Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplement Environmental Assessment for the Amended Rock Springs Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 23267-23269 [2015-09689]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 80 / Monday, April 27, 2015 / Notices
time on the specified comment date.
Protests may be considered, but
intervention is necessary to become a
party to the proceeding.
eFiling is encouraged. More detailed
information relating to filing
requirements, interventions, protests,
service, and qualifying facilities filings
can be found at: https://www.ferc.gov/
docs-filing/efiling/filing-req.pdf. For
other information, call (866) 208–3676
(toll free). For TTY, call (202) 502–8659.
Dated: April 21, 2015.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–09663 Filed 4–24–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP15–169–000]
Rmajette on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line
Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To
Prepare a Supplement Environmental
Assessment for the Amended Rock
Springs Expansion Project and
Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues
The staff of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare a
supplemental environmental assessment
(EA) that will discuss the environmental
impacts of the amendment to the Rock
Springs Expansion Project (Project)
involving construction and operation of
facilities by Transcontinental Gas Pipe
Line Company, LLC (Transco) in
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The
Commission will use this supplemental
EA in its decision-making process to
determine whether the amendment to
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 comments should focus on the
potential environmental effects,
reasonable alternatives, and measures to
avoid or lessen environmental impacts.
Your input will help the Commission
staff determine what issues they need to
evaluate in the supplemental EA. Please
note that the scoping period will close
on May 20, 2015.
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. If you sent comments on this
project to the Commission before the
VerDate Sep<11>2014
14:41 Apr 24, 2015
Jkt 235001
opening of this docket on April 13, 2015
you will need to file those comments in
Docket No. CP15–169–000 to ensure
they are considered as part of this
proceeding.
This notice is being sent to the
Commission’s current environmental
mailing list and includes landowners
affected by the amended 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
planned 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.
Transco 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 Project and Proposed
Route Modification
On March 19, 2015, FERC issued an
Order Issuing Certificate (Order) to
Transco authorizing the Rock Springs
Expansion Project. The EA for the
Project in Docket No. CP14–504–000
was issued on November 14, 2014. On
March 19, 2015, Transco accepted the
Order pursuant to section 157.20(a) of
the Commission’s Regulations. The
Project is an expansion of Transco’s
existing pipeline system which will
enable Transco to provide 192,000
dekatherms per day of incremental firm
transportation capacity from Transco’s
Station 210 Zone 6 Pool in Mercer
County, New Jersey to Old Dominion
Electric Cooperative’s approved Wildcat
Point Generating Facility in Cecil
County, Maryland.
In this amendment, Transco proposes
to modify the previously authorized
pipeline route in Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania. The proposed alignment
modification occurs from milepost (MP)
7.60 to MP 8.29 (a total of 0.69 mile).
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
23267
Transco is proposing to adjust the
pipeline centerline alignment from the
originally authorized property to the
adjacent property to the east. The
proposed minor route modification
would not affect any new landowners,
as the adjacent property owner owns
other parcels on which the pipeline is
sited. Additionally, the route
modification would result in minor
changes in workspace configurations on
two other properties, including a
reduction in permanent easement.
The general location map of the
project facilities is shown in appendix
1.1
Land Requirements for Construction
No new workspace impacts would
occur as a result of the proposed minor
route modification. The minor route
modification has been designed to result
in no net gain of workspace required for
Project construction.
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 supplemental
EA on the important environmental
issues. By this notice, the Commission
requests public comments on the scope
of the issues to address in the
supplemental EA. We will consider all
filed comments during the preparation
of the supplemental EA.
In the supplemental 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;
1 The appendices referenced in this notice will
not appear in the Federal Register. Copies of the
appendices were sent to all those receiving this
notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov
using the link called ‘‘eLibrary’’ or from the
Commission’s Public Reference Room, 888 First
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202)
502–8371. For instructions on connecting to
eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice.
2 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the
environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of
Energy Projects.
E:\FR\FM\27APN1.SGM
27APN1
23268
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 80 / Monday, April 27, 2015 / Notices
• public safety; and
• cumulative impacts.
