Roadrunner Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Roadrunner Border Crossing Project; Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 28997-28999 [2015-12214]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 97 / Wednesday, May 20, 2015 / Notices issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis. • Endangered Species • Groundwater • Karst Topography Environmental Mailing List The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. This list also includes all affected landowners (as defined in the Commission’s regulations) who are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used temporarily for project purposes, or who own homes within certain distances of aboveground facilities, and anyone who submits comments on the project. We will update the environmental mailing list as the analysis proceeds to ensure that we send the information related to this environmental review to all individuals, organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the proposed project. If we publish and distribute the EA, copies will be sent to the environmental mailing list for public review and comment. If you would prefer to receive a paper copy of the document instead of the CD version or would like to remove your name from the mailing list, please return the attached Information Request (appendix 2). mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Becoming an Intervenor In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want to become an ‘‘intervenor’’ which is an official party to the Commission’s proceeding. Intervenors play a more formal role in the process and are able to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be heard by the courts if they choose to appeal the Commission’s final ruling. An intervenor formally participates in the proceeding by filing a request to intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are in the User’s Guide under the ‘‘e-filing’’ link on the Commission’s Web site. Additional Information Additional information about the project is available from the Commission’s Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208–FERC, or on the FERC Web site at www.ferc.gov using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Click on the eLibrary link, click on ‘‘General Search’’ and enter the docket number, excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field (i.e., CP15–150). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For VerDate Sep<11>2014 23:50 May 19, 2015 Jkt 235001 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 eLibrary link also provides access to the texts of 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 www.ferc.gov/docsfiling/esubscription.asp. Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the Commission’s calendar located at www.ferc.gov/ EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information. Dated: May 14, 2015. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2015–12213 Filed 5–19–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. CP15–161–000] Roadrunner Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Roadrunner Border Crossing Project; Request for Comments on Environmental Issues The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will discuss the environmental impacts of the Roadrunner Border Crossing Project involving construction and operation of facilities for the export of natural gas by Roadrunner Gas Transmission, LLC (Roadrunner) in El Paso County, Texas. The Commission will use this EA in its decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the public interest. This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the project. You can make a difference by providing us with your specific comments or concerns about the project. Your comments should focus on the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or PO 00000 Frm 00069 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 28997 lessen environmental impacts. Your input will help the Commission staff determine what issues they need to evaluate in the EA. To ensure that your comments are timely and properly recorded, please send your comments so that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before June 13, 2015. If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the opening of this docket on April 9, 2015, you will need to file those comments in Docket No. CP15–161–000 to ensure they are considered as part of this proceeding. This notice is being sent to the Commission’s current environmental mailing list for this project. State and local government representatives should notify their constituents of this proposed project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern. If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a pipeline company representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. The company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if the Commission approves the project, that approval conveys with it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation proceedings where compensation would be determined in accordance with state law. Roadrunner provided landowners with a fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ‘‘An Interstate Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?’’. This fact sheet addresses a number of typically-asked questions, including the use of eminent domain and how to participate in the Commission’s proceedings. It is also available for viewing on the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov). Public Participation For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert staff available to assist you at (202) 502–8258 or efiling@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 Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link to Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for submitting brief, text-only comments on a project; E:\FR\FM\20MYN1.SGM 20MYN1 28998 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 97 / Wednesday, May 20, 2015 / Notices (2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling feature on the Commission’s Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link to Documents and Filings. 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.’’ If you are filing a comment on a particular project, please select ‘‘Comment on a Filing’’ as the filing type; or (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to the following address. Be sure to reference the project docket number (CP15–161– 000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Summary of the Proposed Project mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Roadrunner proposes to construct a new border crossing at the international boundary between the United States and Mexico in El Paso County, Texas. The Roadrunner Border Crossing Project would consist of the construction of approximately 900 feet of FERCjurisdictional 30-inch-diameter pipeline, installed beneath the Rio Grande River near San Elizario in El Paso County, Texas. The new pipeline would have a maximum daily export capacity of 875,000 million cubic feet per day, designed to transport natural gas to a new delivery interconnect with Tarahumara Pipeline S. de C.V. (Tarahumara Pipeline) at the United States/Mexico border for electric generation and industrial market needs in Mexico. The Roadrunner Border Crossing Project would interconnect with Roadrunner’s new intrastate pipeline facilities, including 205 miles of 30inch-diameter pipeline, metering stations, and a new natural gas compressor station in Pecos County, Texas. The intrastate facilities would be subject to the jurisdiction of the Texas Railroad Commission and would be non-jurisdictional to the FERC. Roadrunner would concurrently construct the non-jurisdictional facilities in two phases between 2015 and 2016. The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.1 1 The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in the Federal Register. Copies of appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov using the link called ‘‘eLibrary’’ or from the Commission’s Public Reference Room, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 502–8371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice. VerDate Sep<11>2014 23:50 May 19, 2015 Jkt 235001 Land Requirements for Construction Construction of the Roadrunner Cross Border Pipeline Project pipeline would affect a total of 23.4 acres of land in the United States including 3.1 acres of additional temporary workspace for HDD construction and hydrostatic testing of the pipeline, 18.7 acres of temporary access roads, and 1.6 acres of operational right-of-way that would overlap between the FERC jurisdictional and non-jurisdictional pipeline facilities. please carefully follow the instructions in the Public Participation section beginning on page 2. With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law and/ or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues of this project to formally cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA.3 Agencies that would like to request cooperating agency status should follow the instructions for filing comments provided under the Public Participation section of this notice. The EA Process The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of an Authorization. NEPA also requires us 2 to discover and address concerns the public may have about proposals. This process is referred to as ‘‘scoping.’’ The main goal of the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EA on the important environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. We will consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EA. In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these general headings: • geology and soils; • land use; • water resources, fisheries, and wetlands; • cultural resources; • vegetation and wildlife; • air quality and noise; • endangered and threatened species; • public safety; and • cumulative impacts. We will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed project or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas. The EA will present our independent analysis of the issues. The EA will be available in the public record through eLibrary. Depending on the comments received during the scoping process, we may also publish and distribute the EA to the public for an allotted comment period. We will consider all comments on the EA before making our recommendations to the Commission. To ensure we have the opportunity to consider and address your comments, Consultations Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act In accordance with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s implementing regulations for section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, we are using this notice to initiate consultation with the applicable State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and to solicit their views and those of other government agencies, interested Indian tribes, and the public on the project’s potential effects on historic properties.4 We will define the project-specific Area of Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO as the project develops. On natural gas facility projects, the APE at a minimum encompasses all areas subject to ground disturbance (examples include construction right-of-way, contractor/ pipe storage yards, compressor stations, and access roads). Our EA for this project will document our findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize the status of consultations under section 106. 2 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of Energy Projects. PO 00000 Frm 00070 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Environmental Mailing List The environmental mailing list includes: federal, state, and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. This list also includes all affected landowners (as defined in the Commission’s regulations) who are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used temporarily for project purposes, or who own homes within certain distances of aboveground facilities, and anyone who submits 3 The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1501.6. 4 The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s regulations are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Those regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. E:\FR\FM\20MYN1.SGM 20MYN1 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 97 / Wednesday, May 20, 2015 / Notices comments on the project. We will update the environmental mailing list as the analysis proceeds to ensure that we send the information related to this environmental review to all individuals, organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the proposed project. If we publish and distribute the EA, copies will be sent to the environmental mailing list for public review and comment. If you would prefer to receive a paper copy of the document instead of the CD version or would like to remove your name from the mailing list, please return the attached Information Request (appendix 2). mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Becoming an Intervenor In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want to become an ‘‘intervenor’’ which is an official party to the Commission’s proceeding. Intervenors play a more formal role in the process and are able to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be heard by the courts if they choose to appeal the Commission’s final ruling. An intervenor formally participates in the proceeding by filing a request to intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are available on the Commission’s Web site at https:// www.ferc.gov/help/how-to/ intervene.asp. Additional Information Additional information about the project is available from the Commission’s Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208–FERC, or on the FERC Web site at www.ferc.gov using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Click on the eLibrary link, click on ‘‘General Search’’ and enter the docket number, excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field (i.e., CP15–161). 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 eLibrary link also provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings. In addition, the Commission now 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 www.ferc.gov/ esubscribenow.htm. Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the Commission’s VerDate Sep<11>2014 23:50 May 19, 2015 Jkt 235001 calendar located at www.ferc.gov/ EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information. Dated: May 14, 2015. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2015–12214 Filed 5–19–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL 9927–99–Region 5] Request for Nominations of Experts to the Science and Information Subcommittee of the Great Lakes Advisory Board Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announces the formation of a new Science and Information Subcommittee (SIS) of the Great Lakes Advisory Board (the Board) and requests nominations of experts to be considered for appointment to the SIS. The SIS will assist the Board in providing ongoing advice on Great Lakes ‘‘adaptive management,’’ the process of learning from past decisions to make more effective future Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) decisions. The SIS may provide other recommendations, as requested by the federal Great Lakes Interagency Task Force (IATF) and for the benefit of the IATF. Sources in addition to this Federal Register Notice may be used in the solicitation of nominees. DATES: Nominations should be submitted within June 19, 2015 per instructions below. ADDRESSES: Submit nominations electronically with the subject line ‘‘SIS Nomination 2014’’ to cestaric.rita@ epa.gov. You may also submit nominations by mail to: Rita Cestaric, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes National Program Office, 77 W. Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rita Cestaric, Designated Federal Officer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 77 W. Jackson, Chicago, IL 60604; email address: cestaric.rita@epa.gov; telephone number: (312) 886–6815. General information concerning Great Lakes restoration and protection and the Advisory Board can be found at https:// www.glri.us. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00071 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 28999 Background: The Board is a federal advisory committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), Public Law 92–463. EPA established the Board in 2013 to provide independent advice to the EPA Administrator in her capacity as Chair of the IATF. The Board conducts business in accordance with FACA and related regulations. The Board consists of eighteen experts representing a broad range of Great Lakes interests. The SIS is being formed to provide expert advice on matters related to Board work. Specifically, the SIS may provide advice on the technical aspects of Great Lakes restoration and protection including refinement and implementation of an Adaptive Management Framework under the GLRI. It may provide other advice as requested, such as domestic implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (Science) Annex 10, the identification of significant gaps in Great Lakes scientific knowledge, the development and use of information systems to assist in adaptive management and other matters as requested by the federal agencies regarding Great Lakes protection and restoration. The SIS will as needed, but it is anticipated to meet in person or by teleconference at least two times a year. The anticipated workload for members will be approximately 100–150 hours per year. SIS members may be invited to participate in meetings of the Board, in addition to participation on the SIS. The SIS is anticipated to be composed of ten to fifteen members. Federal agency representatives may serve as advisors to the SIS. EPA will work directly with federal agencies to solicit qualified federal participants. This solicitation is focused exclusively on non-Federal candidates for membership. Request for Nominations: Nominees should be regionally, nationally or internationally recognized experts in one or more of the following disciplines: Ecology, environmental chemistry, environmental engineering, geology, fisheries and wildlife management, public health, social sciences, behavioral sciences, economics, and/or information management, including technological platforms (e.g., dashboards) for information delivery. It is helpful, but not necessary, to have demonstrated experience with Great Lakes-specific issues. How To Submit Nominations: Any interested person or organization may nominate qualified individuals for appointment to the SIS. Individuals may self-nominate. Nominations can be submitted in electronic format E:\FR\FM\20MYN1.SGM 20MYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 97 (Wednesday, May 20, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28997-28999]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-12214]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP15-161-000]


