Total Peaking Services, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Vaporization Capacity Increase and Bog Compressor Project, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 70775-70777 [2015-29147]
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tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 220 / Monday, November 16, 2015 / Notices
309 of the Federal Power Act (FPA), 16
U.S.C. 824e, 825e, and 825h, Rule 206
of the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission’s (Commission) Rules of
Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.206,
Industrial Energy Users—Ohio filed a
formal complaint against Ohio Power
Company (AEP-Ohio) and PJM
Interconnection, LLC (PJM) alleging that
AEP-Ohio has taken, and PJM has
allowed to be taken actions in
contravention of the PJM Open Access
Transmission Tariff and that such
actions are unjust, unreasonable, and
unduly discriminatory, in violation of
the Federal Power Act, as more fully
explained in the complaint.
The Complainant states that a copy of
the complaint has been served on the
Respondents.
Any person desiring to intervene or to
protest this filing must file in
accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of
the Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214).
Protests will be considered by the
Commission in determining the
appropriate action to be taken, but will
not serve to make protestants parties to
the proceeding. Any person wishing to
become a party must file a notice of
intervention or motion to intervene, as
appropriate. The Respondent’s answer
and all interventions, or protests must
be filed on or before the comment date.
The Respondent’s answer, motions to
intervene, and protests must be served
on the Complainants.
The Commission encourages
electronic submission of protests and
interventions in lieu of paper using the
‘‘eFiling’’ link at https://www.ferc.gov.
Persons unable to file electronically
should submit an original and 5 copies
of the protest or intervention to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street NE., Washington, DC
20426.
This filing is accessible on-line at
https://www.ferc.gov, using the
‘‘eLibrary’’ link and is available for
electronic review in the Commission’s
Public Reference Room in Washington,
DC There is an ‘‘eSubscription’’ link on
the Web site that enables subscribers to
receive email notification when a
document is added to a subscribed
docket(s). For assistance with any FERC
Online service, please email
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, or call
(866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY, call
(202) 502–8659.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time
on November 25, 2015
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:47 Nov 13, 2015
Jkt 238001
Dated: November 6, 2015.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–29145 Filed 11–13–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Total Peaking Services, LLC; Notice of
Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Assessment for the Proposed
Vaporization Capacity Increase and
Bog Compressor Project, and Request
for Comments on Environmental
Issues
November 9, 2015.
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 Vaporization Capacity Increase and
BOG Compressor Project (Project)
involving construction and operation of
facilities by Total Peaking Services, LLC
(Total Peaking) in Milford, Connecticut.
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 December
9, 2015.
If you sent comments on this Project
to the Commission before the opening of
this docket on September 22, 2015, you
will need to file those comments in
Docket No. CP15–557–000 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.
Frm 00029
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Total Peaking provided affected
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 how to participate
in the Commission’s proceedings. It is
also available for viewing on the FERC
Web site (www.ferc.gov).
Public Participation
[Docket No. CP15–557–000]
PO 00000
70775
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 (CP15–557–
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
Total Peaking proposes to modify its
existing liquefied natural gas peak
shaving facility 1 in Milford,
Connecticut to increase the vaporization
send out capabilities from 90 million
standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d)
to 105 MMscf/d. According to Total
Peaking, the Project would meet its
future system needs and projected peak
day requirements.
The Project would consist of the
following modifications:
1 Peak shaving facilities liquefy and store natural
gas during warmer months for vaporization and
injection into natural gas pipelines during peak
conditions such as cold weather.
E:\FR\FM\16NON1.SGM
16NON1
70776
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 220 / Monday, November 16, 2015 / Notices
• Installation of two new vaporizers
and removal of three existing
vaporizers;
• installation of an additional boiloff
gas (BOG) compressor;
• installation of a 1,500 kilovoltampere transformer and three new 400
kilowatt emergency generators to
replace the existing transformer and
emergency generator; and
• installation of a new 4,160 volt
electric interconnection service line to
provide the LNG facility with additional
electricity to operate the new
vaporization equipment.
The general location of the Project
facilities is shown in appendix 1.2
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the proposed facilities
would occur entirely within the fence
line of the existing facility on paved and
graveled areas. The construction would
disturb about 0.44 acres of land within
the approximately 24-acre facility site.
Permanent operation of the Project’s
facilities would require about 0.18 acres.
The EA Process
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD 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 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;
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.
3 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the
environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of
Energy Projects.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:47 Nov 13, 2015
Jkt 238001
• 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.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
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.5 We will define the
Project-specific Area of Potential Effects
(APE) in consultation with the SHPO as
the Project develops. On natural gas
facility projects, the APE at a minimum
encompasses all areas subject to ground
disturbance (examples include
construction right-of-way, contractor/
pipe storage yards, compressor stations,
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.
PO 00000
Frm 00030
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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.
Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list
includes: Federal, state, and local
government representatives and
agencies; elected officials; 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 ‘‘Document-less
Intervention Guide’’ under the ‘‘e-filing’’
link on the Commission’s Web site.
Motions to intervene are more fully
described at https://www.ferc.gov/
resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp.
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
E:\FR\FM\16NON1.SGM
16NON1
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 220 / Monday, November 16, 2015 / Notices
field (i.e., CP15–557). 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: November 9, 2015.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–29147 Filed 11–13–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
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 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 online 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 December 3, 2015.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Dated: November 9, 2015.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[FR Doc. 2015–29153 Filed 11–13–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
[Docket No. OR16–3–000]
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Oryx Southern Delaware Oil Gathering
and Transport LLC; Notice of Petition
for Declaratory Order
Take notice that on November 3,
2015, pursuant to Rule 207(a)(2) of the
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission’s (Commission) Rules of
Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR
385.207(a)(2) (2015), Oryx Southern
Delaware Gathering and Transport LLC,
filed a petition for a declaratory order
seeking order approving general rate
structure and terms of service for new
crude oil pipeline from Permian Basin
receipt points to delivery points in
Crane and Midland, Texas, all as more
fully explained in the petition.
