Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Planned East Side Expansion Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public Scoping Meeting, 35627-35630 [2013-14017]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 114 / Thursday, June 13, 2013 / Notices
historic properties and summarize the
status of consultations under section
106.
Currently Identified Environmental
Issues
We have already identified several
issues that we think deserve attention
based on a preliminary review of the
planned facilities and the
environmental information provided by
Sabine Pass. This preliminary list of
issues may be changed based on your
comments and our analysis:
• Construction and operational
impacts on residences near the planned
compressor station;
• Air quality;
• Socioeconomics;
• Construction and operational
impacts on wetlands and waterbodies;
• Construction and operational
impacts on migratory birds and
threatened and endangered species;
• Construction and operational
impacts on agriculture;
• Impacts on cultural resources,
including Native American properties;
• Cumulative environmental impacts;
and
• Public safety.
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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 they will be received in
Washington, DC, on or before July 10,
2013.
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 (PF13–8–000) with your
submission. The Commission
encourages electronic filing of
comments and has expert eFiling staff
available to assist you at (202) 502–8258
or efiling@ferc.gov.
(1) You may file your comments
electronically by using the eComment
feature, which is located on the
Commission’s Web site at www.ferc.gov
under the link to Documents and
Filings. An eComment is an easy
method for interested persons to submit
brief, text-only comments on a project;
(2) You may file your comments
electronically by using the eFiling
feature, which is located on the
Commission’s Web site at www.ferc.gov
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16:58 Jun 12, 2013
Jkt 229001
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 will be asked to select
the type of filing you are making. A
comment on a particular project is
considered a ‘‘Comment on a Filing’’; or
(3) You may file a paper copy of your
comments at 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; Native
American Tribes; environmental and
public interest groups; other interested
parties; and local libraries and
newspapers. This list also includes all
affected landowners (as defined in the
Commission’s regulations) who own
homes within certain distances of
aboveground facilities, and anyone who
submitted comments on the project. We
have made every effort to include all
commentors on the mailing list;
however, we are unable to include
commentors that did not include a
physical address with their comments.
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 planned
project.
Once the EA is published for
distribution, 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 included in the User’s
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35627
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., PF13–8). 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: June 7, 2013.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013–14061 Filed 6–12–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. PF13–7–000]
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC;
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the
Planned East Side Expansion Project,
Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues, and Notice of
Public Scoping Meeting
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 East Side Expansion Project
involving construction and operation of
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 114 / Thursday, June 13, 2013 / Notices
pipeline looping 1 and associated
facilities by Columbia Gas
Transmission, LLC (Columbia) in
Chester County, Pennsylvania and
Gloucester County, New Jersey.
Columbia also plans to modify one
interconnect in New York, three
compressor stations in Pennsylvania
and one compressor station in
Maryland. 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 July 8,
2013.
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 planned
project and encourage them to comment
on their areas of concern.
Comments about the project may be
submitted in writing or verbally at the
public scoping meeting to be held as
described below. To submit written
comments, please see the public
participation section of this notice.
FERC Public Scoping Meeting East Side
Expansion Project
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June 18, 2013/7:00 p.m., Sykes
Auditorium, West Chester University,
110 West Rosedale Avenue, West
Chester, PA 19383
June 19, 2013/7:00 p.m., Woolwich
Township Hall, 120 Village Green Drive,
Swedesboro, NJ 08085
If you are a landowner receiving this
notice, a Columbia representative may
contact you about the acquisition of an
easement to construct, operate, and
maintain the planned facilities.
Columbia 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.
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC
entitled ‘‘An Interstate Natural Gas
Facility On My Land? What Do I Need
1 A loop is a segment of pipe that is installed
adjacent to an existing pipeline and connected to
it at both ends. The loop allows more gas to be
moved through the system.
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To Know?’’ is available for viewing on
the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov). 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.
Summary of the Planned Project
Columbia plans to expand and
improve its existing natural gas
transmission pipeline system to increase
operation flexibility and efficiency,
provide bi-directional flow capabilities,
and an additional 310,000 dekatherms
per day of natural gas service to midAtlantic markets. Specifically, Columbia
plans to construct, modify, install or
abandon and replace, and operate the
following natural gas transmission
pipeline facilities:
• Line 1278 Loop: Construct and
operate approximately 8.9 miles of 26inch-diameter natural gas transmission
pipeline, generally running parallel to
the existing Line 1278 pipeline in
Chester County, Pennsylvania.
• Line 10345 Loop: Construct and
operate approximately 7.4 miles of 20inch-diameter natural gas transmission
pipeline, generally running parallel to
the existing 10345 pipeline in
Gloucester County, New Jersey.
