Gulf South Pipeline Company, LP; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed St. Charles Parish Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 59615-59617 [2016-20752]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 168 / Tuesday, August 30, 2016 / Notices
Docket Numbers: ER16–2475–000.
Applicants: Gulf Power Company.
Description: Tariff Cancellation:
Termination of UPS Agreements to be
effective 12/31/2011.
Filed Date: 8/24/16.
Accession Number: 20160824–5170.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 9/14/16.
Docket Numbers: ER16–2476–000.
Applicants: Mississippi Power
Company.
Description: Tariff Cancellation:
Termination of UPS Agreements to be
effective 12/31/2011.
Filed Date: 8/24/16.
Accession Number: 20160824–5173.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 9/14/16.
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,
service, and qualifying facilities filings
can be found at: https://www.ferc.gov/
docs-filing/efiling/filing-req.pdf. For
other information, call (866) 208–3676
(toll free). For TTY, call (202) 502–8659.
Dated: August 24, 2016.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016–20756 Filed 8–29–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP16–478–000]
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
Gulf South Pipeline Company, LP;
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the
Proposed St. Charles Parish
Expansion 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 St. Charles Parish Expansion Project
(Project) involving construction and
operation of natural gas pipeline and
compression facilities by Gulf South
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:04 Aug 29, 2016
Jkt 238001
Pipeline Company, LP (Gulf South) in
St. Charles and St. John the Baptist
Parishes, Louisiana. The Commission
will use this EA in its decision-making
process to determine whether the
Project is in the public convenience
and.
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 September
23, 2016.
If you sent comments on this Project
to the Commission before the opening of
this docket July 11, 2016, you will need
to file those comments in Docket No.
CP16–478–000 to ensure they are
considered as part of this proceeding.
This notice is being sent to the
Commission’s current environmental
mailing list for this Project. State and
local government representatives should
notify their constituents of this
proposed Project and encourage them to
comment on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this
notice, a pipeline company
representative may contact you about
the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the
proposed facilities. The company would
seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable
agreement. However, if the Commission
approves the Project, that approval
conveys with it the right of eminent
domain. Therefore, if easement
negotiations fail to produce an
agreement, the pipeline company could
initiate condemnation proceedings
where compensation would be
determined in accordance with state
law.
Gulf South 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).
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59615
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 (CP16–478–
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
Gulf South plans to begin
construction of the Project in the fall of
2017 and place the facilities in-service
by September 1, 2018. The Project
purpose is to provide 133,333
dekatherms per day to serve Entergy
Louisiana, LLC’s proposed natural gasfired power plant facility located near
Montz, Louisiana.
Specifically, Gulf South proposes to
construct:
• A new 5,000 horsepower
compressor station near Montz,
Louisiana (Montz Compressor Station);
• about 900 feet of new 16-inchdiameter pipeline; and
• auxiliary facilities.
The proposed Montz Compressor
Station would be on the border of St.
Charles and St. John the Baptist Parishes
and would include two CAT G3608 A4
engines and Erial JGK/6 compressor
units, housed in a permanent building.
The proposed pipeline would
commence at the Montz Compressor
Station, extend approximately 900 feet
southeast, and terminate at Gulf South’s
existing Index 270–94 Lateral in St.
E:\FR\FM\30AUN1.SGM
30AUN1
59616
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 168 / Tuesday, August 30, 2016 / Notices
Charles Parish, Louisiana. Gulf South
would co-locate the proposed 16-inchpipeline with its existing Index 270
pipeline right-of-way. Installation of the
proposed pipeline would utilize a 135foot-wide temporary construction rightof-way. Following construction, Gulf
South proposes to maintain a 35-footwide permanent right-of-way along the
pipeline route, adjacent to the existing
Index 270 permanent right-of-way.
The general location of the Project
facilities is shown in appendix 1.1
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the proposed facilities
would disturb about 13.9 acres of land
for the aboveground facilities, pipeline,
and two permanent access roads.
Following construction, Gulf South
would maintain about 3.5 acres for
permanent operation of the Project’s
facilities; the remaining acreage would
be restored and revert to former uses.
The EA Process
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD 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;
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.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:04 Aug 29, 2016
Jkt 238001
• 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.
