Texas Eastern Transmission, LP; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Bailey East Mine Panel 2l Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 69451-69453 [2014-27611]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 225 / Friday, November 21, 2014 / Notices
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
NUC–001–3, was filed with the
Commission by NERC on September 15,
2014.
The purpose of Reliability Standard
NUC–001–3 is to require ‘‘coordination
between nuclear plant generator
operators and transmission entities for
the purpose of ensuring nuclear plant
safe operation and shutdown.’’ 6
Reliability Standard NUC–001–3 applies
to nuclear plant generator operators
(generally nuclear power plant owners
and operators, including licensees) and
‘‘transmission entities,’’ defined in the
Reliability Standard as including a
nuclear plant’s suppliers of off-site
power and related transmission and
distribution services. Reliability
Standard NUC–001–3 requires a nuclear
power plant operator and its suppliers
of back-up power and related
transmission and distribution services
to coordinate concerning nuclear
licensing requirements for safe nuclear
plant operation and shutdown and
system operating limits. Information
collection requirements include
establishing and maintaining interface
agreements, including record retention
requirements.
Type of Respondents: Nuclear
operators, nuclear plants, transmission
entities.
Estimate of Annual Burden 7: The
Commission estimates for the annual
public reporting burden for the
information collection are unchanged
from the public notice issued for
Reliability Standard NUC–001–2 on 10/
30/2014 8 in Docket No. IC14–16–000.
Reliability Standard NUC–001–3
represents the implementation of
recommendations made by the NERC
Five Year Review Team to revise
Reliability Standard NUC–001–2. These
recommendations include clarifying and
conforming changes to update the
standard for current use of terminology
implemented in other area of the
Reliability Standards, as well as
updated Violation Risk Factors and
Violation Severity Levels for the
evaluation of violations of the
Reliability Standard. The burden of
Reliability Standard was approved the Commission
did not go to OMB for approval. It is assumed that
the changes made did not substantively affect the
information collection and therefore a formal
submission to OMB was not needed.
6 See Reliability Standard NUC–001–3 at https://
www.nerc.com/files/NUC-001-3.pdf.
7 The Commission defines burden as the total
time, effort, or financial resources expended by
persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or
provide information to or for a Federal agency. For
further explanation of what is included in the
information collection burden, reference 5 Code of
Federal Regulations 1320.3.
8 Published in the Federal Register at 79 FR
61068.
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18:00 Nov 20, 2014
Jkt 235001
complying with the requirements under
Reliability Standard NUC–001–3 will
not change as the changes from the
previous Reliability Standard NUC–
001–2 are substantially administrative
in nature.
Comments: Comments are invited on:
(1) Whether the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
Commission, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(2) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of the burden and cost of the collection
of information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(3) ways to enhance the quality, utility
and clarity of the information collection;
and (4) ways to minimize the burden of
the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including the use
of automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
Dated: November 13, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014–27549 Filed 11–20–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP14–545–000]
Texas Eastern Transmission, LP;
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the
Proposed Bailey East Mine Panel 2l
Project and 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 Bailey East Mine Panel 2L Project in
Docket No. CP14–545–000 (project). The
project involves the excavation,
abandonment, replacement, temporary
elevation, and reburial of pipeline
facilities currently operated by Texas
Eastern Transmission, LP (Texas
Eastern) in Greene County,
Pennsylvania to facilitate the
underground longwall mining of coal.
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
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69451
evaluate in the EA. Please note that the
scoping period will close on December
17, 2014.
You may submit comments in written
form. The 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 the 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 a temporary easement
to abandon, replace, elevate and
monitor the proposed activities. 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.
Texas Eastern 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
Texas Eastern is seeking authorization
from the FERC pursuant to Sections 7(b)
and 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act for the
project, which includes work to be
performed for the planned longwall coal
mining activities of CONSOL Energy,
Inc. (CONSOL) in Panel 2L of its Bailey
East Mine. Texas Eastern designed the
project to ensure the safe and efficient
operation of its existing pipeline
facilities at their certificated design
capacities during the planned longwall
mining activities which include mining
coal below the pipelines and then
allowing the mine roof to collapse after
removing the mine braces.
Texas Eastern proposes to excavate
and elevate sections of Lines 10, 15, and
25 totaling about 7,726 feet in length
over Panel 2L to monitor and mitigate
potential strains and stresses on these
pipeline sections. Texas Eastern would
also replace with like-diameter pipeline
the excavated segments of Lines 10, 15,
and 25 during pipe elevation. Also,
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69452
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 225 / Friday, November 21, 2014 / Notices
Texas Eastern would conduct
maintenance on Line 30 and would
install a temporary 2,735-foot-long
section of pipeline above-ground to
ensure continued service from Line 30
during mining.