• Wagoner Interconnect
(Sparrowbush, New York): Modify the
existing interconnect with the
Millennium Pipeline to facilitate
additional service.
• Milford Compressor Station
(Milford, Pennsylvania): Abandon the
existing compressors and replace them
with two Solar turbine-driven
centrifugal compressors totaling 6,600
horsepower (hp). Also, upgrade
compressor station piping and metering
facilities.
• Easton Compressor Station (Easton,
Pennsylvania): Abandon the existing
compressors and replace them with two
Solar turbine-driven centrifugal
compressors totaling 19,500 hp.
• Eagle Compressor Station (Chester
Springs, Pennsylvania): Install
additional piping and valves.
• Rutledge Compressor Station
(Fallston, Maryland): Modify the
compressor station mainline valve
setting.
The general locations of the project
facilities are shown in Appendix 1.2
2 The appendices referenced in this notice will
not appear in the Federal Register. Copies of the
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.
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Land Requirements
According to Columbia, construction
of the planned facilities would require
the temporary use of approximately
195.78 acres of land. Operation of the
planned facilities would require the
permanent use of approximately 52.01
acres of land. About 89 percent of the
planned pipeline would be co-located
with and parallel to existing Columbia
natural gas transmission pipeline.
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 3 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
planned project under these general
headings:
• Geology and soils;
• Water resources, fisheries, and
wetlands;
• Vegetation and wildlife;
• Endangered and threatened species;
• Cultural resources;
• Land use;
• Socioeconomics;
• Air quality and noise;
• Reliability and safety; and
• Cumulative environmental impacts.
We will also evaluate possible
alternatives to the planned project or
portions of the project, and make
recommendations on how to lessen or
avoid impacts on the various
environmental resources.
Although no formal application has
been filed, we have already initiated our
NEPA review under the Commission’s
pre-filing process. The purpose of the
pre-filing process is to encourage early
involvement of interested stakeholders
and to identify and resolve issues before
the FERC receives an application. As
part of our pre-filing review, we have
begun to contact some federal and state
agencies to discuss their involvement in
the scoping process and the preparation
of the EA.
3 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the
environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of
Energy Projects.
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 114 / Thursday, June 13, 2013 / Notices
Our independent analysis of the
issues will be presented in the EA. The
EA will be available in the public record
through the Commission’s 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 we make our
recommendations to the Commission.
To ensure your comments are
considered, please carefully follow the
instructions in the Public Participation
section of this notice.
With this notice, we are asking
agencies with jurisdiction by law and/
or special expertise with respect to the
environmental issues related to this
project to formally cooperate with us in
the preparation of the EA.4 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. Currently, the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has
expressed its intention to participate as
a cooperating agency in the preparation
of the EA to satisfy its NEPA
responsibilities related to this project.
Consultations Under Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act
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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
applicable State Historic Preservation
Office(s), 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.5 We will define the
project-specific Area of Potential Effects
(APE) in consultation with the SHPOs
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
4 The Council on Environmental Quality
regulations addressing cooperating agency
responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
5 The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
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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16:58 Jun 12, 2013
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summarize the status of consultations
under section 106.
Currently Identified Environmental
Issues
We have already identified several
issues that we think deserve attention
based on a preliminary review of the
planned facilities and the
environmental information provided by
Columbia. This preliminary list of
issues may change based on your
comments and our analysis. Issued
identified include:
• Potential impacts on residences in
close proximity to the right-of-way;
• Potential cumulative impacts from
multiple pipelines on a single property;
• Tree clearing;
• Erosion and sediment control; and
• Potential impacts on water quality.
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 July 8,
2013. However, this is not your only
public input opportunity.
For your convenience, there are three
methods you can use to submit your
comments to the Commission. In all
instances, please reference the project
docket number (PF13–7–000) 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 located 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
located 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
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35629
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 planned project.
Copies of the completed draft EA 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
Once Columbia files its application
with the Commission, 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. Please note that the
Commission will not accept requests for
intervenor status at this time. You must
wait until the Commission receives a
formal application for the project.
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
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35630
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 114 / Thursday, June 13, 2013 / Notices
site (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., PF13–
7–000). 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 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: June 6, 2013.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013–14017 Filed 6–12–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Project No. 349–173]
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Martin Dam Hydroelectric Project;
Notice of Availability of the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Martin Dam Hydroelectric Project
and Intention To Hold Public Meetings
In accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and
the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission’s (Commission)
regulations, 18 CFR part 380 (Order No.