Consultations Under Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act
In accordance with the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation’s
implementing regulations for section
106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act, we are using this
notice to initiate consultation with the
applicable State Historic Preservation
Office (SHPO), and to solicit their views
and those of other government agencies,
interested Indian tribes, and the public
on the Project’s potential effects on
historic properties.4 We will define the
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
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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Frm 00020
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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;
environmental and public interest
groups; Native American Tribes; other
interested parties; and local libraries.
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 ‘‘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\30AUN1.SGM
30AUN1
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 168 / Tuesday, August 30, 2016 / Notices
field (i.e., CP16–478). 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: August 24, 2016.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
Dated: August 24, 2016.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016–20752 Filed 8–29–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
[FR Doc. 2016–20751 Filed 8–29–16; 8:45 am]
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
Combined Notice of Filings #2
Take notice that the Commission
received the following exempt
wholesale generator filings:
Docket Numbers: EG16–140–000.
Applicants: Astra Wind LLC.
Description: Self-Certification of EG of
Astra Wind LLC.
Filed Date: 8/22/16.
Accession Number: 20160822–5275.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 9/12/16.
Take notice that the Commission
received the following electric rate
filings:
Docket Numbers: ER16–2453–000.
Applicants: Brady Interconnection,
LLC.
Description: Baseline eTariff Filing:
Brady Interconnection, LLC Application
for market-Based Rates to be effective
10/18/2016.
Filed Date: 8/19/16.
Accession Number: 20160819–5300.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 9/9/16.
Take notice that the Commission
received the following electric
reliability filings:
Docket Numbers: RR16–6–000.
Applicants: North American Electric
Reliability Corporation.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:04 Aug 29, 2016
Description: Request of the North
American Electric Reliability
Corporation for Acceptance of its 2017
Business Plan and Budget.
Filed Date: 8/23/16.
Accession Number: 20160823–5166.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 9/13/16.
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,
service, and qualifying facilities filings
can be found at: https://www.ferc.gov/
docs-filing/efiling/filing-req.pdf. For
other information, call (866) 208–3676
(toll free). For TTY, call (202) 502–8659.
Jkt 238001
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Notice of Commission Staff
Attendance
The Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (Commission) hereby gives
notice that members of the
Commission’s staff may attend the
following meetings related to the
wholesale markets of ISO New England
Inc.:
Integrating Markets and Public Policy
August 30, 2016, 10:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
(EST)
Seaport Hotel, One Seaport Lane,
Boston, MA 02110
September 14, 2016, 10:00 a.m.–5:00
p.m. (EST)
Doubletree Hotel, 5400 Computer Drive,
Westborough, MA 01581
October 6, 2016, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
(EST)
Doubletree Hotel, 5400 Computer Drive,
Westborough, MA 01581
October 21, 2016, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
(EST)
Location to be determined.
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 9990
59617
November 10, 2016, 10:00 a.m.–5:00
p.m. (EST)
Doubletree Hotel, 5400 Computer Drive,
Westborough, MA 01581
December 2, 2016, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
(EST)
Colonnade Seaport Hotel, 120
Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02116
Further information may be found at
www.nepool.com/IMAPP.php.
The discussion at the meeting
described above may address matters at
issue in the following proceedings:
Docket Nos. EL13–33 and EL 14–86,
Environment Northeast et al. v.
Bangor Hydro-Electric Company et al.
Docket No. EL16–19, ISO New England
Inc. Participating Transmission
Owners Administrative Committee
Docket No. EL16–38, Dominion Energy
Marketing, Inc. et al. v. ISO New
England Inc.
Docket No. EL16–93, NextEra Energy
Resources, LLC and PSEG Companies
v. ISO New England Inc.
Docket No. RP16–618, Algonquin Gas
Transmission, LLC
Docket No. ER12–1650, Emera Maine
Docket No. ER14–1409, ISO New
England Inc.
Docket No. ER14–1639, ISO New
England Inc. and New England Power
Pool Participants Committee
Docket No. ER13–2266, ISO New
England Inc.
Docket No. ER15–1429, Emera Maine
Docket No. ER16–551, ISO New England
Inc.
