Ozark Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare and Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Ozark Abandonment Project; Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 61628-61630 [2014-24341]
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61628
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 198 / Tuesday, October 14, 2014 / Notices
the proceeding. Any person wishing to
become a party must file a notice of
intervention or motion to intervene, as
appropriate. The Respondent’s answer
and all interventions, or protests must
be filed on or before the comment date.
The Respondent’s answer, motions to
intervene, and protests must be served
on the Complainants.
The Commission encourages
electronic submission of protests and
interventions in lieu of paper using the
‘‘eFiling’’ link at https://www.ferc.gov.
Persons unable to file electronically
should submit an original and 5 copies
of the protest or intervention to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street NE., Washington, DC
20426.
This filing is accessible on-line at
https://www.ferc.gov, using the
‘‘eLibrary’’ link and is available for
electronic review in the Commission’s
Public Reference Room in Washington,
DC. There is an ‘‘eSubscription’’ link on
the Web site that enables subscribers to
receive email notification when a
document is added to a subscribed
docket(s). For assistance with any FERC
Online service, please email
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, or call
(866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY, call
(202) 502–8659.
Comment Date: 5:00 p.m. Eastern
Time on November 6, 2014.
Dated: October 7, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014–24342 Filed 10–10–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP14–539–000]
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Ozark Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice
of Intent To Prepare and
Environmental Assessment for the
Proposed Ozark Abandonment 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 Ozark Abandonment Project
(Project) involving abandonment of
facilities by Ozark Gas Transmission,
LLC (Ozark). 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
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Jkt 235001
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 November
6, 2014. You may submit comments in
written form. Further details on how to
submit written comments are in the
Public Participation section of this
notice.
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.
Ozark 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
Ozark proposes to abandon in place
and remove from service approximately
159 miles of mainline natural gas
pipeline facilities (Pipeline Facilities)
between Sebastian and White Counties,
Arkansas. In addition, Ozark would
disconnect and abandon 29 associated
metering and regulating facilities and
other appurtenant facilities, as
necessary. Ozark is proposing to
abandon the aforementioned facilities
due to underutilization and lack of
market interest.
Specifically, Ozark would abandon in
place the following facilities:
• 127.5 miles of 20-inch-diameter
Line 1 in Franklin, Johnson, Pope,
Conway, Faulkner, and White Counties
from mile post (MP) 127.52 to MP 0.00;
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
• 26.4 miles of 10-inch-diameter Line
2 in Sebastian, Franklin, and Logan
Counties From MP 0.00 to MP 26.37;
• 4.8 miles of 12-inch-diameter Line
1–A in White County from MP 0.00 to
MP 4.75;
• 29 associated metering and
regulating facilities, located along Line
1, 2, and 1–A, in Franklin, Logan,
Johnson, Pope, Conway, Faulkner, and
White Counties; and
• other appurtenant facilities, as
necessary.
The general location of the facilities to
be abandoned is shown in appendix 1.1
Land Requirements for Abandonment
The abandonment activities,
including excavation and ground
disturbance, would disturb about 23.6
acres of land, of which 22.7 acres would
be within existing facility sites operated
by Ozark. The remaining acreage of
impact would be within Ozark’s existing
easements, pipeline right of way, or
original construction corridor.
Following construction, only existing
sites at Noark and Searcy Compressor
Stations and the existing permanent
pipeline right-of-way would continue to
be maintained. All land disturbed
outside of existing sites or permanent
pipeline right of way would be restored
and return to former uses.
Future Use of the Abandoned Pipeline
Facilities
Following the abandonment of the
Pipeline Facilities, Ozark indicates that
several parties would perform activities
that are not under the jurisdiction of the
FERC (non-jurisdictional). These nonjurisdictional facilities are not subject to
the FERC’s review procedures. In the
EA, we will provide available
descriptions of the non-jurisdictional
facilities and include them under our
analysis of cumulative impacts. After
abandonment, Ozark would transfer the
assets to an affiliate, which would lease
the Pipeline Facilities to Magellan
Pipeline Company, L.P (Magellan) for
refined petroleum products
transportation service. The affiliate and
Magellan would undertake conversion
work on the abandoned lines to prepare
them for refined petroleum
transportation.
