Dominion Transmission, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Leidy South Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 45529-45531 [2015-18679]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 146 / Thursday, July 30, 2015 / Notices
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. Anyone filing a motion
to intervene or protest must serve a copy
of that document on the Petitioner.
The Commission encourages
electronic submission of protests and
interventions inlieu 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
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 August 7, 2015.
Dated: July 22, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–18482 Filed 7–29–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP15–492–000]
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Dominion Transmission, Inc.; Notice of
Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Assessment for the Proposed Leidy
South 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 Leidy South Expansion Project
involving construction and operation of
facilities by Dominion Transmission,
Inc. (DTI) in Clinton, Centre, and
Franklin Counties, Pennsylvania,
Frederick County, Maryland, and
Loudoun and Fauquier Counties,
Virginia. The Commission will use this
EA in its decision-making process to
determine whether the project is in the
public convenience and necessity.
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14:54 Jul 29, 2015
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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 August 22,
2015.
If you sent comments on this project
to the Commission before the opening of
this docket on May 15th, 2015, you will
need to file those comments in Docket
No. CP15–492–000 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 your property in order
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 property
negotiations fail to produce an
agreement, the pipeline company could
initiate condemnation proceedings
where compensation would be
determined in accordance with state
law.
DTI 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
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Fmt 4703
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45529
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 (CP15–492–
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
DTI proposes to construct, install,
own, operate, and maintain
compression or appurtenant facilities
located in Clinton, Franklin, and Centre
Counties, Pennsylvania; Frederick
County, Maryland; and Loudoun and
Fauquier counties, Virginia.
The Leidy South Project would
consist of the following facilities:
• 11,000 horsepower (hp) of
additional compression at the
Finnefrock Compressor Station in
Clinton County, Pennsylvania;
• upgrade filter separators at the
Centre Compressor Station in Centre
County, Pennsylvania;
• 13,220 hp of additional
compression at the Chambersburg
Compressor Station in Franklin County,
Pennsylvania;
• 15,900 hp of additional
compression, installation of a selective
catalytic reduction systems, and
modifications to existing compressor
unit at the Myersville Compressor
Station in Frederick County, Maryland;
• 8,000 hp additional electric
compression at the Leesburg
Compressor Station in Loudoun County,
Virginia;
• installation of a new cooler and
filter separator at the Quantico
Compressor Station in Fauquier County,
Virginia; and
• construction of a new metering and
regulation station at the Panda
E:\FR\FM\30JYN1.SGM
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45530
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 146 / Thursday, July 30, 2015 / Notices
Stonewall Meter Station, in Loudoun
County, Virginia.
The Leidy South Project would
provide about 155 million standard
cubic feet of natural gas per day to
existing and new electric power
generation facilities. The general
location of the project facilities is shown
in appendix 1.1
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the proposed facilities
would temporarily disturb about 124.1
acres of land within DTI’s or the Leidy
Storage facility property boundaries,
including 34.7 acres within existing
compressor station fence lines.
Following construction, DTI would
maintain about 56.4 acres for permanent
operation of the project’s facilities; the
remaining acreage would be restored
and revert to former uses.
The EA Process
Lhorne on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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
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;
• socioeconomics; and
• cumulative impacts
1 The appendices referenced in this notice will
not appear in the Federal Register. Copies of
appendices were sent to all those receiving this
notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov
using the link called ‘‘eLibrary’’ or from the
Commission’s Public Reference Room, 888 First
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202)
502–8371. For instructions on connecting to
eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice.
2 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the
environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of
Energy Projects.
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14:54 Jul 29, 2015
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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
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.4 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
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.
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
properties and summarize the status of
consultations under section 106.
Currently Identified Environmental
Issues
We have already identified several
issues that we think deserve attention
based on a preliminary review of the
proposed facilities and the
environmental information provided by
DTI. This preliminary list of issues may
be changed based on your comments
and our analysis.