The four mainline segments would
remain elevated using sandbags and
skids for about 2 years until the
longwall mining activities have been
completed and the area is allowed time
to settle. During the actual subsidence
event, all segments would be monitored
with strain gauges, and adjustments to
sandbags and skids would be made, as
necessary, to minimize pipeline
stresses. After mining and allowing for
a settlement period, the pipelines would
be reburied within Texas Eastern’s
existing easements.
The general location of the project
facilities is shown in appendix 1.1
Land Requirements for Construction
The project would disturb about 34.0
acres of land for the excavation,
abandonment, replacement, elevation,
and reburial at the CONSOL mine, most
of which consists of existing previously
disturbed easements. The acreages
include permanent and temporary
construction right-of-way, access roads,
and wareyard. Following pipeline
reburial and restoration, Texas Eastern
would continue to maintain its existing
9.8 acres of easement at the CONSOL
mine for the continued permanent
operation of its pipelines; the remaining
acreage would be restored and allowed
to revert to former uses.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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
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.
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18:00 Nov 20, 2014
Jkt 235001
filed comments during the preparation
of the EA.
In the EA we will discuss impacts that
could occur as a result of the
excavation, abandonment, replacement,
temporary elevation, and reburial of
Texas Eastern’s existing pipeline
facilities under these general headings:
• Geology and soils;
• land use;
• water resources, fisheries, and
wetlands;
• cultural resources;
• vegetation and wildlife;
• air quality and noise;
• endangered and threatened species;
• public safety; and
• cumulative impacts.
We will also evaluate reasonable
alternatives to the proposed project or
portions of the project, and make
recommendations on how to lessen or
avoid impacts on the various resource
areas.
The EA will present our independent
analysis of the issues. The EA will be
available in the public record through
eLibrary. Depending on the comments
received during the scoping process, we
may also publish and distribute the EA
to the public for an allotted comment
period. We will consider all comments
on the EA before making our
recommendations to the Commission.
To ensure we have the opportunity to
consider and address your comments,
please carefully follow the instructions
in the Public Participation section
beginning on page 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
Pennsylvania 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
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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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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 project, 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.
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 December
17, 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
appropriate project docket number
(CP14–545–000) 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
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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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 225 / Friday, November 21, 2014 / Notices
(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).
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA
scoping process, you may want to
become an ‘‘intervenor’’ which is an
official party to the Commission’s
proceeding. Intervenors play a more
formal role in the process and are able
to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be
heard by the courts if they choose to
appeal the Commission’s final ruling.
An intervenor formally participates in
the proceeding by filing a request to
intervene. Instructions for becoming an
intervenor are in the User’s Guide under
the ‘‘e-filing’’ link on the Commission’s
Web site.
Additional Information
Additional information about the
project is available from the
Commission’s Office of External Affairs,
at (866) 208–FERC, or on the FERC Web
site at www.ferc.gov using the
‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Click on the eLibrary
link, click on ‘‘General Search’’ and
enter the docket number, excluding the
last three digits in the Docket Number
field (i.e., CP14–545). Be sure you have
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18:00 Nov 20, 2014
Jkt 235001
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.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014–27611 Filed 11–20–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Project No. 14628–000]
Minnesota Leased Housing Associates
IV, Limited Partnership; Notice of
Scoping Meeting, Initial Information
Meeting, and Soliciting Scoping
Comments for an Applicant Prepared
Environmental Assessment Using the
Alternative Licensing Process
a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to
File License Application and PreApplication Document for an Original
License.
b. Project No.: 14628–000.
c. Applicant: Minnesota Leased
Housing Associates IV, Limited
Partnership (Minnesota Housing
Associates).
d. Name of Project: A-Mill Artists Loft
Hydroelectric Project (A-Mill Project).
e. Location: On the Mississippi River,
in the city of Minneapolis, Hennepin
County, Minnesota.
f. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power
Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r).
g. Applicant Contact: Owen Metz,
2905 Northwest Blvd., Suite 150,
Plymouth, MN 55441; (763) 354–5618;
email ometz@dominiuminc.com.
h. FERC Contact: Janet Hutzel at (202)
502–8675; or email at janet.hutzel@
ferc.gov.
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69453
i. Deadline for filing scoping
comments: January 3, 2015.
The Commission strongly encourages
electronic filing. Please file comments
using the Commission’s eFiling system
at 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 at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866)
208–3676 (toll free), or (202) 502–8659
(TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please
send a paper copy to: Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.