Roadrunner Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Roadrunner Border Crossing 
Project; Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the environmental impacts of the Roadrunner Border Crossing 
Project involving construction and operation of facilities for the 
export of natural gas by Roadrunner Gas Transmission, LLC (Roadrunner) 
in El Paso County, Texas. The Commission will use this EA in its 
decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the 
public interest.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the 
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested 
agencies on the project. You can make a difference by providing us with 
your specific comments or concerns about the project. Your comments 
should focus on the potential environmental effects, reasonable 
alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. 
Your input will help the Commission staff determine what issues they 
need to evaluate in the EA. To ensure that your comments are timely and 
properly recorded, please send your comments so that the Commission 
receives them in Washington, DC on or before June 13, 2015.
    If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the 
opening of this docket on April 9, 2015, you will need to file those 
comments in Docket No. CP15-161-000 to ensure they are considered as 
part of this proceeding.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for this project. State and local government 
representatives should notify their constituents of this proposed 
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a pipeline company 
representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to 
construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. The company 
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if 
the Commission approves the project, that approval conveys with it the 
right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to 
produce an agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation 
proceedings where compensation would be determined in accordance with 
state law.
    Roadrunner provided landowners with a fact sheet prepared by the 
FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do 
I Need To Know?''. This fact sheet addresses a number of typically-
asked questions, including the use of eminent domain and how to 
participate in the Commission's proceedings. It is also available for 
viewing on the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov).