• Visual
• Air and noise; and
• Cumulative impacts
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 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.
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 146 / Thursday, July 30, 2015 / Notices
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., CP15–492). 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.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–18679 Filed 7–29–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[FRL–9931–44–Region 6]
Draft National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) General
Permit for Small Municipal Separate
Storm Sewer Systems in New Mexico
(NMR040000)
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of proposed permit
reissuance and notice of public
meetings.
AGENCY:
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) Region 6 Water Quality
Protection Division, today is proposing
for public comment the reissuance of a
National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) general
permit for storm water discharges from
small municipal separate storm sewer
systems (MS4s) located within the State
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SUMMARY:
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14:54 Jul 29, 2015
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45531
of New Mexico except MS4s located in
Indian lands, Los Alamos County, the
Middle Rio Grande Sub-Watersheds
described in Appendix A of the NPDES
permit No NMR04A000, or within the
area of another MS4 permit. This
proposed permit offers discharge
authorization to regulated small MS4s
within the boundaries of the Bureau of
the Census-designated 2000 and 2010
Farmington, Santa Fe, Los Lunas, Las
Cruces and El Paso Urbanized Areas and
any other small MS4s in the State of
New Mexico designated by the Director
as needing a MS4 permit, other than
those primarily located in Los Alamos.
This permit is intended to replace the
expired general permit NMR040000.
The Director is also providing notice of
public meetings to be held regarding
today’s proposed general permit
reissuance.
The Region is also providing notice
that general permits NMR04000I and
OKR04000I (MS4s on Indian Country
lands in New Mexico and Oklahoma,
respectively) are not being reissued and
are considered terminated by expiration.
DATES: Comments must be submitted in
writing to EPA on or before October 28,
2015.
Proposed Documents: The proposed
general permit and fact sheet which sets
forth principal facts and the significant
factual, legal, and policy questions
considered in the development of the
proposed general permit, may be
obtained via the Internet at https://
epa.gov/region6/water/npdes/sw/sms4/
index.htm. To obtain hard copies of
these documents or any other
information in the administrative
record, please contact Ms. Evelyn
Rosborough using the contact
information provided below.
public meetings in the Santa Fe,
Farmington, Los Lunas, Las Cruces and
El Paso urbanized areas. The public
meetings will include a presentation on
the proposed general permit and a
question and answer session. Written,
but not oral, comments for the official
permit record will be accepted at the
public meetings. Public notice of these
meetings will be provided in The Sun
News, Albuquerque Journal, The Santa
Fe New Mexican, and The Farmington
Daily Times.
How do I comment on this proposal?
Comment Submittals: Submit your
comments, by one of the following
methods:
• Email: rosborough.evelyn@epa.gov.
• Mail: Ms. Evelyn Rosborough, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 6, 1445 Ross Avenue, Dallas,
Texas 75202–2733.
Administrative Record: The proposed
general permit and other related
documents in the administrative record
are on file and may be inspected any
time between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, excluding legal
holidays, at the addresses listed for
submission of comments. It is
recommended that you write or call to
the contact above for an appointment, so
the record(s) will be available at your
convenience.
Public Meetings and Public Hearing:
EPA will be holding five informal
Santa Fe Urbanized Area Meeting
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El Paso Urbanized Area Meeting
Date and Time: Monday September
14, 2015 from 1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m. MST.
Location: New Mexico State
University, Dona Ana Community
College-Sunland Park Campus, Room
102—Auditorium, 3365 McNutt Rd.,
Sunland Park, NM 88063.
Las Cruces Urbanized Area Meeting
Date and Time: Monday September
14, 2015 from 6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. MST
Location: New Mexico State
University, Dona Ana Community
College-East Mesa Campus, Student
Resource Building, 2800 N. Sonoma
Ranch Blvd., Las Cruces, NM 88003.
