20200402 Ver 1_USFWS correspondence_20200324

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Ashley Steele Bentz
From:Wells, Emily N <[e-mail]>
Sent:Monday, February 3, 2020 3:21 PM
To:Joey Lawler; Beecher, Gary H CIV USARMY CESAW (US)
Cc:[e-mail]; DePalma, Alicia; Moody, Todd; Bynum, Pinkney; Stroupe,
Matthew B
Subject:Re: Update to PNG Emergency Gas Line Leak - Line 99
Hi Joey,
Thank you for the additional updates and information. The photos are particularly helpful for the areas
needed for clearing. I would agree that the majority of the area does not look like ideal habitat for the RCW,
and we are not aware of any recent records nearby that would suggest the species is using this location for
foraging. If you or the qualified environmental inspector comes across any signs of RCW, please let us know
immediately, but otherwise we do not see any problems with you moving forward to fix the leak as
proposed. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Emily
From: Joey Lawler <[e-mail]>
Sent: Monday, February 3, 2020 11:02 AM
To: Beecher, Gary H CIV USARMY CESAW (US) <[e-mail]>
Cc: Wells, Emily N <[e-mail]>; [e-mail] <[e-mail]>; DePalma, Alicia
<[e-mail]>; Moody, Todd <[e-mail]>; Bynum, Pinkney
<[e-mail]>; Stroupe, Matthew B <[e-mail]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Update to PNG Emergency Gas Line Leak - Line 99
Gary - as a follow-up to my call of late last week:
It looks as though PNG will need to acquire an additional 30' of temporary workspace adjacent to their existing 20'
maintained easement. Apparently their easement directly abuts the cleared DOD railway easement to the west - so they
cannot use any of it and will need to use the wooded area to the east. To conduct the work and install the by-pass (the
line is a one-way feed to Southport) they will need the additional 30' for approximately 300' south of the leak and 100'
to the north, as depicted by the attached KMZ. Since that area consists of wetlands, approximately 0.27 acre will be
temporarily impacted. They plan to use an existing, well-maintained access road to come in from Funston Rad
SE. Depending on the condition of the pipe, they may need to extend the 30' back to the access road, but this is not
anticipated at this point.
We visited the site Thursday and I conducted a more-thorough assessment for potential RCW. I did not observe any
nesting trees within the 30' area. Most of the pine trees were smaller loblolly, although some larger pond pines were
present in the wetland area. Otherwise, the understory of the area they need to clear consists of relatively dense,
pocosin-like vegetation. The high ground areas further north towards the existing access road could be considered
foraging habitat, but much of the area has been disturbed already, and the trees are not that large. I have attached
some photos, as requested.
Because the project will now involve mechanized land clearing of forested wetlands, we would typically provide a PCN in
advance. However, per our previous conversation, we intend to submit the PCN "after-the-fact" if necessary. Given the
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urgency of this project and the proximity of the leak to important government infrastructure (the DOD railroad),
Piedmont plans to begin work as soon as possible. They have assigned an experienced full-time environmental inspector
to the project, and will comply with the applicable conditions of NWP-12 and GC 4133, including restoration of the
affected area upon completion.
Please let me know what additional information you may need in the interim, or if you need to conduct a site
visit. Otherwise, we will document all associated wetland impacts and conduct a post-construction review of the area
for compliance.
Thanks again for your continued assistance with this important project - j
Joey Lawler, PWS
Natural Resources Project Manager
S&ME
9751 Southern Pine Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28273
O: 704.523.4726
M: 704.604.6474
www.smeinc.com
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