Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, L.L.C.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Susquehanna West Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 34397-34399 [2015-14738]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 115 / Tuesday, June 16, 2015 / Notices
34397
TABLE 1—CRITERIA FOR QUALIFYING CONDUIT HYDROPOWER FACILITY—Continued
Description
Satisfies
(Y/N)
by
The facility has an installed capacity that does not exceed 5 megawatts ..................
Y
by
On or before August 9, 2013, the facility is not licensed, or exempted from the licensing requirements of Part I of the FPA.
Y
Statutory provision
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
FPA 30(a)(3)(C)(ii), as amended
HREA.
FPA 30(a)(3)(C)(iii), as amended
HREA.
Preliminary Determination: Based
upon the above criteria, Commission
staff preliminarily determines that the
proposal satisfies the requirements for a
qualifying conduit hydropower facility,
which is not required to be licensed or
exempted from licensing.
Comments and Motions to Intervene:
Deadline for filing comments contesting
whether the facility meets the qualifying
criteria is 45 days from the issuance
date of this notice.
Deadline for filing motions to
intervene is 30 days from the issuance
date of this notice.
Anyone may submit comments or a
motion to intervene in accordance with
the requirements of Rules of Practice
and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210 and
385.214. Any motions to intervene must
be received on or before the specified
deadline date for the particular
proceeding.
Filing and Service of Responsive
Documents: All filings must (1) bear in
all capital letters the ‘‘COMMENTS
CONTESTING QUALIFICATION FOR A
CONDUIT HYDROPOWER FACILITY’’
or ‘‘MOTION TO INTERVENE,’’ as
applicable; (2) state in the heading the
name of the applicant and the project
number of the application to which the
filing responds; (3) state the name,
address, and telephone number of the
person filing; and (4) otherwise comply
with the requirements of sections
385.2001 through 385.2005 of the
Commission’s regulations.1 All
comments contesting Commission staff’s
preliminary determination that the
facility meets the qualifying criteria
must set forth their evidentiary basis.
The Commission strongly encourages
electronic filing. Please file motions to
intervene and comments using the
Commission’s eFiling system at https://
www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp.
Commenters can submit brief comments
up to 6,000 characters, without prior
registration, using the eComment system
at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
ecomment.asp. You must include your
name and contact information at the end
of your comments. For assistance,
please contact FERC Online Support at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866)
1 18
CFR 385.2001–2005 (2014).
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:18 Jun 15, 2015
Jkt 235001
208–3676 (toll free), or (202) 502–8659
(TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please
send a paper copy to: Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.
A copy of all other filings in reference
to this application must be accompanied
by proof of service on all persons listed
in the service list prepared by the
Commission in this proceeding, in
accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and
385.2010.
Locations of Notice of Intent: Copies
of the notice of intent can be obtained
directly from the applicant or such
copies can be viewed and reproduced at
the Commission in its Public Reference
Room, Room 2A, 888 First Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20426. The filing may
also be viewed on the web at https://
www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp
using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Enter the
docket number (e.g., CD15–25) in the
docket number field to access the
document. For assistance, call toll-free
1–866–208–3676 or email
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. For TTY,
call (202) 502–8659.
Dated: June 8, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket Nos. IS14–607–000, et al.]
Zydeco Pipeline Company, LLC; Notice
of Informal Settlement Conference
Take notice that an informal
settlement conference will be convened
in this proceeding commencing at 10:00
a.m. on June 22, 2015, at the offices of
the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 1st, NE., Washington,
DC 20426, for the purpose of exploring
the possible settlement of the abovereferenced case.
Any party, as defined by 18 CFR
385.102(c), or any participant as defined
by 18 CFR 385.102(b), is invited to
attend. Persons wishing to become a
party must move to intervene and
Frm 00035
Fmt 4703
Dated: June 10, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–14747 Filed 6–15–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP15–148–000]
[FR Doc. 2015–14745 Filed 6–15–15; 8:45 am]
PO 00000
receive intervenor status pursuant to the
Commission’s regulations (18 CFR
385.214).
