D'Lo Gas Storage, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the PROPOSED D'LO Gas Storage Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Onsite Environmental Review, 6793-6795 [2012-3021]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 27 / Thursday, February 9, 2012 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP12–39–000]
D’Lo Gas Storage, LLC; Notice of
Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Assessment for the PROPOSED D’LO
Gas Storage Project, Request for
Comments on Environmental Issues,
and Notice of Onsite Environmental
Review
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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 D’Lo Gas Storage Project involving
construction and operation of facilities
by D’Lo Gas Storage, LLC (DGS) in
Simpson and Rankin Counties,
Mississippi. The Commission will use
this EA in its decision-making process
to determine whether the project is in
the public convenience and necessity.
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.
Your input will help the Commission
staff determine what issues they need to
evaluate in the EA. Please note that the
scoping period will close on March 5,
2012. Further details on how to submit
written comments are provided in the
Public Participation section of this
notice.
The Office of Energy Projects staff will
conduct an onsite environmental review
of the project area to gather data for its
environmental analysis of the proposed
project. Viewing of this area is
anticipated to be from public access
points and DGS’s right-of-way and
property. All interested parties are
invited to attend but must provide their
own transportation. Those attending
should meet at the following location
and time:
FERC Onsite Environmental Review
D’Lo Gas Storage Project, February 16,
2012 at 10:00 am Central Time,
Country Fisherman Parking Area,
3809 Simpson Highway 49,
Mendenhall, Mississippi.
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
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18:04 Feb 08, 2012
Jkt 226001
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.
DGS 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).
Summary of the Proposed Project
DGS proposes to construct and
operate a new natural gas storage facility
in the D’Lo Salt Dome formation in
Simpson County, Mississippi. The D’Lo
Gas Storage Project would provide
approximately 24 billion cubic feet of
working natural gas storage and have
interconnections with five existing
natural gas transmission pipelines in
Simpson and Rankin Counties,
Mississippi.
The D’Lo Gas Storage Project would
consist of the construction and
operation of the following facilities:
• Three salt dome storage caverns;
• A Solution Mining Facility;
• A Compression Facility with four
8,000 horsepower and one 4,735
horsepower gas engine driven
compressors;
• Four primary and three secondary
source water wells;
• Four primary and one secondary
brine disposal wells;
• 3.7 miles of 20-inch-diameter
source water and brine disposal
pipelines;
• 0.2 miles of 24-inch-diameter
natural gas pipeline for the Cavern Well
Corridor;
• 0.4 miles of 30-inch-diameter
natural gas pipeline with an
interconnect and meter station to
Boardwalk Pipeline;
• 0.8 miles of 24-inch-diameter
natural gas pipeline with an
interconnect and meter station to
Southern Natural Gas Company
(SONAT);
• 3.2 miles of 30-inch-diameter
natural gas pipeline with an
interconnect and meter station to Kinder
Morgan Midcontinent Express Pipeline;
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
6793
• a 12-inch-diameter tap, an
interconnect, and meter station to
Southcross Pipeline;
• 1.0 mile of 12-inch-diameter natural
gas pipeline with an interconnect and
meter station to Gulf South Pipeline;
and
• 0.4 miles of nonjurisdictional
electric right-of-way for utility lines to
the storage facility and an electrical
substation.
The general location of the project
facilities is shown in appendix 1.1
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the proposed facilities
would disturb about 172 acres of land
for the aboveground facilities and the
pipelines. Following construction, DGS
would maintain about 123 acres for
permanent operation of the project
facilities; the remaining acreage would
be restored and revert to former uses.
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 a
Certificate of Public Convenience and
Necessity. 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;
• Socioeconomics;
• Endangered and threatened species;
and
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.
2 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the
environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of
Energy Projects.
E:\FR\FM\09FEN1.SGM
09FEN1
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 27 / Thursday, February 9, 2012 / Notices
• Public safety.
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 on the FERC Web site.
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
5.
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.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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
Mississippi 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
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.
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18:04 Feb 08, 2012
Jkt 226001
the impacts on historic properties and
summarize the status of consultations
under section 106.
Public Participation
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.
The more specific your comments, the
more useful they will be. 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 March 5,
2012.
For your convenience, there are three
methods which you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. In
all instances please reference the project
docket number (CP12–39–000) with
your submission. The Commission
encourages electronic filing of
comments and has expert staff available
to assist you at (202) 502–8258 or
efiling@ferc.gov.
(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 interested persons to submit
brief, text-only comments on a project;
(2) You can file your comments
electronically 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.’’ 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
following address: Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room
1A, Washington, DC 20426.
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
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Frm 00023
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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).
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., CP12–39). 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
E:\FR\FM\09FEN1.SGM
09FEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 27 / Thursday, February 9, 2012 / Notices
to the documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/
esubscribenow.htm.
Site visits and any public meetings
will be posted on the Commission’s
calendar located at www.ferc.gov/
EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along
with other related information.
