Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, L.L.C.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Lone Star Project and Request For Comments On Environmental Issues, 72043-72045 [2016-25246]
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 202 / Wednesday, October 19, 2016 / Notices
in the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2008 (Pub. L. 110–161) to fund a portion
of the INFB. Congress, in the
Explanatory Statement accompanying
the House Appropriations Committee
Print (which in the Act was given the
same effect as a joint explanatory
statement), noted that the INFB freed up
DOE’s LEU set-aside, and recommended
DOE also ‘‘allow U.S. interests to
purchase uranium fuel from the Reliable
Fuel Supply [now the AFS] in the event
of supply disruption.’’ (H. Approp.
Cmte. Print at 592.)
The sale of LEU from the AFS will be
conducted consistent with applicable
law, the policies and guidance in the
‘‘Secretary of Energy’s 2008 Policy
Statement of Management of the
Department of Energy’s Excess Uranium
Inventory’’ (March 11, 2008), and the
DOE Excess Uranium Inventory
Management Plan.
Issued in Washington, DC, on October 3,
2016.
Anne M. Harrington,
Deputy Administrator, Defense Nuclear
Nonproliferation, National Nuclear Security
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2016–25278 Filed 10–18–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. EL16–114–000]
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Idaho Power Company; Notice of
Institution of Section 206 Proceeding
and Refund Effective Date
On October 12, 2016, the Commission
issued an order in Docket No. EL16–
114–000, pursuant to section 206 of the
Federal Power Act (FPA), 16 U.S.C.
824e (2012), instituting an investigation
into the justness and reasonableness of
the Idaho Power Company’s marketbased rate authority in the Idaho Power
balancing authority area. Idaho Power
Company, 157 FERC ¶ 61,017 (2016).
The refund effective date in Docket
No. EL16–114–000, established
pursuant to section 206(b) of the FPA,
will be the date of publication of this
notice in the Federal Register.
Any interested person desiring to be
heard in Docket No. EL16–114–000
must file a notice of intervention or
motion to intervene, as appropriate,
with the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20426, in accordance
with Rule 214 of the Commission’s
Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR
385.214 (2016), within 30 days of the
date of issuance of the order.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:39 Oct 18, 2016
Jkt 241001
Dated: October 12, 2016.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016–25247 Filed 10–18–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP16–496–000]
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company,
L.L.C.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the
Proposed Lone Star 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 Lone Star Project involving
construction and operation of facilities
by Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company,
L.L.C. (Tennessee) in San Patricio and
Jackson Counties, Texas. 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 November
14, 2016.
If you sent comments on this project
to the Commission before the opening of
this docket on September 1, 2016, you
will need to file those comments in
Docket No. CP16–496–000 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
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72043
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.
Tennessee 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 (CP16–496–
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
Tennessee proposes to construct and
operate the following facilities as part of
E:\FR\FM\19OCN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 202 / Wednesday, October 19, 2016 / Notices
the Lone Star Project: (1) A new 10,915
horsepower compressor station (CS 3A)
in San Patricio County, Texas; and (2)
a new 10,500 horsepower compressor
station (CS 11A) in Jackson County,
Texas. The proposed facilities would be
on Tennessee’s existing Line 100 and
would allow Tennessee to provide firm
incremental transportation service of up
to 300,000,000 cubic feet per day to the
Corpus Christi Liquefaction, LLC facility
currently under construction in San
Patricio County, Texas.
The general location of the project
facilities is shown in appendix 1.1
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the two compressor
stations would disturb about 113 acres
of land, of which 27 acres Tennessee
would maintain for permanent
operation of the Project. Construction of
CS 3A would disturb about 72.2 acres of
land, of which Tennessee would
permanently maintain 13.4 acres during
operation of the facility. The fenced
compressor station site for CS 3A would
account for about 12.5 acres, including
the access road. Construction of CS 11A
would disturb about 41.1 acres of land,
of which Tennessee would permanently
maintain 14.0 acres during operation of
the facility, including the access road.
The fenced compressor station site for
CS 11A would account for
approximately 12.2 acres.
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
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.
In the EA we will discuss impacts that
could occur as a result of the
1 The appendices referenced in this notice will
not appear in the Federal Register. Copies of
appendices were sent to all those receiving this
notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov
using the link called ‘‘eLibrary’’ or from the
Commission’s Public Reference Room, 888 First
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202)
502–8371. For instructions on connecting to
eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice.
2 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the
environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of
Energy Projects.
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17:39 Oct 18, 2016
Jkt 241001
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;
• socioeconomics;
• 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.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
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
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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
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.
Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list
includes federal, state, and local
government representatives and
agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest
groups; Native American Tribes; other
interested parties; and local libraries
and newspapers. This list also includes
all affected landowners (as defined in
the Commission’s regulations) who are
potential right-of-way grantors, whose
property may be used temporarily for
project purposes, or who own homes
within certain distances of aboveground
facilities, and anyone who submits
comments on the project. We will
update the environmental mailing list as
the analysis proceeds to ensure that we
send the information related to this
environmental review to all individuals,
organizations, and government entities
interested in and/or potentially affected
by the proposed project. If we publish
and distribute the EA, copies 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
district, site, building, structure, or object included
in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register
of Historic Places.
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19OCN1
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 202 / Wednesday, October 19, 2016 / Notices
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
field (i.e., CP16–496). 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: October 12, 2016.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016–25246 Filed 10–18–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Combined Notice of Filings #2
Take notice that the Commission
received the following electric corporate
filings:
Docket Numbers: EC16–164–000.