486, 52 FR 47897), the Office of Energy
Projects has reviewed the application
for license for the Martin Dam
Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 349),
located on the Tallapoosa River in
Tallapoosa, Coosa, and Elmore
Counties, Alabama, and has prepared a
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(draft EIS) for the project. The project
occupies 1.39 acres of federal lands
administered by the U.S. Bureau of
Land Management.
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16:58 Jun 12, 2013
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The draft EIS contains staff
evaluations of the applicant’s proposal
and the alternatives for relicensing the
Martin Dam Hydroelectric Project. The
draft EIS documents the views of
governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations, affected
Indian tribes, the public, the license
applicant, and Commission staff.
A copy of the draft EIS is available for
review in the Commission’s Public
Reference Branch, Room 2A, located at
888 First Street NE., Washington, DC
20426. The draft EIS also may be viewed
on the Commission’s Web site at
https://www.ferc.gov, using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Enter the docket number,
excluding the last three digits, to access
the document. For assistance, contact
FERC Online Support at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or tollfree at (866)208–3676, or for TTY,
contact (202)502–8659.
You may also register online at
https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
esubscription.asp to be notified via
email of new filings and issuances
related to this or other pending projects.
For assistance, contact FERC Online
Support.
On February 8, 2012, the Commission
published notice of application
accepted for filing, soliciting motions to
intervene and protests, ready for
environmental analysis, and soliciting
comments, recommendations,
preliminary terms and conditions, and
preliminary fishway prescriptions. The
notice also established a procedural
schedule for issuing the draft EIS, filing
comments on the draft EIS, the deadline
for filing modified terms and
conditions, and issuing the final EIS.
Because of the complexity of the issues,
the procedural schedule has been
revised to allow for later issuance of the
draft EIS, pursuant to section 5.25(a) of
the Commission’s regulations.
All comments must be filed by
Tuesday, August 13, 2013, and should
reference Project No. 349–173.
Comments may be filed electronically
via the Internet. See 18 CFR
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions
on the Commission’s Web site https://
www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp.
Commenters can submit brief comments
up to 6,000 characters, without prior
registration, using the eComment system
at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
ecomment.asp. You must include your
name and contact information at the end
of your comments. For assistance,
please contact FERC Online Support.
Although the Commission strongly
encourages electronic filing, documents
may also be paper-filed. To paper-file,
mail an original and five copies to:
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal
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Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.
Anyone may intervene in this
proceeding based on this draft EIS (18
CFR 380.10). You must file your request
to intervene as specified above.1 You do
not need intervenor status to have your
comments considered.
In addition to or in lieu of sending
written comments, you may attend a
public meeting that Commission staff
will hold for the purpose of receiving
comments on the draft EIS. At this
meeting, resource agency personnel and
other interested persons will have the
opportunity to provide oral and written
comments and recommendations
regarding the draft EIS. The meeting
will be recorded by a court reporter, and
all statements (verbal and written) will
become part of the Commission’s public
record for the project. A notice detailing
the exact date, time, and location of the
public meetings will be forthcoming.
The meeting will also be posted on the
Commission’s calendar located at
https://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/
EventsList.aspx along with other related
information.
For further information, please
contact Stephen Bowler at (202) 502–
6861 or at stephen.bowler@ferc.gov.
Dated: June 6, 2013.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013–14012 Filed 6–12–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. OR13–16–000]
Crosstex Processing Services, LLC;
Notice of Petition for Temporary
Waiver of Filing and Reporting
Requirements
Take notice that on March 28, 2013,
pursuant to Rule 204 of the
Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure, 18 CFR 385.204 (2012),
Crosstex Processing Services, LLC filed
a petition requesting that the
Commission grant a temporary waiver of
the tariff filing and reporting
requirements of sections 6 and 20 of the
Interstate Commerce Act and parts 341
and 357 of the Commission’s
regulations, with respect to certain
segments of the Cajun-Sibon pipeline
system, as more particularly described
in the petition.
1 Interventions may also be filed electronically via
the Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous
discussion on filing comments electronically.
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 114 (Thursday, June 13, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35627-35630]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-14017]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PF13-7-000]
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Planned East Side Expansion Project,
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public
Scoping Meeting
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 East Side Expansion Project
involving construction and operation of
[[Page 35628]]
pipeline looping \1\ and associated facilities by Columbia Gas
Transmission, LLC (Columbia) in Chester County, Pennsylvania and
Gloucester County, New Jersey. Columbia also plans to modify one
interconnect in New York, three compressor stations in Pennsylvania and
one compressor station in Maryland. The Commission will use this EA in
its decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the
public convenience and necessity.
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\1\ A loop is a segment of pipe that is installed adjacent to an
existing pipeline and connected to it at both ends. The loop allows
more gas to be moved through the system.
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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 July 8, 2013.