Los Lunas Urbanized Area Meeting
Date and Time: Tuesday September
15, 2015 from 6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. MST
Location: Holiday Inn Express Belen,
2110 Camino del Llano, Belen, NM
87002.
Farmington Urbanized Area Meeting
Date and Time: Wednesday
September 16, 2015 at 6:00 p.m.–7:30
p.m. MST
Location: Courtyard by Marriott
Farmington, 560 Scott Ave.,
Farmington, NM 87401.
Date and Time: Thursday September
17, 2015 from 6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. MST.
Location: The Lodge at Santa Fe, 750
N. St. Francis Dr., Santa Fe, NM 87501.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Evelyn Rosborough, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Region 6, 1445 Ross
Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75202–2733.
Telephone: (214) 655–7515. Email
address: rosborough.evelyn@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. General Information
This permit authorizes stormwater
discharges to waters of the United States
from small MS4s within the State of
New Mexico except MS4s located in
Indian lands, Los Alamos County, the
Middle Rio Grande Sub-Watersheds
described in Appendix A of the NPDES
permit No NMR04A000, or within the
E:\FR\FM\30JYN1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 146 (Thursday, July 30, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45529-45531]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-18679]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP15-492-000]
Dominion Transmission, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Leidy South 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 Leidy South Expansion Project
involving construction and operation of facilities by Dominion
Transmission, Inc. (DTI) in Clinton, Centre, and Franklin Counties,
Pennsylvania, Frederick County, Maryland, and Loudoun and Fauquier
Counties, Virginia. 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 August 22, 2015.
If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on May 15th, 2015, you will need to file those
comments in Docket No. CP15-492-000 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 your property
in order 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 property
negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the pipeline company could
initiate condemnation proceedings where compensation would be
determined in accordance with state law.
DTI 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
(CP15-492-000) 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
DTI proposes to construct, install, own, operate, and maintain
compression or appurtenant facilities located in Clinton, Franklin, and
Centre Counties, Pennsylvania; Frederick County, Maryland; and Loudoun
and Fauquier counties, Virginia.
The Leidy South Project would consist of the following facilities:
11,000 horsepower (hp) of additional compression at the
Finnefrock Compressor Station in Clinton County, Pennsylvania;
upgrade filter separators at the Centre Compressor Station
in Centre County, Pennsylvania;
13,220 hp of additional compression at the Chambersburg
Compressor Station in Franklin County, Pennsylvania;
15,900 hp of additional compression, installation of a
selective catalytic reduction systems, and modifications to existing
compressor unit at the Myersville Compressor Station in Frederick
County, Maryland;
8,000 hp additional electric compression at the Leesburg
Compressor Station in Loudoun County, Virginia;
installation of a new cooler and filter separator at the
Quantico Compressor Station in Fauquier County, Virginia; and
construction of a new metering and regulation station at
the Panda
[[Page 45530]]
Stonewall Meter Station, in Loudoun County, Virginia.
The Leidy South Project would provide about 155 million standard
cubic feet of natural gas per day to existing and new electric power
generation facilities. 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 temporarily disturb
about 124.1 acres of land within DTI's or the Leidy Storage facility
property boundaries, including 34.7 acres within existing compressor
station fence lines. Following construction, DTI would maintain about
56.4 acres for permanent operation of the project's facilities; the
remaining acreage would be restored and revert to former uses.
The EA Process
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could
result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of a
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us
\2\ to discover and address concerns the public may have about
proposals. This process is referred to as ``scoping.'' The main goal of
the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EA on the important
environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. We will
consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of
the 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;
socioeconomics; 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.
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\3\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
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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.\4\ 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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\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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Currently Identified Environmental Issues
We have already identified several issues that we think deserve
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and
the environmental information provided by DTI. This preliminary list of
issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
Visual
Air and noise; and
Cumulative impacts
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 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.
[[Page 45531]]
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-
492). 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.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-18679 Filed 7-29-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P