Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Planned Northern Lights 2017 Expansion Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 22590-22592 [2016-08862]
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22590
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 74 / Monday, April 18, 2016 / Notices
Lincoln County, Wisconsin. The project
does not affect federal lands.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power
Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Todd P.
Jastremski, Asset Manager Hydro
Operations, WE Energies, 800 Industrial
Park Drive, Iron Mountain, MI 49801; or
at (906) 779–4099.
i. FERC Contact: Lee Emery at (202)
502–8379 or by email at lee.emery@
ferc.gov.
j. This application is not ready for
environmental analysis at this time.
k. The existing Tomahawk
Hydroelectric Project consists of: (1) A
27-foot-high, 3,400-foot-long reinforced
concrete and embankment dam that
includes a 2,450-foot-long left
embankment section, a 300-foot-long
right embankment section, 9-foot-long
sluice gate section, 267-foot-long radial
gate section, 160-foot-long slab and
buttress section, and a 60-foot-long
abutment section with a crest elevation
of 1,441.0 feet National Geodetic
Vertical Datum (NGVD); (2) a 2,773-acre
reservoir (Lake Mohawksin) at a fullpool elevation of 1,435.5 feet NGVD; (3)
a 67-foot-long by 41-foot-wide
powerhouse containing two 1.3megawatt (MW) generators providing a
combined installed capacity of 2.6 MW;
(4) powerhouse intake trash racks with
a 2.7-inch clear bar spacing; (5) two 2.4kilovolt (kV) generator leads and an
associated 3.75-megavolt-ampere, 2.4/
24.9-kV three phase transformer; (6) an
interconnected substation located
adjacent to the powerhouse; and (7)
appurtenant facilities.
The project is operated in a limited
peaking mode, with maximum allowed
daily reservoir fluctuations of
approximately 0.8 feet (1,435.5 feet
NGVD to 1,434.7 feet NGVD). During
normal peaking operations, the reservoir
is drawn down from the maximum pond
elevation during the day and refilled at
night providing one peaking cycle per
day. The amount of fluctuation is
determined primarily by the volume of
water which can normally be restored to
the Tomahawk reservoir during off-peak
hours. During low flow periods, the
project is required to maintain a
minimum flow of 162 cubic feet per
second (cfs) or inflow, whichever is less.
The operation of the Tomahawk Project
is coordinated with the downstream
WPS Projects (Grandfather Falls and
Alexander Projects) and with the
Grandmother Falls Project to make the
most effective use of the available water
resource.
The normal tailwater elevation of the
project is 1,419.5 feet NGVD. The
impoundment provides about 14.5 feet
of gross head for power generation
purposes. The hydraulic capacity of the
project is 2,634 cfs and water flowing
through the turbines is discharged via
the draft tubes into the tailrace
immediately below the dam. Electricity
generated from the project is transmitted
from the powerhouse via two 2.5-kV
generator leads and a 3.75 MVA 2.4/
24.9-kV three-phase transformer to the
adjacent substation and into Wisconsin
Public Service Corporation’s
distribution system. Wisconsin Public
Service Corporation is proposing to
continue current operations at the
Project for the term of the new license.
l. A copy of the application is
available for review at the Commission
in the Public Reference Room or may be
viewed on the Commission’s Web site at
https://www.ferc.gov using the
‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Enter the docket
number excluding the last three digits in
the docket number field to access the
document. For assistance, contact
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866)
208–3676 (toll free) or (202) 502–8659
(TTY). A copy is also available for
inspection and reproduction at the
address in item h above.
m. You may also register online at
https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
esubscription.asp to be notified via
email of new filings and issuances
related to this or other pending projects.
For assistance, contact FERC Online
Support.
n. Procedural schedule:
The application will be processed
according to the following preliminary
Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to
the schedule may be made as
appropriate.
Milestone
Target date
Notice of Acceptance/Notice of Ready for Environmental Analysis ...........................................................................................
Filing of recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and fishway prescriptions ........................................................
Issue Environmental Assessment (EA) .......................................................................................................................................
Comments due on EA .................................................................................................................................................................
Modified terms and conditions ....................................................................................................................................................
o. Final amendments to the
application must be filed with the
Commission no later than 30 days from
the issuance date of the notice of ready
for environmental analysis.
