The Baltimore District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has prepared an Amendment to its Environmental Assessment (EA) for the easement agreement allowing Sunoco Pipeline, Limited Partnership (SPLP) to construct and operate a portion of its Pennsylvania Pipeline Project (Project) (including two natural gas liquids pipelines) through USACE-owned/administered properties at Raystown Lake. The easement and license to construct has already been issued and construction has begun.
An amendment to the EA is necessary due to unforeseen changes in the Project construction schedule. A change in the allowed seasonal construction timeframe is being considered that would extend the period of time and allow certain limited construction activities to continue during specifically defined timeframes within the busy summer season between Memorial Day and Labor Day, at the Seven Points Recreation Area of Raystown Lake. This is the only change to the Proposed Action. The amendment to the EA assesses the impacts of changing the allowed construction timeframe.
In particular, the change would allow conventional open cut/trenched construction between September 5 and the end of October, 2017 (i.e., after Labor Day weekend), provided that certain provisions are followed. In addition, horizontal directional drill (HDD) construction under Raystown Lake would be allowed during specified times during the summer, provided that certain provisions are followed. Further detail is provided in the EA Amendment. The EA Amendment assesses the impacts of this change on relevant resources, including public recreation, noise, visual/aesthetic resources, traffic (including public parking), and public safety. A mitigation measure consisting of the construction and use of a new temporary parking area, intended to offset an existing parking area that would be occupied by HDD construction equipment during the summer season, was also assessed.
Based on the modification to the Project construction schedule, SPLP’s implementation of the specific impact minimization and mitigation measures presented in the Amendment to the EA, and other such measures already included in the EA, the EA Amendment found that the Proposed Action would not have a significant adverse impact on the environment. Accordingly, the conclusions of the original EA and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) remain unchanged. We further conclude that the specific provisions and impact minimization/mitigation measures presented in this Amendment to the EA will not interfere with the USACE’s mission of providing for the public’s recreation and enjoyment at Raystown Lake.
An electronic version of the EA Amendment and Draft FONSI are available online at:
- USACE Baltimore District Public Website: http://www.nab.usace.army.mil/Home/Public-Notices/Ops-Public-Notices/ (or at: http://www.nab.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Public-Notices/Public-Notice-View/Article/970119/notice-of-availability-final-ea-and-fonsi-for-pennsylvania-pipeline-project-cro/, listed under "Attachments" at the top right of this page)
Hardcopy versions of the documents can be found at the following locations:
- Huntingdon County Library: 330 Penn Street, Huntingdon, PA 16652, Phone: (814) 643-0200
- USACE Raystown Lake Administrative Building: 6145 Seven Points Road, Hesston PA 16647, Phone: (814) 658-6803
Comments on the EA Amendment may be submitted to the Baltimore District Corporate Communication Office either by mail to 10 S. Howard Street, ATTN: CCO Room 11400, Baltimore, MD, 21201 or by email to cenab-cc@usace.army.mil no later than 15 days from 12 July, 2017, which was the publication date of this notice.