FERC 公布 Southern Star Viola 天然气管道项目环评（结论无重大环境影响），服务 Evergy 堪萨斯州 710MW 燃气电厂

BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP26-74-000]
Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc.; Notice of Availability of the
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Viola Project
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission)
has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the Viola Project, proposed by
Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc. (Southern Star) in the above-referenced docket.1
Southern Star requests authorization to construct a new meter station, flow station,
compressor station, and the 19.3-mile-long 16-inch-diameter Line UA natural gas
pipeline in Sumner County, Kansas. The Viola Project would provide up to 116,296
dekatherms per day of natural gas service to the planned 710-megwatt combined cycle
power generation Viola Plant located in Sumner County, Kansas, which is owned and
operated by Evergy, Inc. (Evergy).

Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. To ensure consideration of
your comments on the proposal prior to making a decision on the project, it is important
that the Commission receive your comments on or before 5:00 pm Eastern Time on
November 9, 2026. Instructions for filing comments are provided on page 3.

1 For tracking purposes under the National Environmental Policy Act, the unique

identification number for documents relating to this environmental review is EAXX-01920-000-1774341286.

FERC is the lead federal agency for authorizing interstate natural gas transmission
facilities under the Natural Gas Act of 1938 and the lead federal agency for preparation
of the EA. The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the Viola Project in
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act2 and the
Commission’s implementing regulations.3 The principal purposes of the EA are to:
identify and assess the potential effects on the natural and human environment; describe
and evaluate reasonable alternatives; identify and recommend mitigation measures; and
facilitate public involvement in the environmental review process. The EA concludes
that approval of the proposed project would not constitute a major federal action
significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.

The EA addresses the potential environmental effects of the construction and
operation of the following project facilities:

•

approximately 19.3 miles of new 16-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline (Line
UA), which would connect to Southern Star’s existing 20-inch-diamter Line
U;

•

the new Wellington Compressor Station, sited along existing Line U,
consisting of three compressor units totaling 12,375 horsepower, along with
ancillary station equipment;

2 National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (Public Law [Pub. L.]

91-190. 42 U.S. Code 4321–4347, as amended by Pub. L. 94-52, July 3, 1975; Pub. L. 9483, August 9, 1975; Pub. L. 97-258, §4(b), September 13, 1982; Pub. L. 118-5, June 3,
2023; Pub. L. 119-21, July 4, 2025).
3 Title 18 Code of Federal Regulations Part 380.

•

the Evergy Flow Control Setting, to regulate the flow of natural gas from
existing Line U; and

•

the Evergy Meter Setting, which would connect Line UA to the new Evergy
Viola Plant.

The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability of the EA to federal,
state, and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials; Native
American tribes; environmental and public interest groups; potentially affected
landowners and other interested individuals and groups; and libraries and media outlets in
the project area. The EA is only available in electronic format. It may be viewed and
downloaded from the FERC’s website (www.ferc.gov), on the natural gas environmental
documents page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/naturalgas/environment/environmental-documents). In addition, the EA may be accessed by
using the eLibrary link on the FERC’s website. Click on the eLibrary link
(https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search), select “General Search” and enter the docket
number in the “Docket Number” field, excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP26-74). Be
sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance, please contact FERC
Online Support at FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at (866) 208-3676, or for
TTY, contact (202) 502-8659.

The EA is not a decision document. It presents Commission staff’s independent
analysis of the environmental issues for the Commission to consider when addressing the
merits of all issues in this proceeding. Under section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act, the
Commission determines whether interstate natural gas transportation facilities are in the

public convenience and necessity and, if so, grants a Certificate of Public Convenience
and Necessity to construct and operate them. The Commission bases its decisions on
both economic issues, including need, and environmental effects.

Your comments should focus on the EA’s disclosure and discussion of potential
environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen
environmental effects. The more specific your comments, the more useful they will be.
For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to file your comments to the
Commission. The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has staff
available to assist you at (866) 208-3676 or FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. Please
carefully follow these instructions so that your comments are properly recorded.

(1)

You can file your comments electronically using the eComment feature on
the Commission’s website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to FERC Online.
This is an easy method for submitting brief, text-only comments on a
project;

(2)

You can also file your comments electronically using the eFiling feature on
the Commission’s website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to FERC Online.
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.” You must select the type of
filing you are making. If you are filing a comment on a particular project,
please select “Comment on a Filing”; or

(3)

You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to the
Commission. Be sure to reference the project docket number (CP26-74000) on your letter. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be
addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne
A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225
Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.

Filing environmental comments will not give you intervenor status, but you do not
need intervenor status to have your comments considered. Only intervenors have the
right to seek rehearing or judicial review of the Commission’s decision. At this point in
this proceeding, the timeframe for filing timely intervention requests has expired. Any
person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene outof-time pursuant to Rule 214(b)(3) and (d) of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedures (Title 18 Code of Federal Regulations Part 385.214(b)(3) and (d)) and show
good cause why the time limitation should be waived. Motions to intervene are more
fully described at https://www.ferc.gov/how-intervene.

For public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as interventions,
comments, or requests for rehearing, contact the Office of Public Participation at
(202) 502-6595 or OPP@ferc.gov. Additional information about the project is available
from the FERC website (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. The eLibrary link also

provides access to the texts of all formal documents issued by the Commission, such as
orders, notices, and rulemakings.

In addition, the Commission offers a free service called eSubscription which allows you
to keep track of all formal issuances and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce
the amount of time you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you
with notification of these filings, document summaries, and direct links to the documents.
Go to https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to register for eSubscription.
(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)
Dated: October 9, 2026.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.

[FR Doc. 2026-21073 Filed: 10/14/2026 8:45 am; Publication Date: 10/15/2026]