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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:47 Nov 13, 2015
Jkt 238001
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Combined Notice of Filings #2
Take notice that the Commission
received the following electric corporate
filings:
Docket Numbers: EC15–210–000.
Applicants: Dominion Solar Projects
A, Inc., Dominion Solar Projects I, Inc.
Description: Clarification to
September 24, 2015 Application for
Authorization Under Section 203 of the
Federal Power Act of Dominion Solar
Projects A, Inc., et al.
Filed Date: 10/30/15.
Accession Number: 20151030–5509.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/13/15.
Take notice that the Commission
received the following electric rate
filings:
Docket Numbers: ER14–1210–005.
Applicants: Midcontinent
Independent System Operator, Inc.
Description: Compliance filing: 2015–
11–09_SA 6502 Edwards SSR 2014
PO 00000
Frm 00031
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
70777
Agreement Compliance to be effective 7/
22/2014.
Filed Date: 11/9/15.
Accession Number: 20151109–5117.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/30/15.
Docket Numbers: ER14–2605–002.
Applicants: Midcontinent
Independent System Operator, Inc.
Description: Compliance filing: 2015–
11–09_SSR ER14–2605 Compliance
Filing to be effective 7/22/2014.
Filed Date: 11/9/15.
Accession Number: 20151109–5103.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/30/15.
Docket Numbers: ER15–943–003.
Applicants: Midcontinent
Independent System Operator, Inc.
Description: Compliance filing: 2015–
11–09_SA 6502 Edwards SSR 2015
Agreement Compliance to be effective 1/
1/2015.
Filed Date: 11/9/15.
Accession Number: 20151109–5122.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/30/15.
Docket Numbers: ER16–293–000.
Applicants: Mesquite Solar 2, LLC.
Description: Baseline eTariff Filing:
Mesquite Solar 2, LLC Certificate of
Concurrence to be effective 11/20/2015.
Filed Date: 11/9/15.
Accession Number: 20151109–5073.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/30/15.
Docket Numbers: ER16–294–000.
Applicants: Mesquite Solar 3, LLC.
Description: Baseline eTariff Filing:
Mesquite Solar 3, LLC Certificate of
Concurrence to be effective 11/20/2015.
Filed Date: 11/9/15.
Accession Number: 20151109–5074.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/30/15.
Docket Numbers: ER16–295–000.
Applicants: Midcontinent
Independent System Operator, Inc.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
2015–11–09_SA 1503 NSP-Mankato 2nd
Rev. GIA (G261) to be effective 11/10/
2015.
Filed Date: 11/9/15.
Accession Number: 20151109–5085.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/30/15.
The filings are accessible in the
Commission’s eLibrary system by
clicking on the links or querying the
docket number.
Any person desiring to intervene or
protest in any of the above proceedings
must file in accordance with Rules 211
and 214 of the Commission’s
Regulations (18 CFR 385.211 and
§ 385.214) on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern
time on the specified comment date.
Protests may be considered, but
intervention is necessary to become a
party to the proceeding.
eFiling is encouraged. More detailed
information relating to filing
requirements, interventions, protests,
E:\FR\FM\16NON1.SGM
16NON1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 220 (Monday, November 16, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70775-70777]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-29147]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP15-557-000]
Total Peaking Services, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Vaporization Capacity
Increase and Bog Compressor Project, and Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues
November 9, 2015.
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 Vaporization Capacity Increase
and BOG Compressor Project (Project) involving construction and
operation of facilities by Total Peaking Services, LLC (Total Peaking)
in Milford, Connecticut. 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 December 9, 2015.
If you sent comments on this Project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on September 22, 2015, you will need to file
those comments in Docket No. CP15-557-000 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.
Total Peaking provided affected 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 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
(CP15-557-000) 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
Total Peaking proposes to modify its existing liquefied natural gas
peak shaving facility \1\ in Milford, Connecticut to increase the
vaporization send out capabilities from 90 million standard cubic feet
per day (MMscf/d) to 105 MMscf/d. According to Total Peaking, the
Project would meet its future system needs and projected peak day
requirements.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Peak shaving facilities liquefy and store natural gas during
warmer months for vaporization and injection into natural gas
pipelines during peak conditions such as cold weather.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Project would consist of the following modifications:
[[Page 70776]]
Installation of two new vaporizers and removal of three
existing vaporizers;
installation of an additional boiloff gas (BOG)
compressor;
installation of a 1,500 kilovolt-ampere transformer and
three new 400 kilowatt emergency generators to replace the existing
transformer and emergency generator; and
installation of a new 4,160 volt electric interconnection
service line to provide the LNG facility with additional electricity to
operate the new vaporization equipment.
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 occur entirely within
the fence line of the existing facility on paved and graveled areas.
The construction would disturb about 0.44 acres of land within the
approximately 24-acre facility site. Permanent operation of the
Project's facilities would require about 0.18 acres.
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. 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.\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.
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\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 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.\5\ We will define the Project-specific Area of
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO as the Project
develops. On natural gas facility projects, the APE at a minimum
encompasses all areas subject to ground disturbance (examples include
construction right-of-way, contractor/pipe storage yards, compressor
stations, and access roads). Our EA for this Project will document our
findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize the status
of consultations under section 106.
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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; 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 ``Document-less Intervention Guide'' under the ``e-filing'' link on
the Commission's Web site. Motions to intervene are more fully
described at https://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp.
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
[[Page 70777]]
field (i.e., CP15-557). 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: November 9, 2015.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-29147 Filed 11-13-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P