FERC conferences are accessible
under section 508 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973. For accessibility
accommodations please send an email
to accessibility@ferc.gov or call toll free
1–866–208–3372 (voice) or 202–502–
8659 (TTY), or send a FAX to 202–208–
2106 with the required
accommodations.
For additional information, please
contact Joel Cockrell Joel.Cockrell@
ferc.gov 202–502–8153 or Nicolas
McTyre Nicolas.McTyre@ferc.gov 202–
502–8356.
Sfmt 4703
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company,
L.L.C.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the
Proposed Susquehanna West 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 Susquehanna West Project involving
construction and operation of facilities
by Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company,
L.L.C. (TGP) in Tioga and Bradford
Counties, Pennsylvania. 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
E:\FR\FM\16JNN1.SGM
16JNN1
34398
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 115 / Tuesday, June 16, 2015 / Notices
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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 July 10,
2015.
If you sent comments on this project
to the Commission before the opening of
this docket on April 2, 2015, you will
need to file those comments in Docket
No. CP15–148–000 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.
TGP 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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:18 Jun 15, 2015
Jkt 235001
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 (CP15–148–
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
TGP proposes to construct and
operate pipeline and compression
facilities in Bradford and Tioga
Counties, Pennsylvania. The
Susquehanna West Project would
provide about 145,000 dekatherms per
day of natural gas per day. According to
TGP, its project would meet market
needs in the northeast U.S. which have
been capacity constrained.
The Susquehanna West Project would
consist of the following facilities:
• 8.1 miles of new 36-inch-diameter
looping 1 pipeline in two segments in
Tioga County, Pennsylvania;
• Relocation of an existing 16,000
horsepower compressor unit from
Compressor Station 319 to Compressor
Station 317, both located in Bradford
County, Pennsylvania, resulting in an
increase of 16,000 horsepower at
Compressor Station 317;
• Replacement of an existing
compressor unit at Compressor Station
319 with a new 20,500 horsepower
compressor unit, resulting in an
increase of 4,500 horsepower at
Compressor Station 319; and
• Piping and equipment
modifications associated with the
pipeline loops at Compressor Stations
315, 317, and 319.
The general location of the project
facilities is shown in appendix 1.2
1 A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed
parallel to an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
2 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.
PO 00000
Frm 00036
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the proposed facilities
would disturb about 226 acres of land
for the aboveground facilities and the
pipeline. Following construction, TGP
would maintain about 80 acres for
permanent operation of the project’s
facilities; the remaining acreage would
be restored and revert to former uses.
The majority of the proposed pipeline
route parallels TGP’s existing 300 Line
rights-of-way. In addition, the
compressor station modifications would
be constructed within TGP’s existing
property boundaries.
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 3 to
discover and address concerns the
public may have about proposals. This
process is referred to as ‘‘scoping.’’ The
main goal of the scoping process is to
focus the analysis in the EA on the
important environmental issues. By this
notice, the Commission requests public
comments on the scope of the issues to
address in the EA. We will consider all
filed comments during the preparation
of the EA.
In the EA we will discuss impacts that
could occur as a result of the
construction and operation of the
proposed project under these general
headings:
• Geology and soils;
• land use;
• water resources, fisheries, and
wetlands;
• cultural resources;
• vegetation and wildlife;
• air quality and noise;
• endangered and threatened species;
• 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. We will 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
3 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the
environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of
Energy Projects.
E:\FR\FM\16JNN1.SGM
16JNN1
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 115 / Tuesday, June 16, 2015 / Notices
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.4 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
Offices (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.5 We will
define the project-specific Area of
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation
with the SHPOs 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.
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD 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
4 The Council on Environmental Quality
regulations addressing cooperating agency
responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
5 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
17:18 Jun 15, 2015
Jkt 235001
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.