The first page of any filing should
include docket number P–14628–000.
j. The proposed project would consist
of: (1) Removal of the existing concrete
bulkhead blocking the existing intake
structure and installation of a new trash
rack at the intake; (2) an existing
headrace tunnel that would be
rehabilitated and sleeved with a new
horizontal 600-foot-long, 5-footdiameter steel penstock; (3) a new
vertical 50-foot-long, 5-foot diameter
steel pipe installed in an existing
downstream drop-shaft; (4) a new sluice
gate; (5) a new 650-kilowatt turbine/
generator set and related control system;
(6) a new outlet structure consisting of
a 4-foot-high by 6-foot-wide concrete
box culvert installed on the invert of the
existing downstream tailrace; and (7)
appurtenant facilities.
k. Scoping Process: Minnesota
Housing Associates intends to utilize
the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission’s (Commission) alternative
licensing process (ALP). Under the ALP,
Minnesota Housing Associates will
prepare an Applicant Prepared
Environmental Assessment (APEA) and
license application for the A-Mill
Project.
Minnesota Housing Associates
expects to file with the Commission, the
APEA and the license application for
the A-Mill Project by January 2015.
Although the Commission’s intent is to
prepare an environmental assessment
(EA), there is the possibility that an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
will be required. Nevertheless, this
meeting will satisfy the NEPA scoping
requirements, irrespective of whether an
EA or EIS is issued by the Commission.
The purpose of this notice is to inform
you of the opportunity to participate in
the upcoming scoping meetings and
environmental site review identified
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 225 (Friday, November 21, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69451-69453]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-27611]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP14-545-000]
Texas Eastern Transmission, LP; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Bailey East Mine Panel 2l
Project and 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 Bailey East Mine Panel 2L
Project in Docket No. CP14-545-000 (project). The project involves the
excavation, abandonment, replacement, temporary elevation, and reburial
of pipeline facilities currently operated by Texas Eastern
Transmission, LP (Texas Eastern) in Greene County, Pennsylvania to
facilitate the underground longwall mining of coal. 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 December 17, 2014.
You may submit comments in written form. The 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 the 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 a temporary
easement to abandon, replace, elevate and monitor the proposed
activities. 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.
Texas Eastern 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
Texas Eastern is seeking authorization from the FERC pursuant to
Sections 7(b) and 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act for the project, which
includes work to be performed for the planned longwall coal mining
activities of CONSOL Energy, Inc. (CONSOL) in Panel 2L of its Bailey
East Mine. Texas Eastern designed the project to ensure the safe and
efficient operation of its existing pipeline facilities at their
certificated design capacities during the planned longwall mining
activities which include mining coal below the pipelines and then
allowing the mine roof to collapse after removing the mine braces.
Texas Eastern proposes to excavate and elevate sections of Lines
10, 15, and 25 totaling about 7,726 feet in length over Panel 2L to
monitor and mitigate potential strains and stresses on these pipeline
sections. Texas Eastern would also replace with like-diameter pipeline
the excavated segments of Lines 10, 15, and 25 during pipe elevation.
Also,
[[Page 69452]]
Texas Eastern would conduct maintenance on Line 30 and would install a
temporary 2,735-foot-long section of pipeline above-ground to ensure
continued service from Line 30 during mining.
The four mainline segments would remain elevated using sandbags and
skids for about 2 years until the longwall mining activities have been
completed and the area is allowed time to settle. During the actual
subsidence event, all segments would be monitored with strain gauges,
and adjustments to sandbags and skids would be made, as necessary, to
minimize pipeline stresses. After mining and allowing for a settlement
period, the pipelines would be reburied within Texas Eastern's existing
easements.
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
The project would disturb about 34.0 acres of land for the
excavation, abandonment, replacement, elevation, and reburial at the
CONSOL mine, most of which consists of existing previously disturbed
easements. The acreages include permanent and temporary construction
right-of-way, access roads, and wareyard. Following pipeline reburial
and restoration, Texas Eastern would continue to maintain its existing
9.8 acres of easement at the CONSOL mine for the continued permanent
operation of its pipelines; the remaining acreage would be restored and
allowed to 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 excavation, abandonment, replacement, temporary elevation, and
reburial of Texas Eastern's existing pipeline facilities under these
general headings:
Geology and soils;
land use;
water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
cultural resources;
vegetation and wildlife;
air quality and noise;
endangered and threatened species;
public safety; and
cumulative impacts.
We will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed
project or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to
lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
The EA will present our independent analysis of the issues. The EA
will be available in the public record through eLibrary. Depending on
the comments received during the scoping process, we may also publish
and distribute the EA to the public for an allotted comment period. We
will consider all comments on the EA before making our recommendations
to the Commission. To ensure we have the opportunity to consider and
address your comments, please carefully follow the instructions in the
Public Participation section beginning on page 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 Pennsylvania 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 project, 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
December 17, 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 appropriate project docket number (CP14-545-000) 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
[[Page 69453]]
(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., CP14-
545). 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.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-27611 Filed 11-20-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P