We will also evaluate reasonable
alternatives to the proposed route
modification.
The supplemental 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 related to this
project to formally cooperate with us in
the preparation of the supplemental
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
Rmajette on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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 (SHPO), and to solicit their views
and those of other government agencies,
interested Indian tribes, and the public
on the project’s potential effects on
historic properties.4 We will define the
project-specific Area of Potential Effects
(APE) in consultation with the SHPO as
the project develops. On natural gas
facility projects, the APE at a minimum
encompasses all areas subject to ground
disturbance (examples include
construction right-of-way, contractor/
pipe storage yards, compressor stations,
and access roads). Our supplemental EA
for this project will document our
findings on the impacts on historic
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.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
14:41 Apr 24, 2015
Jkt 235001
properties and summarize the status of
consultations under section 106.
Currently Identified Environmental
Issues
The change in land use impacts
includes reductions of 0.37 acre of forest
land and 0.07 acre of agricultural land,
and increases of 0.39 acre of open land
and 0.04 acre of commercial/industrial
land.
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 May 20,
2015.
For your convenience, there are three
methods you can use to submit your
comments to the Commission. In all
instances, please reference the project
docket number (CP15–169–000) with
your submission. The Commission
encourages electronic filing of
comments and has expert staff available
to assist you at (202) 502–8258 or
efiling@ferc.gov.
(1) You can file your comments
electronically using the eComment
feature located on the Commission’s
Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link
to Documents and Filings. This is an
easy method for interested persons to
submit brief, text-only comments on a
project;
(2) You can file your comments
electronically using the eFiling feature
located on the Commission’s Web site
(www.ferc.gov) under the link to
Documents and Filings. With eFiling,
you can provide comments in a variety
of formats by attaching them as a file
with your submission. New eFiling
users must first create an account by
clicking on ‘‘eRegister.’’ You must select
the type of filing you are making. If you
are filing a comment on a particular
project, please select ‘‘Comment on a
Filing’’; or
(3) You can file a paper copy of your
comments by mailing them to the
following address: Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room
1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list
includes landowners affected by the
PO 00000
Frm 00016
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
route modification, 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.
If we publish and distribute the
supplemental 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
supplemental 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., CP15–169). Be sure you have
selected an appropriate date range. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online
Support at FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov
or toll free at (866) 208–3676, or for
TTY, contact (202) 502–8659. The
eLibrary link also provides access to the
texts of formal documents issued by the
Commission, such as orders, notices,
and rulemakings.
In addition, the Commission offers a
free service called eSubscription which
allows you to keep track of all formal
issuances and submittals in specific
dockets. This can reduce the amount of
time you spend researching proceedings
E:\FR\FM\27APN1.SGM
27APN1
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 80 / Monday, April 27, 2015 / Notices
by automatically providing you with
notification of these filings, document
summaries, and direct links to the
documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/docsfiling/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: April 20, 2015.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–09689 Filed 4–24–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. EL15–60–000]
Rmajette on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Bonneville Power Administration v.
Puget Sound Energy, Inc.; Notice of
Complaint
Take notice that on April 20, 2015,
pursuant to section 206 of the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission’s
(Commission) Rules of Practice and
Procedure, 18 CFR 385.206 and sections
206 and 306 of the Federal Power Act,
16 U.S.C. 824(e) and 825(e), Bonneville
Power Administration (Complainant)
filed a formal complaint against Puget
Sound Energy, Inc. (Respondent)
alleging that the omission of the
Respondent’s formula transmission rate
under its jurisdictional open access
transmission tariff to account for and
reimburse Respondent’s transmission
customers for prior period adjustments
result in an unjust and unreasonable
rate, as more fully explained in the
complaint.
The Complainant states that a copy of
the complaint has been served on the
Respondent.
Any person desiring to intervene or to
protest this filing must file in
accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of
the Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214).
