Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed UTICA Access Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 16664-16666 [2015-07143]
Download as PDF
16664
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 60 / Monday, March 30, 2015 / Notices
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.
Currently Identified Environmental
Issues
We have already identified several
issues that we think deserve attention
based on a preliminary review of the
proposed facilities and the
environmental information provided by
East Tennessee. This preliminary list of
issues may be changed based on your
comments and our analysis. These
include impacts on:
• Waterbodies;
• Karst geology, including caves;
• Soils;
• Migratory birds;
• Vegetation;
• Candidate and listed threatened or
endangered species;
• Land use;
• Air quality and noise;
• Safety; and
• Alternative routes.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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 April 23,
2015.
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 (CP15–91–000) 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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:57 Mar 27, 2015
Jkt 235001
(www.ferc.gov) under the link to
Documents and Filings. With eFiling,
you can provide comments in a variety
of formats by attaching them as a file
with your submission. New eFiling
users must first create an account by
clicking on ‘‘eRegister.’’ You must select
the type of filing you are making. If you
are filing a comment on a particular
project, please select ‘‘Comment on a
Filing’’; or
(3) You can file a paper copy of your
comments by mailing them to the
following address: Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room
1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list
includes federal, state, and local
government representatives and
agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest
groups; Native American Tribes; other
interested parties; and local libraries
and newspapers. This list also includes
all affected landowners (as defined in
the Commission’s regulations) who are
potential right-of-way grantors, whose
property may be used temporarily for
project purposes, or who own homes
within certain distances of aboveground
facilities, and anyone who submits
comments on the project. We will
update the environmental mailing list as
the analysis proceeds to ensure that we
send the information related to this
environmental review to all individuals,
organizations, and government entities
interested in and/or potentially affected
by the proposed project.
If we publish and distribute the EA,
copies will be sent to the environmental
mailing list for public review and
comment. If you would prefer to receive
a paper copy of the document instead of
the CD version or would like to remove
your name from the mailing list, please
return the attached Information Request
(appendix 2).
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA
scoping process, you may want to
become an ‘‘intervenor’’ which is an
official party to the Commission’s
proceeding. Intervenors play a more
formal role in the process and are able
to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be
heard by the courts if they choose to
appeal the Commission’s final ruling.
An intervenor formally participates in
the proceeding by filing a request to
intervene. Instructions for becoming an
intervenor are in the User’s Guide under
the ‘‘e-filing’’ link on the Commission’s
Web site.
PO 00000
Frm 00049
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Additional Information
Additional information about the
project is available from the
Commission’s Office of External Affairs,
at (866) 208–FERC, or on the FERC Web
site at www.ferc.gov using the
‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Click on the eLibrary
link, click on ‘‘General Search’’ and
enter the docket number, excluding the
last three digits in the Docket Number
field (i.e., CP15–91). 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: March 24, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–07202 Filed 3–27–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP15–87–000]
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC;
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the
Proposed UTICA Access 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 Utica Access Project involving
construction and operation of facilities
by Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC.
(Columbia) in Clay and Kanawha
Counties, West Virginia. The
Commission will use this EA in its
decision-making process to determine
E:\FR\FM\30MRN1.SGM
30MRN1
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 60 / Monday, March 30, 2015 / Notices
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 April 20,
2015.
You may submit comments in written
form. Further details on how to submit
written comments are in the Public
Participation section of this notice. If
you sent comments on this project to the
Commission before the opening of this
docket on February 12, 2015, you will
need to file those comments in Docket
No. CP15–87–000 to ensure they are
considered as part of this proceeding.
This notice is being sent to the
Commission’s current environmental
mailing list for this project. State and
local government representatives should
notify their constituents of this
proposed project and encourage them to
comment on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this
notice, a pipeline company
representative may contact you about
the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the
proposed facilities. The company would
seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable
agreement. However, if the Commission
approves the project, that approval
conveys with it the right of eminent
domain. Therefore, if easement
negotiations fail to produce an
agreement, the pipeline company could
initiate condemnation proceedings
where compensation would be
determined in accordance with state
law.
Columbia 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).
