timeframes, FERC’s comment period deadline is June 19, 2019 and the Wayne National Forest’s deadline is June 18, 2019. We are working with FERC to try to resolve this difference in dates. Once we have an answer, we will let you know, and update our website as necessary.
General information:
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Forest Service are currently seeking public input on the proposed Buckeye Xpress Project Environmental Assessment. More detailed information can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=54536&exp=overview.
Comments on the Forest Service decision for the project should be submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission process and specifically reference the Wayne National Forest in the content so that those comments can be directed to the Forest Service for review and consideration. The 30-day comment period ends on June 18, 2019.
The Forest Service appreciates and will consider your comments concerning the Buckeye Xpress Pipeline Project. If you haven’t already done so, we highly encourage you to considering filing your comments with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) so that the FERC will also consider your comments. For your reference, there are three methods you can use:
1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment feature on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s website (www.ferc.gov<http://www.ferc.gov>) under the link to Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for submitting brief, text-only comments on a project;
2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling feature on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s website (www.ferc.gov<http://www.ferc.gov>) under the link to Documents and Filings. With eFiling, you can provide comments in a variety of formats by attaching them as a file with your submission. New eFiling users must first create an account by clicking on “eRegister.” If you are filing a comment on a particular project, please select “Comment on a Filing” as the filing type;
3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to the following address. Be sure to reference docket number CP18–137–000 with your submission:
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street NE, Room 1A
Washington, DC 20426
For assistance, please contact Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Online Support at FercOnlineSupport at ferc.gov<mailto:FERCOnlineSupport at ferc.gov> or toll free at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659. Refer to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Docket number for the Buckeye Xpress Project, Docket No. CP18–137–000 in all correspondence to ensure that your comments are correctly filed in the record. We also suggest that you reference the Wayne National Forest if your comments are specific to the Forest. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Dawn
[Forest Service Shield]
Dawn R. McCarthy, PhD
Public Affairs Officer
Acting Ohio Interagency Liaison
Forest Service
Wayne National Forest
p: 740-753-0862
c: 740-517-5358
f: 740-753-0119
dawn.mccarthy at usda.gov<mailto:dawn.mccarthy at usda.gov>
13700 US Highway 33
Nelsonville, OH 45764
www.fs.fed.us<http://www.fs.fed.us/>
[USDA Logo]<http://usda.gov/>[Forest Service Twitter]<https://twitter.com/forestservice>[USDA Facebook]<https://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Forest-Service/1431984283714112>
Caring for the land and serving people
From: Wendy Park [mailto:WPark at biologicaldiversity.org]
Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2019 3:30 PM
To: Jones, Richard K -FS <richard.k.jones at usda.gov<mailto:richard.k.jones at usda.gov>>
Cc: McCarthy, Dawn R -FS <dawn.mccarthy at usda.gov<mailto:dawn.mccarthy at usda.gov>>
Subject: RE: Buckeye Xpress project
I have another question. Is this the public’s only opportunity to comment on the USFS special use permit (besides the formal objection process)? Or will there be a separate process for that?
Also, FERC has specified a deadline of June 19 but the Forest Service notice suggests a deadline of June 18. Are there two different deadlines for NEPA comments? If the deadlines are the same, this should be clarified on USFS’s notice or website.
Thank you,
Wendy
From: Jones, Richard K -FS [mailto:richard.k.jones at usda.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2019 12:10 PM
To: Wendy Park
Cc: McCarthy, Dawn R -FS
Subject: RE: Buckeye Xpress project
Hello Wendy. Thank you for your interest in this project. I will forward your inquiry and request to our Public Affairs Officer, Dawn McCarthy, who is the point of contact for the Forest Service. Dawn will provide a response to your email. Thank you.
Rich Jones
[Forest Service Shield]
Richard K. Jones
Realty Specialist Program Mgr
Forest Service
Wayne National Forest, Forest Supervisors Office
p: 740-534-6579
c: 740-377-5165
f: 740-534-0620
rkjones at usda.gov<mailto:rkjones at usda.gov>
13700 US HWY 33
Nelsonville, OH 45764
www.fs.fed.us<http://www.fs.fed.us/>
[USDA Logo]<http://usda.gov/>[Forest Service Twitter]<https://twitter.com/forestservice>[USDA Facebook]<https://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Forest-Service/1431984283714112>
Caring for the land and serving people
From: Wendy Park [mailto:WPark at biologicaldiversity.org]
Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2019 2:32 PM
To: Jones, Richard K -FS <richard.k.jones at usda.gov<mailto:richard.k.jones at usda.gov>>
Subject: Buckeye Xpress project
Hi Rich,
I am looking for the June 1, 2018 concurrence letter by FWS for the Buckeye Xpress project. The letter is mentioned in the EA, but I cannot find it on the FERC docket for the project. I am also wondering if FERC or the Wayne National Forest prepared a biological assessment that makes a “not likely to adversely affect” finding for the project. Could you send me those documents? I cannot figure out who the project contact at FERC is. Thank you,
Wendy
510-844-7138
This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://fuusm.org/pipermail/green_fuusm.org/attachments/20190601/407bafa5/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.png
Type: image/png
Size: 7801 bytes
Desc: image001.png
URL: <http://fuusm.org/pipermail/green_fuusm.org/attachments/20190601/407bafa5/attachment.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.png
Type: image/png
Size: 1701 bytes
Desc: image002.png
URL: <http://fuusm.org/pipermail/green_fuusm.org/attachments/20190601/407bafa5/attachment-0001.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image003.png
Type: image/png
Size: 1594 bytes
Desc: image003.png
URL: <http://fuusm.org/pipermail/green_fuusm.org/attachments/20190601/407bafa5/attachment-0002.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image004.png
Type: image/png
Size: 1453 bytes
Desc: image004.png
URL: <http://fuusm.org/pipermail/green_fuusm.org/attachments/20190601/407bafa5/attachment-0003.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: BXP_NewsRelease_FINAL_May2019.docx
Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
Size: 87091 bytes
Desc: BXP_NewsRelease_FINAL_May2019.docx
URL: <http://fuusm.org/pipermail/green_fuusm.org/attachments/20190601/407bafa5/attachment.docx>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 201905_BuckeyeXpress_FAQs.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 181652 bytes
Desc: 201905_BuckeyeXpress_FAQs.pdf
URL: <http://fuusm.org/pipermail/green_fuusm.org/attachments/20190601/407bafa5/attachment.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: BuckeyeXpress_managementareas MAP.PDF
Type: application/pdf
Size: 13335996 bytes
Desc: BuckeyeXpress_managementareas MAP.PDF
URL: <http://fuusm.org/pipermail/green_fuusm.org/attachments/20190601/407bafa5/attachment-0001.pdf>
More information about the Green
mailing list