Finally, to request additional project
information or to obtain updated
information directly from the project
sponsor, you may call DGS’s
representative at the toll free number 1–
855–4DLOGAS, or access its Web site
(www.dlogasstorage.com).
Dated: February 3, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012–3021 Filed 2–8–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[FRL–9629–4]
Notification of a Public Meeting of the
Science Advisory Board (SAB) Animal
Feeding Operations Emission Review
Panel
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The EPA Science Advisory
Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a
public meeting of the SAB Panel to
conduct a peer review on the EPA
documents, ‘‘Draft—Development of
Emissions Estimating Methodologies for
Broiler Animal Feeding Operations’’
and ‘‘Draft—Development of Emissions
Estimating Methodologies for Lagoons
and Basins at Swine and Dairy Animal
Feeding Operations’’ (February 2012
draft).
DATES: The SAB Panel meeting will be
held on Wednesday, March 14, 2012
from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Eastern
Time), Thursday, March 15, 2012 from
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Eastern Time),
and Friday, March 16, 2012 from 8:30
a.m. to 1 p.m. (Eastern Time).
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be
held at the Marriott at Research Triangle
Park hotel, 4700 Guardian Drive,
Durham, North Carolina 27703, (919)
941–6200.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any
member of the public who wants further
information concerning the public
meeting may contact Mr. Edward
Hanlon, Designated Federal Officer
(DFO), via telephone at (202) 564–2134
or email at hanlon.edward@epa.gov.
General information concerning the
SAB can be found on the EPA Web site
at https://www.epa.gov/sab.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
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18:04 Feb 08, 2012
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The SAB
was established pursuant to the
Environmental Research, Development,
and Demonstration Authorization
(ERDDAA) Act, codified at 42 U.S.C.
4365 to provide independent scientific
and technical advice to the EPA
Administrator on the technical basis for
EPA actions. Pursuant to Federal
Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and
EPA policy, notice is hereby given that
the SAB Animal Feeding Operations
Emission Review Panel will hold a
public meeting to peer review the EPA’s
documents, ‘‘Draft—Development of
Emissions-Estimating Methodologies for
Broiler Animal Feeding Operations’’
(February 2012 draft), and ‘‘Draft—
Development of Emissions-Estimating
Methodologies for Lagoons and Basins
at Swine and Dairy Animal Feeding
Operations’’ (February 2012 draft).
EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation
developed the draft methodologies to
address requirements of a voluntary air
compliance consent agreement signed in
2005 between EPA and nearly 14,000
broiler, dairy, egg layer, and swine
animal feeding operations. As
previously announced in a Federal
Register Notice (Volume 76, Number 70,
Pages 54466–54467) published on
September 1, 2011, EPA has requested
the SAB to review EPA’s emission
estimating methodologies, and the SAB
sought nominations of experts to serve
on the SAB Panel. Information about the
formation of the SAB Animal Feeding
Operation Emission Review Panel can
be found on the SAB Web site at
https://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.
nsf/fedrgstr_activites/Animal%20
Feeding%20Air%20Methods?Open
Document. The SAB Animal Feeding
Operation Emission Review Panel will
provide advice through the chartered
SAB and will comply with the
provisions of FACA and all appropriate
SAB Staff Office procedural policies.
Technical Contacts: Any technical
questions concerning EPA’s air emission
estimating methodologies for animal
feeding operations, please contact Mr.
Larry Elmore of EPA’s Office of Air
Quality Planning and Standards by
phone at (919) 541–5433, or via email at
elmore.larry@epa.gov.
Availability of Meeting Materials:
Prior to the meeting, the review
documents, agenda and other materials
will be accessible through the calendar
link on the blue navigation bar at
https://www.epa.gov/sab/.
Procedures for Providing Public Input:
Public comment for consideration by
EPA’s federal advisory committees and
panels has a different purpose from
public comment provided to EPA
program offices. Therefore, the process
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Fmt 4703
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6795
for submitting comments to a federal
advisory committee is different from the
process used to submit comments to an
EPA program office.
Federal advisory committees and
panels, including scientific advisory
committees, provide independent
advice to EPA. Members of the public
can submit relevant comments for a
federal advisory committee to consider
pertaining to EPA’s charge to the panel
or meeting materials. Input from the
public to the SAB will have the most
impact if it provides specific scientific
or technical information or analysis for
SAB panels to consider or if it relates to
the clarity or accuracy of the technical
information. Members of the public
wishing to provide comment should
contact the Designated Federal Officer
directly. Oral Statements: In general,
individuals or groups requesting an oral
presentation at a public meeting will be
limited to five minutes. Interested
parties should contact Mr. Edward
Hanlon, DFO, in writing (preferably via
email) at the contact information noted
above by March 7, 2012, to be placed on
the list of public speakers for the
meeting. Written Statements: Written
statements should be supplied to the
DFO via email at the contact
information noted above by March 7,
2012 for the meeting so that the
information may be made available to
the Panel members for their
consideration. Written statements
should be supplied in one of the
following electronic formats: Adobe
Acrobat PDF, MS Word, MS
PowerPoint, or Rich Text files in IBM–
PC/Windows 98/2000/XP format. It is
the SAB Staff Office general policy to
post written comments on the Web page
for the advisory meeting or
teleconference. Submitters are requested
to provide an unsigned version of each
document because the SAB Staff Office
does not publish documents with
signatures on its Web sites. Members of
the public should be aware that their
personal contact information, if
included in any written comments, may
be posted to the SAB Web site.
