Texas Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Western Kentucky Lateral Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 27157-27159 [2015-11415]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 91 / Tuesday, May 12, 2015 / Notices
the proceeding, which, together with the
record developed to date, will form the
basis for further Commission action.
For more information about this
technical conference, please contact
Lina Naik, 202–502–8882, lina.naik@
ferc.gov, regarding legal issues; or Jason
Strong, 202–502–6124, jason.strong@
ferc.gov, and Ben Foster, 202–502–6149,
ben.foster@ferc.gov, regarding technical
issues; or Sarah McKinley, 202–502–
8368, sarah.mckinley@ferc.gov,
regarding logistical issues.
Dated: May 5, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
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 8, 2015.
Dated: April 28, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–11410 Filed 5–11–15; 8:45 am]
[FR Doc. 2015–11405 Filed 5–11–15; 8:45 a.m.]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Notice of Commission Staff
Attendance
[Docket No. EL15–58–000]
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Louisiana Generating, LLC; Notice of
Filing
Take notice that on April 28, 2015,
Louisiana Generating LLC submitted an
amendment to its April 7, 2015 filed
request to recover costs under
Midcontinent Independent System
Operator, Inc.’s FERC Electric Tariff
Schedule 24 and Schedule 24–A.
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. Such notices, motions, or
protests must be filed on or before the
comment date. On or before the
comment date, it is not necessary to
serve motions to intervene or protests
on persons other than the Applicant.
The Commission encourages
electronic submission of protests and
interventions in lieu of paper using the
‘‘eFiling’’ link at https://www.ferc.gov.
Persons unable to file electronically
should submit an original and 5 copies
of the protest or intervention to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street NE., Washington, DC
20426.
This filing is accessible on-line at
https://www.ferc.gov, using the
‘‘eLibrary’’ link and is available for
electronic review in the Commission’s
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:31 May 11, 2015
Jkt 235001
The Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (Commission) hereby gives
notice that members of the
Commission’s staff may attend the
following meeting related to the
transmission planning activities of the
Florida Reliability Coordinating
Council, Inc.
The Florida Reliability Coordinating
Council, Inc. (FRCC) Process First
Quarter Meeting.
May 6, 2015, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
(Eastern Standard Time)
The above-referenced meeting will be
via web conference.
The above-referenced meeting is open
to stakeholders.
Further information may be found at:
https://www.frcc.com/Default.aspx.
The discussions at the meeting
described above may address matters at
issue in the following proceedings:
Docket No. ER13–1932, Tampa Electric
Company
Docket No. ER13–1922, Duke Energy
Florida (Progress Energy Florida)
Docket No. ER13–1929, Florida Power &
Light Company
Docket No. ER13–1928, Duke Energy
Carolinas/Carolina Power & Light
Docket Nos. ER13–107, ER13–1935,
South Carolina Electric & Gas
Company
Docket No. ER13–1941, Alabama Power
Company et al.
Docket No. ER13–1940, Ohio Valley
Electric Corporation
For more information, contact Rhonda
Jones, Office of Energy Market
Regulation, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission at (202) 502–6154 or
Rhonda.Jones@ferc.gov.
PO 00000
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27157
Dated: May 5, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–11406 Filed 5–11–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP15–105–000]
Texas Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice
of Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Assessment for the Proposed Western
Kentucky Lateral 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 Western Kentucky Lateral Project
involving construction and operation of
facilities by Texas Gas Transmission,
LLC (Texas Gas) in Muhlenberg County,
Kentucky. 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.
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. Your
input will help the Commission staff
determine what issues they need to
evaluate in the EA. 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 June 4,
2015.
If you sent comments on this project
to the Commission before the opening of
this docket on March 4, 2015, you will
need to file those comments in Docket
No. CP15–105–000 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
E:\FR\FM\12MYN1.SGM
12MYN1
27158
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 91 / Tuesday, May 12, 2015 / Notices
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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.
Texas Gas 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).
Public Participation
For your convenience, there are three
methods you can use to submit your
comments to the Commission. The
Commission encourages electronic filing
of comments and has expert staff
available to assist you at (202) 502–8258
or efiling@ferc.gov. Please carefully
follow these instructions so that your
comments are properly recorded.
(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 submitting brief, text-only
comments on a project;
(2) You can file your comments
electronically by 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.’’ If you are filing
a comment on a particular project,
please select ‘‘Comment on a Filing’’ as
the filing type; or
(3) You can file a paper copy of your
comments by mailing them to the
following address. Be sure to reference
the project docket number (CP15–105–
000) with your submission: Kimberly D.
Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street
NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Summary of the Proposed Project
Texas Gas proposes to construct and
operate 22.5 miles of 24-inch-diameter
pipeline to connect the existing Texas
Gas Midland 3 Compressor Station to
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:31 May 11, 2015
Jkt 235001
Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA)
existing Paradise Fossil Plant in
Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. The
Western Lateral Project would provide
about 230,000 million standard cubic
feet of natural gas per day to TVA’s
proposed combined cycle gas plant at its
Paradise Fossil Plant. TVA’s combined
cycle gas plant includes the replacement
of two coal fired units to assist TVA’s
compliance with the Environmental
Protection Agency’s Mercury and Air
Toxics Standards.
The Western Kentucky Lateral Project
would consist of the following facilities:
• 22.5-miles of 24-inch-diameter
pipeline;
• two new meter and regulator
stations; and
• one new mainline valve.
The general location of the project
facilities is shown in appendix 1.1
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the proposed facilities
would disturb about 356 acres of land
for the aboveground facilities and the
pipeline. Following construction, Texas
Gas would maintain about 148 acres for
permanent operation of the project’s
facilities; the remaining acreage would
be restored and revert to former uses.