Public Participation

    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic 
filing of comments and has expert staff available to assist you at 
(202) 502-8258 or efiling@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 Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link to 
Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for submitting brief, 
text-only comments on a project;

[[Page 28998]]

    (2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling 
feature on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link to 
Documents and Filings. 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.'' If you are filing a comment on a particular project, 
please select ``Comment on a Filing'' as the filing type; or
    (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to 
the following address. Be sure to reference the project docket number 
(CP15-161-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A, 
Washington, DC 20426.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Roadrunner proposes to construct a new border crossing at the 
international boundary between the United States and Mexico in El Paso 
County, Texas. The Roadrunner Border Crossing Project would consist of 
the construction of approximately 900 feet of FERC-jurisdictional 30-
inch-diameter pipeline, installed beneath the Rio Grande River near San 
Elizario in El Paso County, Texas. The new pipeline would have a 
maximum daily export capacity of 875,000 million cubic feet per day, 
designed to transport natural gas to a new delivery interconnect with 
Tarahumara Pipeline S. de C.V. (Tarahumara Pipeline) at the United 
States/Mexico border for electric generation and industrial market 
needs in Mexico.
    The Roadrunner Border Crossing Project would interconnect with 
Roadrunner's new intrastate pipeline facilities, including 205 miles of 
30-inch-diameter pipeline, metering stations, and a new natural gas 
compressor station in Pecos County, Texas. The intrastate facilities 
would be subject to the jurisdiction of the Texas Railroad Commission 
and would be non-jurisdictional to the FERC. Roadrunner would 
concurrently construct the non-jurisdictional facilities in two phases 
between 2015 and 2016.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
1.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in 
the Federal Register. Copies of appendices were sent to all those 
receiving this notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov 
using the link called ``eLibrary'' or from the Commission's Public 
Reference Room, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call 
(202) 502-8371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to 
the last page of this notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the Roadrunner Cross Border Pipeline Project 
pipeline would affect a total of 23.4 acres of land in the United 
States including 3.1 acres of additional temporary workspace for HDD 
construction and hydrostatic testing of the pipeline, 18.7 acres of 
temporary access roads, and 1.6 acres of operational right-of-way that 
would overlap between the FERC jurisdictional and non-jurisdictional 
pipeline facilities.

The EA Process

    The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the 
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could 
result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of an 
Authorization. NEPA also requires us \2\ to discover and address 
concerns the public may have about proposals. This process is referred 
to as ``scoping.'' The main goal of the scoping process is to focus the 
analysis in the EA on the important environmental issues. By this 
notice, the Commission requests public comments on the scope of the 
issues to address in the EA. We will consider all filed comments during 
the preparation of the EA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the proposed project under these 
general headings:
     geology and soils;
     land use;
     water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
     cultural resources;
     vegetation and wildlife;
     air quality and noise;
     endangered and threatened species;
     public safety; and
     cumulative impacts.
    We will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed 
project or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to 
lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    The EA will present our independent analysis of the issues. The EA 
will be available in the public record through eLibrary. Depending on 
the comments received during the scoping process, we may also publish 
and distribute the EA to the public for an allotted comment period. We 
will consider all comments on the EA before making our recommendations 
to the Commission. To ensure we have the opportunity to consider and 
address your comments, please carefully follow the instructions in the 
Public Participation section beginning on page 2.
    With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law 
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues of 
this project to formally cooperate with us in the preparation of the 
EA.\3\ Agencies that would like to request cooperating agency status 
should follow the instructions for filing comments provided under the 
Public Participation section of this notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing 
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Consultations Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act

    In accordance with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's 
implementing regulations for section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act, we are using this notice to initiate consultation 
with the applicable State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and to 
solicit their views and those of other government agencies, interested 
Indian tribes, and the public on the project's potential effects on 
historic properties.\4\ We will define the project-specific Area of 
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO as the project 
develops. On natural gas facility projects, the APE at a minimum 
encompasses all areas subject to ground disturbance (examples include 
construction right-of-way, contractor/pipe storage yards, compressor 
stations, and access roads). Our EA for this project will document our 
findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize the status 
of consultations under section 106.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's regulations 
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Those 
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or 
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in 
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic 
Places.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Environmental Mailing List

    The environmental mailing list includes: federal, state, and local 
government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other 
interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. This list also 
includes all affected landowners (as defined in the Commission's 
regulations) who are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property 
may be used temporarily for project purposes, or who own homes within 
certain distances of aboveground facilities, and anyone who submits

[[Page 28999]]

comments on the project. We will update the environmental mailing list 
as the analysis proceeds to ensure that we send the information related 
to this environmental review to all individuals, organizations, and 
government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the 
proposed project.
    If we publish and distribute the EA, copies will be sent to the 
environmental mailing list for public review and comment. If you would 
prefer to receive a paper copy of the document instead of the CD 
version or would like to remove your name from the mailing list, please 
return the attached Information Request (appendix 2).

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want 
to become an ``intervenor'' which is an official party to the 
Commission's proceeding. Intervenors play a more formal role in the 
process and are able to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be heard 
by the courts if they choose to appeal the Commission's final ruling. 
An intervenor formally participates in the proceeding by filing a 
request to intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are 
available on the Commission's Web site at https://www.ferc.gov/help/how-to/intervene.asp.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the 
FERC Web site at www.ferc.gov using the ``eLibrary'' link. Click on the 
eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket number, 
excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field (i.e., CP15-
161). 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 eLibrary link also provides access to the 
texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, 
notices, and rulemakings.
    In addition, the Commission now 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 www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the 
Commission's calendar located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

    Dated: May 14, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-12214 Filed 5-19-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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