Copyrighted material will not be posted
without explicit permission of the
copyright holder.
Accessibility: For information on
access or services for individuals with
disabilities, please contact Mr. Edward
Hanlon at (202) 564–2134 or
hanlon.edward@epa.gov. To request
accommodation of a disability, please
contact Mr. Hanlon preferably at least
ten days prior to the meeting to give
EPA as much time as possible to process
your request.
E:\FR\FM\09FEN1.SGM
09FEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 27 (Thursday, February 9, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6793-6795]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-3021]
[[Page 6793]]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP12-39-000]
D'Lo Gas Storage, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the PROPOSED D'LO Gas Storage Project,
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Onsite
Environmental Review
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 D'Lo Gas Storage Project
involving construction and operation of facilities by D'Lo Gas Storage,
LLC (DGS) in Simpson and Rankin Counties, Mississippi. The Commission
will use this EA in its decision-making process to determine whether
the project is in the public convenience and necessity.
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. Your input will help the Commission staff
determine what issues they need to evaluate in the EA. Please note that
the scoping period will close on March 5, 2012. Further details on how
to submit written comments are provided in the Public Participation
section of this notice.
The Office of Energy Projects staff will conduct an onsite
environmental review of the project area to gather data for its
environmental analysis of the proposed project. Viewing of this area is
anticipated to be from public access points and DGS's right-of-way and
property. All interested parties are invited to attend but must provide
their own transportation. Those attending should meet at the following
location and time:
FERC Onsite Environmental Review
D'Lo Gas Storage Project, February 16, 2012 at 10:00 am Central Time,
Country Fisherman Parking Area, 3809 Simpson Highway 49, Mendenhall,
Mississippi.
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.
DGS 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).
Summary of the Proposed Project
DGS proposes to construct and operate a new natural gas storage
facility in the D'Lo Salt Dome formation in Simpson County,
Mississippi. The D'Lo Gas Storage Project would provide approximately
24 billion cubic feet of working natural gas storage and have
interconnections with five existing natural gas transmission pipelines
in Simpson and Rankin Counties, Mississippi.
The D'Lo Gas Storage Project would consist of the construction and
operation of the following facilities:
Three salt dome storage caverns;
A Solution Mining Facility;
A Compression Facility with four 8,000 horsepower and one
4,735 horsepower gas engine driven compressors;
Four primary and three secondary source water wells;
Four primary and one secondary brine disposal wells;
3.7 miles of 20-inch-diameter source water and brine
disposal pipelines;
0.2 miles of 24-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline for the
Cavern Well Corridor;
0.4 miles of 30-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline with an
interconnect and meter station to Boardwalk Pipeline;
0.8 miles of 24-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline with an
interconnect and meter station to Southern Natural Gas Company (SONAT);
3.2 miles of 30-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline with an
interconnect and meter station to Kinder Morgan Midcontinent Express
Pipeline;
a 12-inch-diameter tap, an interconnect, and meter station
to Southcross Pipeline;
1.0 mile of 12-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline with an
interconnect and meter station to Gulf South Pipeline; and
0.4 miles of nonjurisdictional electric right-of-way for
utility lines to the storage facility and an electrical substation.
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 proposed facilities would disturb about 172
acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipelines.
Following construction, DGS would maintain about 123 acres for
permanent operation of the project facilities; the remaining acreage
would be restored and revert to former uses.
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 a
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. 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;
Socioeconomics;
Endangered and threatened species; and
[[Page 6794]]
Public safety.
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 on the FERC Web
site. 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 5.
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 Mississippi 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.
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\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.
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Public Participation
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. The more specific
your comments, the more useful they will be. 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 March
5, 2012.
For your convenience, there are three methods which you can use to
submit your comments to the Commission. In all instances please
reference the project docket number (CP12-39-000) with your submission.
The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert
staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or efiling@ferc.gov.
(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 interested persons to
submit brief, text-only comments on a project;
(2) You can file your comments electronically 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.'' 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 following address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC
20426.
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).
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., CP12-
39). 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
[[Page 6795]]
to the documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
Site visits and any public meetings will be posted on the
Commission's calendar located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.
Finally, to request additional project information or to obtain
updated information directly from the project sponsor, you may call
DGS's representative at the toll free number 1-855-4DLOGAS, or access
its Web site (www.dlogasstorage.com).
Dated: February 3, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-3021 Filed 2-8-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P