Dated: April 6, 2016.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016–08861 Filed 4–15–16; 8:45 am]
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. PF15–33–000]
Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice
of Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Assessment for the Planned Northern
Lights 2017 Expansion Project,
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 Northern Lights 2017 Expansion
Project involving construction and
operation of facilities by Northern
Natural Gas Company (Northern) in
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June 2016.
August 2016.
December 2016.
January 2017.
March 2017.
Dakota County, Minnesota. 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
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18APN1
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 74 / Monday, April 18, 2016 / Notices
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
that the Commission receives them in
Washington, DC on or before May 11,
2016.
If you sent comments on this project
to the Commission before the opening of
this docket on September 28, 2015, you
will need to file those comments in
Docket No. PF15–33–000 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 planned
project and encourage them to comment
on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this
notice, a pipeline company
representative may contact you about
the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the
planned facilities. The company would
seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable
agreement. However, if the Commission
approves the project, that approval
conveys with it the right of eminent
domain. Therefore, if easement
negotiations fail to produce an
agreement, the pipeline company could
initiate condemnation proceedings
where compensation would be
determined in accordance with state
law.
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC
entitled ‘‘An Interstate Natural Gas
Facility On My Land? What Do I Need
To Know?’’ is available for viewing on
the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov). 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.
Public Participation
For your convenience, there are three
methods you can use to submit your
comments to the Commission. The
Commission will provide equal
consideration to all comments received,
whether filed in written form or
provided verbally. 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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:54 Apr 15, 2016
Jkt 238001
(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 (PF15–33–
000) with your submission: Kimberly D.
Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street
NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Summary of the Planned Project
Northern plans to construct and
operate approximately 4.8 miles of
branch line loop 1 extensions in
Sherburne and Isanti counties,
Minnesota, and to install an additional
15,900-horsepower compressor unit to
an existing compressor station site in
Rice County, Minnesota. The Northern
Lights 2017 Expansion Project would
allow Northern to transport an
incremental load of 76 million cubic
feet on Northern’s existing system.
According to Northern, its project
would meet the firm transportation
service elected during an October 2015
open season by Xcel Energy Inc.,
CenterPoint Energy, Al-Corn Clean Fuel,
and Midwest Natural Gas, Inc.
The Northern Lights 2017 Expansion
Project would consist of the following
facilities:
• 2.0 miles extending the existing 8inch-diameter Princeton branch line
loop and a new associated valve;
• 2.8 miles extending the existing 12inch-diameter St. Cloud branch line
loop and a new associated valve;
• a 15,900-horsepower Solar Mars
turbine compressor unit at the Faribault
Compressor Station; and
• cathodic protection test stations.
The general location of the project
facilities is shown in appendix 1.2
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the planned facilities
would disturb about 112.4 acres of land
for the aboveground facilities and the
pipeline. In addition to its existing
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 the
appendices were sent to all those receiving this
notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov
using the link called ‘‘eLibrary’’ or from the
Commission’s Public Reference Room, 888 First
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202)
502–8371. For instructions on connecting to
eLibrary, refer to page 7 of this notice.
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22591
facilities, Northern would maintain
about 2.1 acres for permanent operation
of the project’s facilities following
construction; the remaining acreage
would be restored and revert to former
uses. Most of the facilities would be
located within Northern’s existing
easements, offset 20 to 25 feet from
Northern’s existing pipelines, and thus
not require any new permanent
easements.
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
planned 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 possible
alternatives to the planned project or
portions of the project, and make
recommendations on how to lessen or
avoid impacts on the various resource
areas.
Although no formal application has
been filed, we have already initiated our
NEPA review under the Commission’s
pre-filing process. The purpose of the
pre-filing process is to encourage early
involvement of interested stakeholders
and to identify and resolve issues before
the FERC receives an application. As
part of our pre-filing review, we have
begun to contact some federal and state
agencies to discuss their involvement in
the scoping process and the preparation
of the EA.
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
3 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the
environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of
Energy Projects.
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22592
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 74 / Monday, April 18, 2016 / Notices
may also publish and distribute the EA
to the public for an allotted comment
period. We will consider all comments
on the EA before we make 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 related to 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
Minnesota 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.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list
includes federal, state, and local
government representatives and
agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest
groups; Native American tribes; other
interested parties; and local libraries
and newspapers. This list also includes
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
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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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 planned 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).
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: April 11, 2016.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016–08862 Filed 4–15–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
Becoming an Intervenor
Once Northern files its application
with the Commission, 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. Motions to intervene are
more fully described at https://
www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/
intervene.asp. Instructions for becoming
an intervenor are in the ‘‘Document-less
Intervention Guide’’ under the ‘‘e-filing’’
link on the Commission’s Web site.