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Summary of the Proposed Project
According to Columbia, the Utica
Access Project would result in a
capacity of 205,000 dekatherms per day
of firm transportation service of
stranded Utica natural gas into
Columbia’s system and regional market.
Specifically, the Utica Access Project
would consist of the installation of
approximately 4.8 miles of new 24-inchdiameter pipeline and the following
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:57 Mar 27, 2015
Jkt 235001
appurtenant facilities in Clay and
Kanawha Counties, West Virginia:
• Four new bi-directional pig
launcher and receiver systems at the
following locations: one each at MP 0.0
and MP 4.8 of the new 24-inch-diameter
pipeline, and one each at the existing
Coco and Cobb Compressor Stations
(which are on Columbia’s existing Line
X52–M1);
• a new mainline valve setting on
Line X52–M1 at a proposed new tap at
MP 0.0;
• two new 10-inch pressure
regulating valves and modifications
within the existing Coco Compressor
Station;
• one new remote terminal unit
building at MP 4.8;
• twenty-one existing and two
partially new access roads; and
• three temporary contractor yards.
The general location of the project
facilities is shown in appendix 1. 1
Land Requirements for Construction
The total land requirement to
construct the project is approximately
118.9 acres, of which 36.6 acres would
be permanently altered and converted to
pipeline right-of-way, access road, or
commercial/industrial land use. Upland
forest would make up approximately
27.2 acres of the 36.6 acres of permanent
impacts. Upon completion of the
project, the remaining land used for
temporary workspace would be regraded, stabilized and re-vegetated, and
allowed to revert to pre-construction
conditions.
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.
PO 00000
Frm 00050
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
16665
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:
• Land use;
• geology and soils;
• 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
below.
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
West Virginia 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
3 The Council on Environmental Quality
regulations addressing cooperating agency
responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
E:\FR\FM\30MRN1.SGM
30MRN1
16666
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 60 / Monday, March 30, 2015 / Notices
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
potential effects on historic properties. 4
We will define the project-specific Area
of Potential Effects (APE) in
consultation with the SHPO as the
project develops. On natural gas facility
projects, the APE at a minimum
encompasses all areas subject to ground
disturbance (examples include
construction right-of-way, contractor/
pipe storage yards, compressor stations,
and access roads). Our EA for this
project will document our findings on
the impacts on historic properties and
summarize the status of consultations
under Section 106.
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 April 20,
2015.
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 (CP15–87–000) 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.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:57 Mar 27, 2015
Jkt 235001
(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., CP15–87). Be sure you have
PO 00000
Frm 00051
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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: March 20, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–07143 Filed 3–27–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Bonneville Power Administration
Hooper Springs Transmission Project
Bonneville Power
Administration (BPA), Department of
Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Notice of availability of Record
of Decision (ROD).
AGENCY:
This notice announces the
availability of the ROD to implement the
Hooper Springs Transmission Project in
Caribou County, Idaho. BPA has
decided to implement the South
Alternative’s Option 3A (Option 3A)
identified in the Hooper Springs
Transmission Project Final
Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/
EIS–0451, January 2015). Option 3A
consists of: (1) A new 138/115-kilovolt
(kV) Hooper Springs Substation located
near the city of Soda Springs, Idaho; (2)
a new, approximately 24-mile-long,
double-circuit 115-kV transmission line
extending generally north then east from
the Hooper Springs Substation to a new
BPA connection facility that will
connect the new line to Lower Valley
Energy’s (LVE) existing transmission
system in northeastern Caribou County;
(3) a new, approximately 0.2-mile-long,
single-circuit 138-kV transmission line
extending generally south from the
Hooper Springs Substation to
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\30MRN1.SGM
30MRN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 60 (Monday, March 30, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16664-16666]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-07143]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP15-87-000]
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed UTICA Access 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 Utica Access Project involving
construction and operation of facilities by Columbia Gas Transmission,
LLC. (Columbia) in Clay and Kanawha Counties, West Virginia. The
Commission will use this EA in its decision-making process to determine
[[Page 16665]]
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 April 20, 2015.