Further, Magellan plans to own,
construct, and operate about 14 miles of
10-inch-diameter new non-jurisdictional
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.
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 198 / Tuesday, October 14, 2014 / Notices
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pipeline to connect Magellan’s Fort
Smith Terminal in Sebastian County,
Arkansas to Ozark’s abandoned Line 2
in Sebastian County at MP 0.0. Magellan
also plans to own, construct, and
operate 36.5 miles of 12-inch-diameter
new non-jurisdictional pipeline to
connect Ozark’s abandoned Line 1–A in
White County at MP 4.75 to Magellan’s
North Terminal in Pulaski County,
Arkansas.
Additionally, after abandonment of
the Pipeline Facilities, Ozark’s existing
customer, SourceGas, would construct,
install, and operate about 6.3 miles of
new 2-inch- and 6-inch-diameter
pipeline laterals and perform a meter
station upgrade in Logan County in
order to transfer SoureGas’ existing firm
service on the Pipeline Facilities to an
economically viable transportation
alternative. Furthermore, Ozark Gas
Gathering, LLC (OGG) would make
reconnections on their system to
continue service at two locations, Price
and Clarksville, which would require
rearrangement of piping at the existing
receipt site and 1,000 feet of new
piping, respectively.
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;
• endangered and threatened species;
and
• public safety.
We will also evaluate reasonable
alternatives to the proposed project or
2 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the
environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of
Energy Projects.
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16:59 Oct 10, 2014
Jkt 235001
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 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.
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(s) (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(s) 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
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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Sfmt 4703
61629
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 November
6, 2014.
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 (CP14–539–000) 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
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 198 / Tuesday, October 14, 2014 / Notices
abandonment 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 EAs
coping 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.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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., CP14–539). 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
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16:59 Oct 10, 2014
Jkt 235001
to the documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/
docs-filing/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: October 7, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014–24341 Filed 10–10–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. PF14–19–000]
Downeast Liquefaction, LLC; Notice of
Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement for the Planned
Downeast LNG Import-Export 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 impact statement (EIS)
that will discuss the environmental
impacts of the Downeast LNG Export
Project involving construction and
operation of facilities by Downeast
Liquefaction, LLC (Downeast
Liquefaction) in Washington County,
Maine. The Commission will use this
EIS 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
and its cooperating agencies 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 EIS. Please note that the
scoping period will close on November
3, 2014.
You may submit comments in written
form or verbally. Further details on how
to submit written comments are in the
Public Participation section of this
notice. In lieu of or in addition to
sending written comments, the
Commission invites you to attend the
public scoping meeting scheduled as
follows: FERC Public Scoping Meeting,
Downeast LNG Import-Export Project,
October 22, 2014, 7:00 p.m. local time,
Robbinston Grade School, 904 US Route
1, Robbinston, ME 04671.
This notice is being sent to the
Commission’s current environmental
mailing list for this project. State and
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Frm 00035
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
local government representatives should
notify their constituents of this planned
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
planned pipeline facilities associated
with the project. 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 for parcels crossed by the
pipeline. 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
Downeast Liquefaction plans to
develop, construct, and operate
liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal
facilities that would convert the
proposed Downeast LNG Import Project
(Docket Nos. CP07–52–000, CP07–53–
000, and CP07–53–001) into a
bidirectional import-export LNG
terminal and pipeline capable of
producing 3 million metric tonnes per
annum (mtpa) of LNG and 100 million
standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of
regasified LNG.
The Downeast LNG Import-Export
Project would consist of the following
facilities:
Marine Facilities and Transfer Lines:
• The Import-Export Project would
involve no changes to the marine
facilities and transfer lines that were
proposed and evaluated for the Import
Project.
LNG Storage and Regasification:
• The Import-Export Project would
include a single LNG storage tank with
a nominal usable storage capacity of
160,000 cubic meters. The storage tank
design and location would be the same
as the southern-most LNG storage tank
proposed for the Import Project. The
northern-most LNG storage tank
proposed for the Import Project would
not be required for the Import-Export
Project.