Protests will be considered by the
Commission in determining the
appropriate action to be taken, but will
not serve to make protestants parties to
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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
14:41 Apr 24, 2015
Jkt 235001
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 May 11, 2015.
Dated: April 21, 2015.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–09664 Filed 4–24–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP15–162–000]
Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice
of Request Under Blanket
Authorization
Take notice that on April 10, 2015
Northern Natural Gas Company
(Northern), 1111 South 103rd Street,
Omaha, Nebraska 68124 filed a prior
notice request pursuant to sections
157.205 and 157.208 of the
Commission’s regulations under the
Natural Gas Act for authorization to
construct and operate certain facilities
within Northern’s existing Kermit
Compressor Station located near Kermit,
Texas. Specifically, Northern proposes
to: (i) Install and operate a new 15,900
horsepower compressor unit at the
Kermit Compressor Station; and (ii)
relocate approximately 200 feet of pipe
to tie-in the new compressor. The
project is referred to as the Permian II
Expansion Project. Northern states that
the proposed project will result in an
incremental increase of 112,000
dekatherms per day, all as more fully set
forth in the application which is on file
with the Commission and open to
public inspection. The filing may also
be viewed on the web at https://
www.ferc.gov using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link.
PO 00000
Frm 00017
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
23269
Enter the docket number excluding the
last three digits in the docket number
field to access the document. For
assistance, contact FERC at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or call
toll-free, (866) 208–3676 or TTY, (202)
502–8659.
Any questions regarding this
Application should be directed to
Michael T. Loeffler, Senior Director,
Certificates and External Affairs for
Northern, 1111South 103rd Street,
Omaha, Nebraska 68124, or by calling
(402) 398–7103.
Any person may, within 60 days after
the issuance of the instant notice by the
Commission, file pursuant to Rule 214
of the Commission’s Procedural Rules
(18 CFR 385.214) a motion to intervene
or notice of intervention. Any person
filing to intervene or the Commission’s
staff may, pursuant to section 157.205 of
the Commission’s Regulations under the
NGA (18 CFR 157.205) file a protest to
the request. If no protest is filed within
the time allowed therefore, the proposed
activity shall be deemed to be
authorized effective the day after the
time allowed for protest. If a protest is
filed and not withdrawn within 30 days
after the time allowed for filing a
protest, the instant request shall be
treated as an application for
authorization pursuant to section 7 of
the NGA.
Pursuant to section 157.9 of the
Commission’s rules, 18 CFR 157.9,
within 90 days of this Notice the
Commission staff will either: Complete
its environmental assessment (EA) and
place it into the Commission’s public
record (eLibrary) for this proceeding; or
issue a Notice of Schedule for
Environmental Review. If a Notice of
Schedule for Environmental Review is
issued, it will indicate, among other
milestones, the anticipated date for the
Commission staff’s issuance of the final
environmental impact statement (FEIS)
or EA for this proposal. The filing of the
EA in the Commission’s public record
for this proceeding or the issuance of a
Notice of Schedule for Environmental
Review will serve to notify federal and
state agencies of the timing for the
completion of all necessary reviews, and
the subsequent need to complete all
federal authorizations within 90 days of
the date of issuance of the Commission
staff’s FEIS or EA.
Persons who wish to comment only
on the environmental review of this
project should submit an original and
two copies of their comments to the
Secretary of the Commission.
Environmental commenter’s will be
placed on the Commission’s
environmental mailing list, will receive
copies of the environmental documents,
E:\FR\FM\27APN1.SGM
27APN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 80 (Monday, April 27, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23267-23269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-09689]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP15-169-000]
Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To
Prepare a Supplement Environmental Assessment for the Amended Rock
Springs Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental
Issues
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare a supplemental environmental assessment (EA)
that will discuss the environmental impacts of the amendment to the
Rock Springs Expansion Project (Project) involving construction and
operation of facilities by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC
(Transco) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Commission will use
this supplemental EA in its decision-making process to determine
whether the amendment to 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 comments should focus on the potential
environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid
or lessen environmental impacts. Your input will help the Commission
staff determine what issues they need to evaluate in the supplemental
EA. Please note that the scoping period will close on May 20, 2015.
