Environmental Assessment for Southern Star Viola Natural Gas Pipeline Project

Content

On January 21, 2026, Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc. (Southern Star) filed an application in Docket No. CP26-74-000
requesting a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity

  pursuant to Section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act for the Viola Project (Project) in Sumner County, Kansas. Southern Star proposes
  to construct a new meter station, flow station, compressor station, and the Line UA natural gas pipeline, in order to flow
  up to 116,296 dekatherms per day of natural gas. The Viola Project would support and supply the 710-megawatt combined cycle
  power generation Viola Plant, which is currently under construction in Sumner County, and would be owned and operated by Evergy
  Kansas Central, Inc. (Evergy).

On February 4, 2026, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) issued its Notice of Application for the
Project. Among other things, that notice alerted agencies issuing federal authorizations of the requirement to complete all
necessary reviews and to reach a final decision on a request for a federal authorization within 90 days of the date of issuance
of the Commission staff's environmental document for the Project.

This notice identifies Commission staff's intention to prepare an environmental assessment (EA) for the Project and the planned
schedule for the completion of the environmental review. (1) The EA will be issued for a 30-day comment period.

Schedule for Environmental Review

Issuance of EA—October 9, 2026

90-day Federal Authorization Decision Deadline (2) —January 7, 2027

If a schedule change becomes necessary, additional notice will be provided so that the relevant agencies are kept informed
of the Project's progress.

Project Description

The Project would consist of the facilities and activities detailed below, all in Sumner County, Kansas:

• approximately 19.33 miles of new 16-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline (Line UA), which would connect to Southern Star's existing 20-inch-diameter Line U;
• the new Wellington Compressor Station, consisting of three compressor units totaling 12,375 horsepower, along with ancillary station equipment;
• a new mainline valve on Line U; and
• the Evergy Meter Setting, a meter station which would connect Line UA to the new Evergy Viola Plant.

Background

On March 4, 2026, the Commission issued a Notice of Scoping Period Requesting Comments on Environmental Issues for the Proposed Viola Project (Notice of Scoping). The Notice of Scoping was sent to affected landowners; federal, state, and local government agencies;
elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native American tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries
and newspapers. The Commission received a comment regarding concerns over air and noise emissions, as well as potential safety
risks of a compressor station and pipeline within 1 mile of a residence. All substantive comments received will be addressed
in the EA.

Additional Information

In order to receive notification of the issuance of the EA and to keep track of formal issuances and submittals in specific
dockets, the Commission offers a free service called eSubscription. This service provides automatic notification of filings
made to subscribed dockets, document summaries, and direct links to the documents. Go to https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to register for eSubscription.

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, select “General Search” from the eLibrary menu, enter the selected date range and “Docket Number”
excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP26-74), and follow the instructions. For assistance with access to eLibrary, the helpline can be reached at (866) 208-3676,
TTY (202) 502-8659, or at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. The eLibrary link on the FERC website also provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such
as orders, notices, and rule makings.

(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)

Dated: April 7, 2026. Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2026-07122 Filed 4-10-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717-01-P

Footnotes

(1) For tracking purposes under the National Environmental Policy Act, the unique identification number for documents relating
to this environmental review is EAXX-019-20-000-1774341286.

(2) The Commission's deadline applies to the decisions of other federal agencies, and state agencies acting under federally delegated
authority, that are responsible for federal authorizations, permits, and other approvals necessary for proposed projects under
the Natural Gas Act. Per 18 CFR 157.22(a), the Commission's deadline for other agency's decisions applies unless a schedule
is otherwise established by federal law.

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