Please note that the Commission will
not accept requests for intervenor status
at this time. You must wait until the
Commission receives a formal
application for the project.
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 (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., PF15–
33). 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,
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
[OMB 3060–0743]
Information Collection Being
Submitted for Review and Approval to
the Office of Management and Budget
Federal Communications
Commission.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
As part of its continuing effort
to reduce paperwork burdens, and as
required by the Paperwork Reduction
Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501–
3520), the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC or Commission)
invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to take this
opportunity to comment on the
following information collections.
Comments are requested concerning:
Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
Commission, including whether the
information shall have practical utility;
the accuracy of the Commission’s
burden estimate; ways to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the
information collected; ways to minimize
the burden of the collection of
information on the respondents,
including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology; and ways to
further reduce the information
collection burden on small business
concerns with fewer than 25 employees.
The FCC may not conduct or sponsor a
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\18APN1.SGM
18APN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 74 (Monday, April 18, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22590-22592]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-08862]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PF15-33-000]
Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Planned Northern Lights 2017 Expansion
Project, 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 Northern Lights 2017 Expansion
Project involving construction and operation of facilities by Northern
Natural Gas Company (Northern) in Dakota County, Minnesota. 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
[[Page 22591]]
that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before May
11, 2016.
If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on September 28, 2015, you will need to file
those comments in Docket No. PF15-33-000 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 planned
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a pipeline company
representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the planned facilities. The company
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if
the Commission approves the project, that approval conveys with it the
right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to
produce an agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation
proceedings where compensation would be determined in accordance with
state law.
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is available for
viewing on the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov). 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.
Public Participation
For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. The Commission will provide equal
consideration to all comments received, whether filed in written form
or provided verbally. 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
(PF15-33-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A,
Washington, DC 20426.
Summary of the Planned Project
Northern plans to construct and operate approximately 4.8 miles of
branch line loop \1\ extensions in Sherburne and Isanti counties,
Minnesota, and to install an additional 15,900-horsepower compressor
unit to an existing compressor station site in Rice County, Minnesota.
The Northern Lights 2017 Expansion Project would allow Northern to
transport an incremental load of 76 million cubic feet on Northern's
existing system. According to Northern, its project would meet the firm
transportation service elected during an October 2015 open season by
Xcel Energy Inc., CenterPoint Energy, Al-Corn Clean Fuel, and Midwest
Natural Gas, Inc.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed parallel to
an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Northern Lights 2017 Expansion Project would consist of the
following facilities:
2.0 miles extending the existing 8-inch-diameter Princeton
branch line loop and a new associated valve;
2.8 miles extending the existing 12-inch-diameter St.
Cloud branch line loop and a new associated valve;
a 15,900-horsepower Solar Mars turbine compressor unit at
the Faribault Compressor Station; and
cathodic protection test stations.
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 the appendices were sent to all
those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at
www.ferc.gov using the link called ``eLibrary'' or from the
Commission's Public Reference Room, 888 First Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 502-8371. For instructions on
connecting to eLibrary, refer to page 7 of this notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the planned facilities would disturb about 112.4
acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipeline. In
addition to its existing facilities, Northern would maintain about 2.1
acres for permanent operation of the project's facilities following
construction; the remaining acreage would be restored and revert to
former uses. Most of the facilities would be located within Northern's
existing easements, offset 20 to 25 feet from Northern's existing
pipelines, and thus not require any new permanent easements.
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 planned 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 possible alternatives to the planned project
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
Although no formal application has been filed, we have already
initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing process.
The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early involvement
of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before
the FERC receives an application. As part of our pre-filing review, we
have begun to contact some federal and state agencies to discuss their
involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the EA.
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
[[Page 22592]]
may also publish and distribute the EA to the public for an allotted
comment period. We will consider all comments on the EA before we make
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
related to 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Minnesota 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 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
planned 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
Once Northern files its application with the Commission, 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. Motions to intervene are more fully described at
https://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp. Instructions
for becoming an intervenor are in the ``Document-less Intervention
Guide'' under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web site.
Please note that the Commission will not accept requests for intervenor
status at this time. You must wait until the Commission receives a
formal application for the project.
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 (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., PF15-
33). 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: April 11, 2016.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-08862 Filed 4-15-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