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. If you sent comments on this
project to the Commission before the opening of this docket on April
13, 2015 you will need to file those comments in Docket No. CP15-169-
000 to ensure they are considered as part of this proceeding.
This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental
mailing list and includes landowners affected by the amended 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 planned 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.
Transco 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 Project and Proposed Route Modification
On March 19, 2015, FERC issued an Order Issuing Certificate (Order)
to Transco authorizing the Rock Springs Expansion Project. The EA for
the Project in Docket No. CP14-504-000 was issued on November 14, 2014.
On March 19, 2015, Transco accepted the Order pursuant to section
157.20(a) of the Commission's Regulations. The Project is an expansion
of Transco's existing pipeline system which will enable Transco to
provide 192,000 dekatherms per day of incremental firm transportation
capacity from Transco's Station 210 Zone 6 Pool in Mercer County, New
Jersey to Old Dominion Electric Cooperative's approved Wildcat Point
Generating Facility in Cecil County, Maryland.
In this amendment, Transco proposes to modify the previously
authorized pipeline route in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The
proposed alignment modification occurs from milepost (MP) 7.60 to MP
8.29 (a total of 0.69 mile). Transco is proposing to adjust the
pipeline centerline alignment from the originally authorized property
to the adjacent property to the east. The proposed minor route
modification would not affect any new landowners, as the adjacent
property owner owns other parcels on which the pipeline is sited.
Additionally, the route modification would result in minor changes in
workspace configurations on two other properties, including a reduction
in permanent easement.
The general location map 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 the appendices were sent to all
those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at
www.ferc.gov using the link called ``eLibrary'' or from the
Commission's Public Reference Room, 888 First Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 502-8371. For instructions on
connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Land Requirements for Construction
No new workspace impacts would occur as a result of the proposed
minor route modification. The minor route modification has been
designed to result in no net gain of workspace required for Project
construction.
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 supplemental EA on
the important environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission
requests public comments on the scope of the issues to address in the
supplemental EA. We will consider all filed comments during the
preparation of the supplemental EA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the supplemental 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;
[[Page 23268]]
public safety; and
cumulative impacts.
We will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed route
modification.
The supplemental 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
related to this project to formally cooperate with us in the
preparation of the supplemental 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 applicable State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and to
solicit their views and those of other government agencies, interested
Indian tribes, and the public on the project's potential effects on
historic properties.\4\ We will define the project-specific Area of
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO as the project
develops. On natural gas facility projects, the APE at a minimum
encompasses all areas subject to ground disturbance (examples include
construction right-of-way, contractor/pipe storage yards, compressor
stations, and access roads). Our supplemental 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Currently Identified Environmental Issues
The change in land use impacts includes reductions of 0.37 acre of
forest land and 0.07 acre of agricultural land, and increases of 0.39
acre of open land and 0.04 acre of commercial/industrial land.
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 May
20, 2015.
For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the
project docket number (CP15-169-000) with your submission. The
Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert
staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or efiling@ferc.gov.
(1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment
feature located on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the
link to Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for interested
persons to submit brief, text-only comments on a project;
(2) You can file your comments electronically using the eFiling
feature located on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the
link to Documents and Filings. With eFiling, you can provide comments
in a variety of formats by attaching them as a file with your
submission. New eFiling users must first create an account by clicking
on ``eRegister.'' You must select the type of filing you are making. If
you are filing a comment on a particular project, please select
``Comment on a Filing''; or
(3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to
the following address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC
20426.
Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list includes landowners affected by the
route modification, 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.
If we publish and distribute the supplemental 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 supplemental 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-
169). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY,
contact (202) 502-8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the
texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders,
notices, and rulemakings.
In addition, the Commission offers a free service called
eSubscription which allows you to keep track of all formal issuances
and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time
you spend researching proceedings
[[Page 23269]]
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: April 20, 2015.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-09689 Filed 4-24-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P