DTE Midstream Appalachia, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Planned Birdsboro Pipeline Project, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public Scoping Session, 8419-8421 [2017-01676]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 15 / Wednesday, January 25, 2017 / Notices
Power Pool, Inc.
Docket No. ER17–358, Southwest
Power Pool, Inc.
Docket No. ER17–426, Southwest
Power Pool, Inc.
Docket No. ER17–427, Southwest
Power Pool, Inc.
Docket No. ER17–428, Southwest
Power Pool, Inc.
Docket No. ER17–469, Southwest
Power Pool, Inc.
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Power Pool, Inc.
Docket No. ER17–587, Southwest
Power Pool, Inc.
Docket No. ER17–589, Southwest
Power Pool, Inc.
Docket No. ER17–591, Southwest
Power Pool, Inc.
Docket No. ER17–722, ITC Midwest,
LLC
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Power Pool, Inc.
Docket No. ER17–739, Southwest
Power Pool, Inc.
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LLC
Docket No. ER17–749, Southwest
Power Pool, Inc.
Docket No. ER17–762, Southwest
Power Pool, Inc.
These meetings are open to the
public.
For more information, contact Patrick
Clarey, Office of Energy Market
Regulation, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission at (317) 249–5937 or
patrick.clarey@ferc.gov.
Dated: January 18, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–01672 Filed 1–24–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Combined Notice of Filings
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
Take notice that the Commission has
received the following Natural Gas
Pipeline Rate and Refund Report filings:
Filings Instituting Proceedings
Docket Number: PR17–17–000.
Applicants: DTE Gas Company.
Description: Tariff filing per
284.123(b), (e)/: DTE Gas Operating
Statement Update to be effective 12/16/
2016; Filing Type: 1000.
Filed Date: 1/6/2017.
Accession Number: 201701065060.
Comments/Protests Due: 5 p.m. ET
1/27/17.
Docket Numbers: RP17–336–000.
Applicants: East Tennessee Natural
Gas, LLC.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:29 Jan 24, 2017
Jkt 241001
Description: § 4(d) Rate Filing:
January 2017 Negotiated Rate Cleanup
Filing to be effective 2/17/2017.
Filed Date: 1/17/17.
Accession Number: 20170117–5127.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/30/17.
Docket Numbers: RP17–337–000.
Applicants: Algonquin Gas
Transmission, LLC.
Description: § 4(d) Rate Filing:
Jan2017 Removal of Terminated
Statements of Negotiated Rates to be
effective 2/17/2017.
Filed Date: 1/17/17.
Accession Number: 20170117–5130.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/30/17.
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.
Filings in Existing Proceedings
Docket Numbers: RP17–320–001.
Applicants: Texas Gas Transmission,
LLC.
Description: Tariff Amendment:
Amendment to Filing in Docket No.
RP17–320–000 to be effective 1/1/2017.
Filed Date: 1/17/17.
Accession Number: 20170117–5030.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/30/17.
Any person desiring to protest in any
of the above proceedings must file in
accordance with Rule 211 of the
Commission’s Regulations (18 CFR
385.211) on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern
time on the specified comment date.
The filings are accessible in the
Commission’s eLibrary system by
clicking on the links or querying the
docket number.
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: January 17, 2017.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–01634 Filed 1–24–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
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8419
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. PF17–1–000]
DTE Midstream Appalachia, LLC;
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the
Planned Birdsboro Pipeline Project,
and Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues, and Notice of
Public Scoping Session
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 Birdsboro Pipeline Project involving
construction and operation of facilities
by DTE Midstream Appalachia, LLC
(DTE) in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
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 February
17, 2017.
If you sent comments on this project
to the Commission before the opening of
this docket on October 14, 2016, you
will need to file those comments in
Docket No. PF17–1–000 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
E:\FR\FM\25JAN1.SGM
25JAN1
8420
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 15 / Wednesday, January 25, 2017 / Notices
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.