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 planned
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
Comments about the project may be submitted in writing or verbally
at the public scoping meeting to be held as described below. To submit
written comments, please see the public participation section of this
notice.
FERC Public Scoping Meeting East Side Expansion Project
June 18, 2013/7:00 p.m., Sykes Auditorium, West Chester University, 110
West Rosedale Avenue, West Chester, PA 19383
June 19, 2013/7:00 p.m., Woolwich Township Hall, 120 Village Green
Drive, Swedesboro, NJ 08085
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a Columbia
representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the planned facilities. Columbia 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.
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is available for
viewing on the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov). 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.
Summary of the Planned Project
Columbia plans to expand and improve its existing natural gas
transmission pipeline system to increase operation flexibility and
efficiency, provide bi-directional flow capabilities, and an additional
310,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas service to mid-Atlantic
markets. Specifically, Columbia plans to construct, modify, install or
abandon and replace, and operate the following natural gas transmission
pipeline facilities:
Line 1278 Loop: Construct and operate approximately 8.9
miles of 26-inch-diameter natural gas transmission pipeline, generally
running parallel to the existing Line 1278 pipeline in Chester County,
Pennsylvania.
Line 10345 Loop: Construct and operate approximately 7.4
miles of 20-inch-diameter natural gas transmission pipeline, generally
running parallel to the existing 10345 pipeline in Gloucester County,
New Jersey.
Wagoner Interconnect (Sparrowbush, New York): Modify the
existing interconnect with the Millennium Pipeline to facilitate
additional service.
Milford Compressor Station (Milford, Pennsylvania):
Abandon the existing compressors and replace them with two Solar
turbine-driven centrifugal compressors totaling 6,600 horsepower (hp).
Also, upgrade compressor station piping and metering facilities.
Easton Compressor Station (Easton, Pennsylvania): Abandon
the existing compressors and replace them with two Solar turbine-driven
centrifugal compressors totaling 19,500 hp.
Eagle Compressor Station (Chester Springs, Pennsylvania):
Install additional piping and valves.
Rutledge Compressor Station (Fallston, Maryland): Modify
the compressor station mainline valve setting.
The general locations of the project facilities are shown in
Appendix 1.\2\
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\2\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in
the Federal Register. Copies of the 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.
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Land Requirements
According to Columbia, construction of the planned facilities would
require the temporary use of approximately 195.78 acres of land.
Operation of the planned facilities would require the permanent use of
approximately 52.01 acres of land. About 89 percent of the planned
pipeline would be co-located with and parallel to existing Columbia
natural gas transmission pipeline.
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
\3\ 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.
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\3\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of
the construction and operation of the planned project under these
general headings:
Geology and soils;
Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
Vegetation and wildlife;
Endangered and threatened species;
Cultural resources;
Land use;
Socioeconomics;
Air quality and noise;
Reliability and safety; and
Cumulative environmental impacts.
We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the planned project
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen
or avoid impacts on the various environmental resources.
Although no formal application has been filed, we have already
initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing process.
The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early involvement
of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before
the FERC receives an application. As part of our pre-filing review, we
have begun to contact some federal and state agencies to discuss their
involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the EA.
[[Page 35629]]
Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the EA.
The EA will be available in the public record through the Commission's
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
we make our recommendations to the Commission. To ensure your comments
are considered, please carefully follow the instructions in the Public
Participation section of this notice.
With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues
related to this project to formally cooperate with us in the
preparation of the EA.\4\ 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. Currently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has expressed its
intention to participate as a cooperating agency in the preparation of
the EA to satisfy its NEPA responsibilities related to this project.
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\4\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
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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 applicable State Historic Preservation Office(s), 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.\5\ We will define the project-specific Area of Potential
Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPOs 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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\5\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation 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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Currently Identified Environmental Issues
We have already identified several issues that we think deserve
attention based on a preliminary review of the planned facilities and
the environmental information provided by Columbia. This preliminary
list of issues may change based on your comments and our analysis.
Issued identified include:
Potential impacts on residences in close proximity to the
right-of-way;
Potential cumulative impacts from multiple pipelines on a
single property;
Tree clearing;
Erosion and sediment control; and
Potential impacts on water quality.
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 July
8, 2013. However, this is not your only public input opportunity.
For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the
project docket number (PF13-7-000) 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 located 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 located 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
planned project.
Copies of the completed draft EA 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
Once Columbia files its application with the Commission, 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. Please note that the Commission will not accept requests for
intervenor status at this time. You must wait until the Commission
receives a formal application for the project.
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
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site (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., PF13-
7-000). 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 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: June 6, 2013.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-14017 Filed 6-12-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P