You may submit comments in written form. Further details on how to
submit written comments are in the Public Participation section of this
notice. If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before
the opening of this docket on February 12, 2015, you will need to file
those comments in Docket No. CP15-87-000 to ensure they are considered
as part of this proceeding.
This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental
mailing list for this project. State and local government
representatives should notify their constituents of this proposed
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a pipeline company
representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. The company
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if
the Commission approves the project, that approval conveys with it the
right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to
produce an agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation
proceedings where compensation would be determined in accordance with
state law.
Columbia 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
According to Columbia, the Utica Access Project would result in a
capacity of 205,000 dekatherms per day of firm transportation service
of stranded Utica natural gas into Columbia's system and regional
market.
Specifically, the Utica Access Project would consist of the
installation of approximately 4.8 miles of new 24-inch-diameter
pipeline and the following appurtenant facilities in Clay and Kanawha
Counties, West Virginia:
Four new bi-directional pig launcher and receiver systems
at the following locations: one each at MP 0.0 and MP 4.8 of the new
24-inch-diameter pipeline, and one each at the existing Coco and Cobb
Compressor Stations (which are on Columbia's existing Line X52-M1);
a new mainline valve setting on Line X52-M1 at a proposed
new tap at MP 0.0;
two new 10-inch pressure regulating valves and
modifications within the existing Coco Compressor Station;
one new remote terminal unit building at MP 4.8;
twenty-one existing and two partially new access roads;
and
three temporary contractor yards.
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 total land requirement to construct the project is
approximately 118.9 acres, of which 36.6 acres would be permanently
altered and converted to pipeline right-of-way, access road, or
commercial/industrial land use. Upland forest would make up
approximately 27.2 acres of the 36.6 acres of permanent impacts. Upon
completion of the project, the remaining land used for temporary
workspace would be re-graded, stabilized and re-vegetated, and allowed
to revert to pre-construction conditions.
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:
Land use;
geology and soils;
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 below.
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 West Virginia 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
[[Page 16666]]
potential effects on historic properties. \4\ We will define the
project-specific Area of Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with
the SHPO as the project develops. On natural gas facility projects, the
APE at a minimum encompasses all areas subject to ground disturbance
(examples include construction right-of-way, contractor/pipe storage
yards, compressor stations, and access roads). Our EA for this project
will document our findings on the impacts on historic properties and
summarize the status of consultations under Section 106.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's regulations
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Those
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic
Places.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 April
20, 2015.
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 (CP15-87-000) with your submission.
The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert
staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or efiling@ferc.gov.
(1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment
feature on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link to
Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for interested persons to
submit brief, text-only comments on a project;
(2) You can file your comments electronically using the eFiling
feature on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link to
Documents and Filings. With eFiling, you can provide comments in a
variety of formats by attaching them as a file with your submission.
New eFiling users must first create an account by clicking on
``eRegister.'' You must select the type of filing you are making. If
you are filing a comment on a particular project, please select
``Comment on a Filing''; or
(3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to
the following address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC
20426.
Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local
government representatives and agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other
interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. This list also
includes all affected landowners (as defined in the Commission's
regulations) who are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property
may be used temporarily for project purposes, or who own homes within
certain distances of aboveground facilities, and anyone who submits
comments on the project. We will update the environmental mailing list
as the analysis proceeds to ensure that we send the information related
to this environmental review to all individuals, organizations, and
government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the
proposed project.
If we publish and distribute the EA, copies will be sent to the
environmental mailing list for public review and comment. If you would
prefer to receive a paper copy of the document instead of the CD
version or would like to remove your name from the mailing list, please
return the attached Information Request (appendix 2).
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want
to become an ``intervenor'' which is an official party to the
Commission's proceeding. Intervenors play a more formal role in the
process and are able to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be heard
by the courts if they choose to appeal the Commission's final ruling.
An intervenor formally participates in the proceeding by filing a
request to intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are in
the User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web
site.
Additional Information
Additional information about the project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the
FERC Web site at www.ferc.gov using the ``eLibrary'' link. Click on the
eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket number,
excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field (i.e., CP15-
87). 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: March 20, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-07143 Filed 3-27-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P