Applicants: Georgia Power Company.
Description: Amendment to August 8,
2016 Application of Georgia Power
Company Pursuant to Section 203 of the
Federal Power Act for Authorization to
Sell Certain Transmission Facilities and
Request for Expedited Action.
Filed Date: 10/12/16.
Accession Number: 20161012–5171.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/2/16.
Docket Numbers: EC17–1–000.
Applicants: Entergy Mississippi, Inc.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:39 Oct 18, 2016
Jkt 241001
Description: Supplement to October 3,
2016 Application of Entergy
Mississippi, Inc. under Section 203
[Exhibits A through L and replacement
Exhibit M].
Filed Date: 10/12/16.
Accession Number: 20161012–5184.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/2/16.
Take notice that the Commission
received the following electric rate
filings:
Docket Numbers: ER17–83–000.
Applicants: Midcontinent
Independent System Operator, Inc.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
2016–10–13 _SA 2959 Northern States
Power-Stoneray Power Partners GIA
(J426) to be effective 10/14/2016.
Filed Date: 10/13/16.
Accession Number: 20161013–5149.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/3/16.
Docket Numbers: ER17–84–000.
Applicants: PJM Interconnection,
L.L.C.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing: First
Revised ISA No. 4209, Queue No. X2–
025/X4–019/Z1–090/AA2–171 to be
effective 9/13/2016.
Filed Date: 10/13/16.
Accession Number: 20161013–5164.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/3/16.
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: October 13, 2016.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016–25242 Filed 10–18–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Combined Notice of Filings #1
Take notice that the Commission
received the following electric corporate
filings:
Docket Numbers: EC17–8–000.
Applicants: Noble Americas Energy
Solutions LLC, Calpine Energy Services
Holdco II LLC.
Description: Joint Application for
Authorization under Section 203 of the
Federal Power Act and Request for
Waivers, Confidential Treatment, and
Expedited Consideration of Noble
Americas Energy Solutions LLC, et al.
Filed Date: 10/12/16.
Accession Number: 20161012–5166.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/2/16.
Docket Numbers: EC17–9–000.
Applicants: Enel Cove Fort, LLC, Enel
Stillwater, LLC, EGP Stillwater Solar,
LLC, Origin Wind Energy, LLC,
Chisholm View Wind Project, LLC,
Prairie Rose Wind, LLC, Prairie Rose
Transmission, LLC, Goodwell Wind
Project, LLC, EFS Green Power
Holdings, LLC.
Description: Application for
Authorization Under Section 203 of the
Federal Power Act and Request for
Expedited Action of Enel Cove Fort,
LLC, et al.
Filed Date: 10/12/16.
Accession Number: 20161012–5168.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/2/16.
Docket Numbers: EC17–10–000.
Applicants: Osborn Wind Energy,
LLC, Oliver Wind III, LLC.
Description: Application for
Authorization Under Section 203 of the
Federal Power Act and Request for
Expedited Action of Osborn Wind
Energy, LLC, et al.
Filed Date: 10/12/16.
Accession Number: 20161012–5181.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/2/16.
Take notice that the Commission
received the following exempt
wholesale generator filings:
Docket Numbers: EG17–6–000.
Applicants: Broadview Energy JN,
LLC.
Description: Broadview Energy JN,
LLC submits Notice of Self-Certification
of Exempt Wholesale Generator Status.
Filed Date: 10/13/16.
Accession Number: 20161013–5124.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/3/16.
Docket Numbers: EG17–7–000.
Applicants: Broadview Energy KW,
LLC.
Description: Broadview Energy KW,
LLC submits Notice of Self-Certification
of Exempt Wholesale Generator Status.
E:\FR\FM\19OCN1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 202 (Wednesday, October 19, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72043-72045]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-25246]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP16-496-000]
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, L.L.C.; Notice of Intent To
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Lone Star 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 Lone Star Project involving
construction and operation of facilities by Tennessee Gas Pipeline
Company, L.L.C. (Tennessee) in San Patricio and Jackson Counties,
Texas. 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 November 14, 2016.
If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on September 1, 2016, you will need to file
those comments in Docket No. CP16-496-000 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.
Tennessee 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
(CP16-496-000) 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
Tennessee proposes to construct and operate the following
facilities as part of
[[Page 72044]]
the Lone Star Project: (1) A new 10,915 horsepower compressor station
(CS 3A) in San Patricio County, Texas; and (2) a new 10,500 horsepower
compressor station (CS 11A) in Jackson County, Texas. The proposed
facilities would be on Tennessee's existing Line 100 and would allow
Tennessee to provide firm incremental transportation service of up to
300,000,000 cubic feet per day to the Corpus Christi Liquefaction, LLC
facility currently under construction in San Patricio County, Texas.
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 two compressor stations would disturb about 113
acres of land, of which 27 acres Tennessee would maintain for permanent
operation of the Project. Construction of CS 3A would disturb about
72.2 acres of land, of which Tennessee would permanently maintain 13.4
acres during operation of the facility. The fenced compressor station
site for CS 3A would account for about 12.5 acres, including the access
road. Construction of CS 11A would disturb about 41.1 acres of land, of
which Tennessee would permanently maintain 14.0 acres during operation
of the facility, including the access road. The fenced compressor
station site for CS 11A would account for approximately 12.2 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
\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;
socioeconomics;
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.\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
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 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
[[Page 72045]]
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 field (i.e., CP16-
496). 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: October 12, 2016.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-25246 Filed 10-18-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P