Docket No. ER16–1301, ISO New
England Inc. and Emera Maine
Docket No. ER16–1041, ISO New
England Inc.
Docket No. ER16–1904, ISO New
England Inc.
Docket No. ER16–2126, ISO New
England Inc. and New England Power
Pool Participants Committee
Docket No. ER16–2215, ISO New
England Inc.
Docket No. ER16–2283, Genbright LLC
Docket No. ER16–2451, ISO New
England Inc. and New England Power
Pool Participants Committee
For more information, contact
Michael Cackoski, Office of Energy
Market Regulation, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission at (202) 502–
6169 or Michael.Cackoski@ferc.gov.
Dated: August 24, 2016.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016–20754 Filed 8–29–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
E:\FR\FM\30AUN1.SGM
30AUN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 168 (Tuesday, August 30, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59615-59617]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-20752]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP16-478-000]
Gulf South Pipeline Company, LP; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed St. Charles Parish Expansion
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 St. Charles Parish Expansion
Project (Project) involving construction and operation of natural gas
pipeline and compression facilities by Gulf South Pipeline Company, LP
(Gulf South) in St. Charles and St. John the Baptist Parishes,
Louisiana. The Commission will use this EA in its decision-making
process to determine whether the Project is in the public convenience
and.
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 September 23, 2016.
If you sent comments on this Project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket July 11, 2016, you will need to file those
comments in Docket No. CP16-478-000 to ensure they are considered as
part of this proceeding.
This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental
mailing list for this Project. State and local government
representatives should notify their constituents of this proposed
Project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a pipeline company
representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. The company
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if
the Commission approves the Project, that approval conveys with it the
right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to
produce an agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation
proceedings where compensation would be determined in accordance with
state law.
Gulf South 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
(CP16-478-000) 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
Gulf South plans to begin construction of the Project in the fall
of 2017 and place the facilities in-service by September 1, 2018. The
Project purpose is to provide 133,333 dekatherms per day to serve
Entergy Louisiana, LLC's proposed natural gas-fired power plant
facility located near Montz, Louisiana.
Specifically, Gulf South proposes to construct:
A new 5,000 horsepower compressor station near Montz,
Louisiana (Montz Compressor Station);
about 900 feet of new 16-inch-diameter pipeline; and
auxiliary facilities.
The proposed Montz Compressor Station would be on the border of St.
Charles and St. John the Baptist Parishes and would include two CAT
G3608 A4 engines and Erial JGK/6 compressor units, housed in a
permanent building. The proposed pipeline would commence at the Montz
Compressor Station, extend approximately 900 feet southeast, and
terminate at Gulf South's existing Index 270-94 Lateral in St.
[[Page 59616]]
Charles Parish, Louisiana. Gulf South would co-locate the proposed 16-
inch-pipeline with its existing Index 270 pipeline right-of-way.
Installation of the proposed pipeline would utilize a 135-foot-wide
temporary construction right-of-way. Following construction, Gulf South
proposes to maintain a 35-foot-wide permanent right-of-way along the
pipeline route, adjacent to the existing Index 270 permanent right-of-
way.
The general location of the Project facilities is shown in appendix
1.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in
the Federal Register. Copies of appendices were sent to all those
receiving this notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov
using the link called ``eLibrary'' or from the Commission's Public
Reference Room, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call
(202) 502-8371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to
the last page of this notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the proposed facilities would disturb about 13.9
acres of land for the aboveground facilities, pipeline, and two
permanent access roads. Following construction, Gulf South would
maintain about 3.5 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 Office (SHPO), and to
solicit their views and those of other government agencies, interested
Indian tribes, and the public on the Project's potential effects on
historic properties.\4\ We will define the project-specific Area of
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO as the Project
develops. On natural gas facility projects, the APE at a minimum
encompasses all areas subject to ground disturbance (examples include
construction right-of-way, contractor/pipe storage yards, compressor
stations, and access roads). Our EA for this Project will document our
findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize the status
of consultations under section 106.
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\4\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's regulations
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Those
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic
Places.
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Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local
government representatives and agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other
interested parties; and local libraries. 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 ``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 59617]]
field (i.e., CP16-478). 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: August 24, 2016.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-20752 Filed 8-29-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P