About 35 percent of the proposed
pipeline route parallels existing
pipeline, utility, or road rights-of-way.
The EA Process
The National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to
take into account the environmental
impacts that could result from an action
whenever it considers the issuance of a
Certificate of Public Convenience and
Necessity. NEPA also requires us 2 to
discover and address concerns the
public may have about proposals. This
process is referred to as ‘‘scoping.’’ The
main goal of the scoping process is to
focus the analysis in the EA on the
important environmental issues. By this
notice, the Commission requests public
comments on the scope of the issues to
address in the EA. We will consider all
filed comments during the preparation
of the EA.
In the EA we will discuss impacts that
could occur as a result of the
construction and operation of the
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 00017
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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;
• 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 2.
With this notice, we are asking
agencies with jurisdiction by law and/
or special expertise with respect to the
environmental issues of this project to
formally cooperate with us in the
preparation of the EA.3 Agencies that
would like to request cooperating
agency status should follow the
instructions for filing comments
provided under the Public Participation
section of this notice.
Consultations Under Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act
In accordance with the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation’s
implementing regulations for section
106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act, we are using this
notice to initiate consultation with the
applicable State Historic Preservation
Office (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
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.
E:\FR\FM\12MYN1.SGM
12MYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 91 / Tuesday, May 12, 2015 / Notices
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.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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,
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:31 May 11, 2015
Jkt 235001
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., CP15–105). Be sure you have
selected an appropriate date range. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online
Support at FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov
or toll free at (866) 208–3676, or for
TTY, contact (202) 502–8659. The
eLibrary link also provides access to the
texts of formal documents issued by the
Commission, such as orders, notices,
and rulemakings.
In addition, the Commission offers a
free service called eSubscription which
allows you to keep track of all formal
issuances and submittals in specific
dockets. This can reduce the amount of
time you spend researching proceedings
by automatically providing you with
notification of these filings, document
summaries, and direct links to the
documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/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: May 5, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–11415 Filed 5–11–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP15–118–000]
Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line
Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To
Prepare an Environmental Assessment
for the Proposed Virginia Southside
Expansion Project II 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 Virginia Southside Expansion
Project II involving construction and
operation of facilities by
Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line
Company, LLC (Transco) in Virginia,
North Carolina, and South Carolina. The
Commission will use this EA in its
decision-making process to determine
whether the project is in the public
convenience and necessity.
PO 00000
Frm 00018
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
27159
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.
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. Your
input will help the Commission staff
determine what issues they need to
evaluate in the EA. 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 June 5,
2015.
If you sent comments on this project
to the Commission before the opening of
this docket on March 23, 2015, you will
need to file those comments in Docket
No. CP15–118–000 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.
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).
Public Participation
For your convenience, there are three
methods you can use to submit your
comments to the Commission. The
Commission encourages electronic filing
of comments and has expert staff
available to assist you at (202) 502–8258
or efiling@ferc.gov. Please carefully
E:\FR\FM\12MYN1.SGM
12MYN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 91 (Tuesday, May 12, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27157-27159]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-11415]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP15-105-000]
Texas Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Western Kentucky Lateral
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 Western Kentucky Lateral
Project involving construction and operation of facilities by Texas Gas
Transmission, LLC (Texas Gas) in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. 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. 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.
Your input will help the Commission staff determine what issues they
need to evaluate in the EA. 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 June 4, 2015.
If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on March 4, 2015, you will need to file those
comments in Docket No. CP15-105-000 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
[[Page 27158]]
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.
Texas Gas 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).
Public Participation
For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic
filing of comments and has expert staff available to assist you at
(202) 502-8258 or efiling@ferc.gov. Please carefully follow these
instructions so that your comments are properly recorded.
(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 submitting brief,
text-only comments on a project;
(2) You can file your comments electronically by 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.'' If you are filing a comment on a particular project,
please select ``Comment on a Filing'' as the filing type; or
(3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to
the following address. Be sure to reference the project docket number
(CP15-105-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A,
Washington, DC 20426.
Summary of the Proposed Project
Texas Gas proposes to construct and operate 22.5 miles of 24-inch-
diameter pipeline to connect the existing Texas Gas Midland 3
Compressor Station to Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) existing
Paradise Fossil Plant in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. The Western
Lateral Project would provide about 230,000 million standard cubic feet
of natural gas per day to TVA's proposed combined cycle gas plant at
its Paradise Fossil Plant. TVA's combined cycle gas plant includes the
replacement of two coal fired units to assist TVA's compliance with the
Environmental Protection Agency's Mercury and Air Toxics Standards.
The Western Kentucky Lateral Project would consist of the following
facilities:
22.5-miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline;
two new meter and regulator stations; and
one new mainline valve.
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
Construction of the proposed facilities would disturb about 356
acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipeline.
Following construction, Texas Gas would maintain about 148 acres for
permanent operation of the project's facilities; the remaining acreage
would be restored and revert to former uses. About 35 percent of the
proposed pipeline route parallels existing pipeline, utility, or road
rights-of-way.
The EA Process
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could
result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of a
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us
\2\ to discover and address concerns the public may have about
proposals. This process is referred to as ``scoping.'' The main goal of
the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EA on the important
environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. We will
consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of
the construction and operation of the proposed project under these
general headings:
Geology and soils;
land use;
water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
cultural resources;
vegetation and wildlife;
air quality and noise;
endangered and threatened species;
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 2.
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 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
[[Page 27159]]
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.
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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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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-
105). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY,
contact (202) 502-8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the
texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders,
notices, and rulemakings.
In addition, the Commission offers a free service called
eSubscription which allows you to keep track of all formal issuances
and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time
you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with
notification of these filings, document summaries, and direct links to
the documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/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: May 5, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-11415 Filed 5-11-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P