Copies of the EA 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., CP15–148). 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
PO 00000
Frm 00037
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
34399
calendar located at www.ferc.gov/
EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along
with other related information.
Dated: June 10, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–14738 Filed 6–15–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. ER15–1873–000]
Buckeye Wind Energy LLC;
Supplemental Notice That Initial
Market-Based Rate Filing Includes
Request for Blanket Section 204
Authorization
This is a supplemental notice in the
above-referenced proceeding of Buckeye
Wind Energy LLC’s application for
market-based rate authority, with an
accompanying rate tariff, noting that
such application includes a request for
blanket authorization, under 18 CFR
part 34, of future issuances of securities
and assumptions of liability.
Any person desiring to intervene or to
protest should file with the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426,
in accordance with Rules 211 and 214
of the Commission’s Rules of Practice
and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and
385.214). Anyone filing a motion to
intervene or protest must serve a copy
of that document on the Applicant.
Notice is hereby given that the
deadline for filing protests with regard
to the applicant’s request for blanket
authorization, under 18 CFR part 34, of
future issuances of securities and
assumptions of liability, is June 30,
2015.
The Commission encourages
electronic submission of protests and
interventions in lieu of paper, using the
FERC Online links at https://
www.ferc.gov. To facilitate electronic
service, persons with Internet access
who will eFile a document and/or be
listed as a contact for an intervenor
must create and validate an
eRegistration account using the
eRegistration link. Select the eFiling
link to log on and submit the
intervention or protests.
Persons unable to file electronically
should submit an original and 5 copies
of the intervention or protest to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street NE., Washington, DC
20426.
The filings in the above-referenced
proceeding are accessible in the
E:\FR\FM\16JNN1.SGM
16JNN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 115 (Tuesday, June 16, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34397-34399]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-14738]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP15-148-000]
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, L.L.C.; Notice of Intent To
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Susquehanna West
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 Susquehanna West Project
involving construction and operation of facilities by Tennessee Gas
Pipeline Company, L.L.C. (TGP) in Tioga and Bradford Counties,
Pennsylvania. 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
[[Page 34398]]
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 July 10, 2015.
If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on April 2, 2015, you will need to file those
comments in Docket No. CP15-148-000 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.
TGP 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
(CP15-148-000) 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
TGP proposes to construct and operate pipeline and compression
facilities in Bradford and Tioga Counties, Pennsylvania. The
Susquehanna West Project would provide about 145,000 dekatherms per day
of natural gas per day. According to TGP, its project would meet market
needs in the northeast U.S. which have been capacity constrained.
The Susquehanna West Project would consist of the following
facilities:
8.1 miles of new 36-inch-diameter looping \1\ pipeline in
two segments in Tioga County, Pennsylvania;
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed parallel to
an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Relocation of an existing 16,000 horsepower compressor
unit from Compressor Station 319 to Compressor Station 317, both
located in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, resulting in an increase of
16,000 horsepower at Compressor Station 317;
Replacement of an existing compressor unit at Compressor
Station 319 with a new 20,500 horsepower compressor unit, resulting in
an increase of 4,500 horsepower at Compressor Station 319; and
Piping and equipment modifications associated with the
pipeline loops at Compressor Stations 315, 317, and 319.
The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
1.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ 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 226
acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipeline.
Following construction, TGP would maintain about 80 acres for permanent
operation of the project's facilities; the remaining acreage would be
restored and revert to former uses. The majority of the proposed
pipeline route parallels TGP's existing 300 Line rights-of-way. In
addition, the compressor station modifications would be constructed
within TGP's existing property boundaries.
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
\3\ 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ ``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. We will
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
[[Page 34399]]
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.\4\ 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
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Consultations Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation
Act
In accordance with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's
implementing regulations for section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act, we are using this notice to initiate consultation
with the applicable State Historic Preservation Offices (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.\5\ We will define the project-specific Area of
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPOs 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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\5\ 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.
Copies of the EA 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-
148). 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: June 10, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-14738 Filed 6-15-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P