FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Natural Gas Pipeline Easement at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey OCTOBER 2017 THIS PAGE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Environmental Assessment of Natural Gas Pipeline Easement Table of Contents 1 PURPOSE AND NEED FOR THE PROPOSED ACTION ................................. 1-1 1.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.2 Purpose and Need .......................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.3 Scope and Content of the Environmental Assessment ...................................................................... 1-2 1.4 Decision to be Made........................................................................................................................ 1-2 1.5 Agency and Public Participation ....................................................................................................... 1-2 2 DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES .................... 2-1 2.1 Proposed Action .............................................................................................................................. 2-1 2.2 Alternatives Considered ................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.3 Alternative 1 – Grant Pipeline Easement to NJNG (Pinehurst Road to Ridgeway Road/Lakehurst Whitesville Road) ............................................................................................................................ 2-1 2.4 Alternative 2 – No Action Alternative ................................................................................................ 2-7 2.5 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated from Further Study ............................................................... 2-7 2.6 New Jersey Natural Gas SRL Project ............................................................................................... 2-8 3 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................ 3-1 3.1 General Overview............................................................................................................................ 3-1 3.2 Land Use ........................................................................................................................................ 3-2 3.3 Air Quality and Greenhouse Gases .................................................................................................. 3-4 3.4 Geology, Topography, and Soils ...................................................................................................... 3-7 3.5 Water Resources ............................................................................................................................ 3-9 3.6 Biological Resources ..................................................................................................................... 3-14 3.7 Cultural Resources ........................................................................................................................ 3-24 3.8 Energy and Infrastructure .............................................................................................................. 3-26 3.9 Materials and Waste ...................................................................................................................... 3-27 3.10 Traffic and Noise ........................................................................................................................... 3-27 3.11 Socioeconomics ............................................................................................................................ 3-27 3.12 Health and Safety .......................................................................................................................... 3-28 4 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ............................................................ 4-1 4.1 General Overview............................................................................................................................ 4-1 4.2 Land Use ........................................................................................................................................ 4-1 4.3 Air Quality and Greenhouse Gases .................................................................................................. 4-2 4.4 Geology, Topography, and Soils ...................................................................................................... 4-6 4.5 Water Resources ............................................................................................................................ 4-7 4.6 Biological Resources ....................................................................................................................... 4-9 4.7 Cultural Resources ........................................................................................................................ 4-10 4.8 Energy and Infrastructure .............................................................................................................. 4-11 4.9 Materials and Wastes .................................................................................................................... 4-12 Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey October 2017 I Environmental Assessment of Natural Gas Pipeline Easement 4.10 Traffic and Noise ........................................................................................................................... 4-12 4.11 Socioeconomics ............................................................................................................................ 4-13 4.12 Health and Safety .......................................................................................................................... 4-13 4.13 Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitment of Resources ................................................................. 4-14 4.14 The Relationship between Local Short-Term Uses of the Human Environment and the Maintenance and Enhancement of Long-Term Productivity ........................................................................................ 4-15 4.15 Unavoidable Adverse Impacts........................................................................................................ 4-15 5 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS................................................................................... 5-1 5.1 Cumulative Impacts General Overview ............................................................................................. 5-1 5.2 Cumulative Impacts under Alternative 1 – Grant Pipeline Easement to NJNG .................................... 5-9 5.3 Cumulative Impacts under Alternative 2 (No Action Alternative) ...................................................... 5-15 5.4 Connected Actions ........................................................................................................................ 5-15 6 COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVES AND CONCLUSIONS............................. 6-1 7 REFERENCES .................................................................................................. 7-1 8 LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS ............................................................................... 8-1 9 INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING LETTERS MAILING LIST ............................................................... 9-1 10 PUBLIC DRAFT DISTRIBUTION LIST ............................................................ 10-1 APPENDIX A – Interagency and Intergovernmental Coordination for Environmental Planning and Public Involvement Materials ............................................................... A-1 APPENDIX B – Transmission Integrity Management Plan ...................................................... B-1 APPENDIX C – Threatened and Endangered Species Documentation .................................. C-1 APPENDIX D – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Correspondence ............................................. D-1 APPENDIX E – Cultural Resources Documentation ................................................................ E-1 APPENDIX F – Air Quality Calculations .................................................................................. F-1 APPENDIX G – Environmental Baseline Survey .................................................................... G-1 Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey October 2017 II Environmental Assessment of Natural Gas Pipeline Easement List of Figures Figure 1 Location of JB MDL Figure 2 Location of Proposed Easement for Alternative 1 Figure 3 Project Study Area Figure 4 Pinelands Management Areas Figure 5 Conservation Areas Figure 6 Physiographic Provinces Figure 7 Bedrock Geology Figure 8 Hydric Soils Figure 9 Acidic Soils Figure 10 Watershed Management Areas and New Jersey Water Quality Classifications Figure 11 Natural Features Figure 12 Threatened and Endangered Species Figure 13 Cultural Resources Figure 14 Connected Actions List of Tables Table 2-1 Proposed Pipeline Corridor Route ...................................................................... 2-2 Table 2-2 Alternatives Eliminated from Further Consideration ............................................ 2-8 Table 3-1 National and State Ambient Air Quality Standards .............................................. 3-4 Table 3-2 Geologic Formations within the Project Study Area ............................................ 3-7 Table 3-3 Soil