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
Public Participation
For your convenience, there are four
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 (PF17–1–000)
with your submission: Kimberly D.
Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street
NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
(4) In lieu of sending written or
electronic comments, the Commission
invites you to attend the public scoping
session its staff will conduct in the
project area, scheduled as follows:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:29 Jan 24, 2017
Jkt 241001
Date and time
Thursday, February 2,
2017, 5:30–10:00
p.m.
Location
Oley Fair Center, 26
Jefferson Street,
Oley, PA, 484–
256–8009.
The primary goal of these scoping
sessions is to have you identify the
specific environmental issues and
concerns that should be considered in
the EA to be prepared for this project.
Individual verbal comments will be
taken on a one-on-one basis with a court
reporter. This format is designed to
receive the maximum amount of verbal
comments, in a convenient way during
the timeframe allotted.
The scoping session is scheduled
from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern
Standard Time. You may arrive at any
time after 5:30 p.m. There will not be a
formal presentation by Commission staff
when the session opens. If you wish to
speak, the Commission staff will hand
out numbers in the order of your arrival;
distribution of numbers will be
discontinued at 8:00 p.m. Please see
appendix 1 for additional information
on the session format and conduct.1
Your scoping comments will be
recorded by the court reporter (with
FERC staff or representative present)
and become part of the public record for
this proceeding. Transcripts will be
publicly available on FERC’s eLibrary
system (see below for instructions on
using eLibrary). If a significant number
of people are interested in providing
verbal comments in the one-on-one
settings, a time limit of 5 minutes may
be implemented for each commentor.
It is important to note that verbal
comments hold the same weight as
written or electronically submitted
comments. Although there will not be a
formal presentation, Commission staff
will be available throughout the
comment session to answer your
questions about the environmental
review process. Representatives from
DTE will also be present to answer
project-specific questions.
Summary of the Planned Project
DTE plans to construct and operate
about 14 miles of up to 16-inchdiameter pipeline and appurtenant
facilities. The purpose of the planned
Birdsboro Pipeline Project is to provide
about 79,000 dekatherms of natural gas
1 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 the last page of this notice.
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Frm 00025
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
per day to the Birdsboro Power Plant in
Berks County, Pennsylvania. The
Birdsboro Power Plant is not under the
jurisdiction of FERC and will not be part
of the proposed action evaluated in the
EA. The power plant is/will be
obtaining multiple federal, state, and
local permits and approvals for
construction and operation of the
facility.
The Birdsboro Pipeline Project would
consist of the following facilities:
• About 14 miles of up to 16-inchdiameter pipeline;
• a pig launcher and receiver; 2
• a new meter station and associated
facilities at the Texas Eastern
Transmission Company Pipeline rightof-way; and
• 6 new mainline valves.
The general location of the project
facilities is shown in appendix 2.
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the planned facilities
would disturb about 147.8 acres of land
for the aboveground facilities and the
pipeline. Following construction, DTE
would maintain about 82.7 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 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;
2 A ‘‘pig’’ is a tool that the pipeline company
inserts into and pushes through the pipeline for
cleaning the pipeline, conducting internal
inspections, or other purposes.
3 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the
environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of
Energy Projects.
E:\FR\FM\25JAN1.SGM
25JAN1
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 15 / Wednesday, January 25, 2017 / Notices
• 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. We will 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.
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
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(s), and to solicit their views and
those of other government agencies,
interested Indian tribes, and the public
on the project’s potential effects on
4 The Council on Environmental Quality
regulations addressing cooperating agency
responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:29 Jan 24, 2017
Jkt 241001
historic properties.5 We will define the
project-specific Area of Potential Effects
(APE) in consultation with the SHPO(s)
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.
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.
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
3).
Becoming an Intervenor
Once DTE 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
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.
