Project

Complex Permitting for Natural Gas Pipeline Abandonment and Construction

Client: Confidential Oil and Gas Company
Location: Ohio and West Virginia

Our client needed to replace portions of their existing pipeline system, they were faced with crossings of sensitive environmental and cultural resources, steep terrain and a National Forest—all within a congested utility corridor.

Although considered a single project, the project included two components—abandonment of an existing pipeline and construction of a new one. Both components were designed concurrently and authorized through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) approval processes.

To help our client meet their in-service date, we provided the necessary environmental documentation and support to successfully navigate a lengthy and complex permitting process.

Two of the primary documents—the FERC Environmental Report and the Wayne National Forest Construction, Operation, and Maintenance Plan—received high praise from their respective agencies.

Challenges & Accomplishments

  • Two Projects in One: The project components involved work at several of the same locations, which required presenting all impacts for the individual project components and for the overall project (without double-counting). Meticulous data management and organization allowed us to quickly adapt to project changes and revise numerous impact calculations to keep permitting efforts on track.
  • Competing Jurisdictions: Our client faced a complex permitting process with several different federal and state agencies having jurisdiction over the same resources, including surface waters, wetlands, protected species and cultural resources. Our experience as an effective agency liaison provided them with the coordination needed to achieve interagency consensus on resource protection measures.
  • Myriad Special-Status Species: Habitat assessments were required for more than 80 plant and wildlife species identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USWFS), USFS and Ohio Department of Natural Resources. To ensure that sensitive species like the running buffalo clover, pink mucket mussel and timber rattlesnake would be protected, we were tasked with conducting species-specific surveys and developing avoidance and mitigation measures to be implemented during construction.

Project Features

  • Abandonment of 61 miles of natural gas pipeline
  • Construction of 66 miles of replacement pipeline
  • Modifications to regulator stations, valve sites and a compressor station
  • Four horizontal directional drills (HDDs)
  • 280 stream crossings and 220 wetland crossings
  • FERC 7c/7b Authorization
  • Individual Section 401 Water Quality Certification
  • USFS Special Use Permit and Easement Agreement

Agency Coordination

  • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • U.S. Forest Service – Wayne National Forest
  • Ohio Department of Natural Resources
  • Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
  • Ohio History Connection
  • West Virginia Division of Culture and History
  • City Public Service Department
  • County Soil and Water Conservation Districts

POWER’s Services

  • Agency consultation
  • Clean Water Act permitting
  • Construction monitoring
  • Erosion and sediment control plans
  • Floodplain analyses and permitting
  • Habitat mapping and assessments
  • Historical and archaeological surveys
  • Mitigation development and compensatory mitigation planning
  • Native American consultation
  • Permit strategy
  • Soil sampling
  • Stakeholder communications and outreach
  • Stormwater permitting
  • Threatened and endangered species and invasive species surveys
  • Wetland delineation

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