E:\FR\FM\14OCN1.SGM
14OCN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 198 (Tuesday, October 14, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61628-61630]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-24341]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP14-539-000]
Ozark Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare and
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Ozark Abandonment 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 Ozark Abandonment Project
(Project) involving abandonment of facilities by Ozark Gas
Transmission, LLC (Ozark). 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 November 6, 2014. You may submit
comments in written form. Further details on how to submit written
comments are in the Public Participation section of this notice.
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.
Ozark 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
Ozark proposes to abandon in place and remove from service
approximately 159 miles of mainline natural gas pipeline facilities
(Pipeline Facilities) between Sebastian and White Counties, Arkansas.
In addition, Ozark would disconnect and abandon 29 associated metering
and regulating facilities and other appurtenant facilities, as
necessary. Ozark is proposing to abandon the aforementioned facilities
due to underutilization and lack of market interest.
Specifically, Ozark would abandon in place the following
facilities:
127.5 miles of 20-inch-diameter Line 1 in Franklin,
Johnson, Pope, Conway, Faulkner, and White Counties from mile post (MP)
127.52 to MP 0.00;
26.4 miles of 10-inch-diameter Line 2 in Sebastian,
Franklin, and Logan Counties From MP 0.00 to MP 26.37;
4.8 miles of 12-inch-diameter Line 1-A in White County
from MP 0.00 to MP 4.75;
29 associated metering and regulating facilities, located
along Line 1, 2, and 1-A, in Franklin, Logan, Johnson, Pope, Conway,
Faulkner, and White Counties; and
other appurtenant facilities, as necessary.
The general location of the facilities to be abandoned 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 Abandonment
The abandonment activities, including excavation and ground
disturbance, would disturb about 23.6 acres of land, of which 22.7
acres would be within existing facility sites operated by Ozark. The
remaining acreage of impact would be within Ozark's existing easements,
pipeline right of way, or original construction corridor. Following
construction, only existing sites at Noark and Searcy Compressor
Stations and the existing permanent pipeline right-of-way would
continue to be maintained. All land disturbed outside of existing sites
or permanent pipeline right of way would be restored and return to
former uses.
Future Use of the Abandoned Pipeline Facilities
Following the abandonment of the Pipeline Facilities, Ozark
indicates that several parties would perform activities that are not
under the jurisdiction of the FERC (non-jurisdictional). These non-
jurisdictional facilities are not subject to the FERC's review
procedures. In the EA, we will provide available descriptions of the
non-jurisdictional facilities and include them under our analysis of
cumulative impacts. After abandonment, Ozark would transfer the assets
to an affiliate, which would lease the Pipeline Facilities to Magellan
Pipeline Company, L.P (Magellan) for refined petroleum products
transportation service. The affiliate and Magellan would undertake
conversion work on the abandoned lines to prepare them for refined
petroleum transportation.
Further, Magellan plans to own, construct, and operate about 14
miles of 10-inch-diameter new non-jurisdictional
[[Page 61629]]
pipeline to connect Magellan's Fort Smith Terminal in Sebastian County,
Arkansas to Ozark's abandoned Line 2 in Sebastian County at MP 0.0.
Magellan also plans to own, construct, and operate 36.5 miles of 12-
inch-diameter new non-jurisdictional pipeline to connect Ozark's
abandoned Line 1-A in White County at MP 4.75 to Magellan's North
Terminal in Pulaski County, Arkansas.
Additionally, after abandonment of the Pipeline Facilities, Ozark's
existing customer, SourceGas, would construct, install, and operate
about 6.3 miles of new 2-inch- and 6-inch-diameter pipeline laterals
and perform a meter station upgrade in Logan County in order to
transfer SoureGas' existing firm service on the Pipeline Facilities to
an economically viable transportation alternative. Furthermore, Ozark
Gas Gathering, LLC (OGG) would make reconnections on their system to
continue service at two locations, Price and Clarksville, which would
require rearrangement of piping at the existing receipt site and 1,000
feet of new piping, respectively.
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;
endangered and threatened species; and
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. 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 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.
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\3\ 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 the applicable State Historic Preservation Office(s) (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(s) 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
November 6, 2014.
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 (CP14-539-000) 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
[[Page 61630]]
abandonment 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 EAs coping 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., CP14-
539). 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/docs-filing/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: October 7, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-24341 Filed 10-10-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P