PO 00000
Frm 00026
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
8421
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., PF17–
1). 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 sessions 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: January 18, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–01676 Filed 1–24–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
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: EC17–32–000.
Applicants: American Illuminating
Company, LLC.
E:\FR\FM\25JAN1.SGM
25JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 15 (Wednesday, January 25, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8419-8421]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-01676]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PF17-1-000]
DTE Midstream Appalachia, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Planned Birdsboro Pipeline Project,
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public
Scoping Session
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 Birdsboro Pipeline Project
involving construction and operation of facilities by DTE Midstream
Appalachia, LLC (DTE) in Berks County, Pennsylvania. 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 February 17, 2017.
If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on October 14, 2016, you will need to file those
comments in Docket No. PF17-1-000 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
[[Page 8420]]
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 four 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
(PF17-1-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A,
Washington, DC 20426;
(4) In lieu of sending written or electronic comments, the
Commission invites you to attend the public scoping session its staff
will conduct in the project area, scheduled as follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date and time Location
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, February 2, 2017, 5:30-10:00 p.m Oley Fair Center, 26
Jefferson Street, Oley, PA,
484-256-8009.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The primary goal of these scoping sessions is to have you identify
the specific environmental issues and concerns that should be
considered in the EA to be prepared for this project. Individual verbal
comments will be taken on a one-on-one basis with a court reporter.
This format is designed to receive the maximum amount of verbal
comments, in a convenient way during the timeframe allotted.
The scoping session is scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Eastern Standard Time. You may arrive at any time after 5:30 p.m. There
will not be a formal presentation by Commission staff when the session
opens. If you wish to speak, the Commission staff will hand out numbers
in the order of your arrival; distribution of numbers will be
discontinued at 8:00 p.m. Please see appendix 1 for additional
information on the session format and conduct.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 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 the last page of this notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your scoping comments will be recorded by the court reporter (with
FERC staff or representative present) and become part of the public
record for this proceeding. Transcripts will be publicly available on
FERC's eLibrary system (see below for instructions on using eLibrary).
If a significant number of people are interested in providing verbal
comments in the one-on-one settings, a time limit of 5 minutes may be
implemented for each commentor.
It is important to note that verbal comments hold the same weight
as written or electronically submitted comments. Although there will
not be a formal presentation, Commission staff will be available
throughout the comment session to answer your questions about the
environmental review process. Representatives from DTE will also be
present to answer project-specific questions.
Summary of the Planned Project
DTE plans to construct and operate about 14 miles of up to 16-inch-
diameter pipeline and appurtenant facilities. The purpose of the
planned Birdsboro Pipeline Project is to provide about 79,000
dekatherms of natural gas per day to the Birdsboro Power Plant in Berks
County, Pennsylvania. The Birdsboro Power Plant is not under the
jurisdiction of FERC and will not be part of the proposed action
evaluated in the EA. The power plant is/will be obtaining multiple
federal, state, and local permits and approvals for construction and
operation of the facility.
The Birdsboro Pipeline Project would consist of the following
facilities:
About 14 miles of up to 16-inch-diameter pipeline;
a pig launcher and receiver; \2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ A ``pig'' is a tool that the pipeline company inserts into
and pushes through the pipeline for cleaning the pipeline,
conducting internal inspections, or other purposes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
a new meter station and associated facilities at the Texas
Eastern Transmission Company Pipeline right-of-way; and
6 new mainline valves.
The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
2.
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the planned facilities would disturb about 147.8
acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipeline.
Following construction, DTE would maintain about 82.7 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
\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.
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\3\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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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;
[[Page 8421]]
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. We will 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.
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\4\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
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Consultations Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation
Act
In accordance with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's
implementing regulations for section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act, we are using this notice to initiate consultation
with the applicable State Historic Preservation Office(s), 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(s) 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.
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 3).
Becoming an Intervenor
Once DTE 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., PF17-
1). 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 sessions 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: January 18, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-01676 Filed 1-24-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
