Paiute Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Planned 2018 Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 8930-8932 [2017-02083]
Download as PDF
8930
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 20 / Wednesday, February 1, 2017 / Notices
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).
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
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
field (i.e., CP17–22). 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.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:23 Jan 31, 2017
Jkt 241001
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: January 24, 2017.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–02066 Filed 1–31–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. PF17–2–000]
Paiute Pipeline Company; Notice of
Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Assessment for the Planned 2018
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 2018 Expansion Project involving
construction and operation of facilities
by Paiute Pipeline Company (Paiute) in
Douglas and Lyon Counties and Carson
City, Nevada. 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
27, 2017.
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Frm 00022
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
If you sent comments on this project
to the Commission before the opening of
this docket on October 17, 2016, you
will need to file those comments in
Docket No. PF17–2–000 to ensure they
are considered as part of this
proceeding.
This notice is being sent to the
Commission’s current environmental
mailing list for this project. State and
local government representatives should
notify their constituents of this planned
project and encourage them to comment
on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this
notice, a pipeline company
representative may contact you about
the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the
planned facilities. The company would
seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable
agreement. However, if the Commission
approves the project, that approval
conveys with it the right of eminent
domain. Therefore, if easement
negotiations fail to produce an
agreement, the pipeline company could
initiate condemnation proceedings
where compensation would be
determined in accordance with state
law.
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC
entitled ‘‘An Interstate Natural Gas
Facility On My Land? What Do I Need
To Know?’’ is available for viewing on
the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov). This
fact sheet addresses a number of
typically asked questions, including the
use of eminent domain and how to
participate in the Commission’s
proceedings.
Public Participation
For your convenience, there are three
methods you can use to submit your
comments to the Commission. The
Commission will provide equal
consideration to all comments received,
whether filed in written form or
provided verbally. The Commission
encourages electronic filing of
comments and has expert staff available
to assist you at (202) 502–8258 or
efiling@ferc.gov. Please carefully follow
these instructions so that your
comments are properly recorded.
(1) You can file your comments
electronically using the eComment
feature on the Commission’s Web site
(www.ferc.gov) under the link to
Documents and Filings. This is an easy
method for submitting brief, text-only
comments on a project;
(2) You can file your comments
electronically by using the eFiling
feature on the Commission’s Web site
(www.ferc.gov) under the link to
Documents and Filings. With eFiling,
you can provide comments in a variety
E:\FR\FM\01FEN1.SGM
01FEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 20 / Wednesday, February 1, 2017 / Notices
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 (PF17–2–000)
with your submission: Kimberly D.
Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street
NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Please note this is not your only
public input opportunity; please refer to
the review process flow chart in
appendix 1.1
Summary of the Planned Project
Paiute plans to construct
approximately 8.4 miles of pipeline to
upsize or loop four sections along its
Carson and South Tahoe Laterals in
Douglas and Lyon Counties and Carson
City, Nevada. The project would
provide 4,604 dekatherms per day of
new natural gas transportation capacity
to meet growing demands in the above
mentioned areas and in El Dorado
County, California. The project would
consist of:
• Construction of 0.34 miles of new
12-inch-diameter pipeline paralleling
Paiute’s existing South Tahoe Lateral
pipeline (Segment 1);
• replacement of 1.58 miles of
existing 8-inch-diameter Carson Lateral
Loop pipeline with 12-inch-diameter
pipeline (Segment 2);
• replacement of 2.34 miles of
existing 10-inch-diameter pipeline along
Paiute’s existing Carson Lateral pipeline
with 20-inch-diameter pipeline
(Segment 3); and
• construction of 4.17 miles of new
20-inch-diameter pipeline loop
paralleling Paiute’s existing Carson
Lateral pipeline (Segment 4).
There are no aboveground facilities
planned for the project. The general
location of the facilities is shown in
appendix 2.
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Land Requirements for Construction
The entire project would be installed
in or adjacent to Paiute’s existing rights
of way. All pipeline facilities would be
installed within a combination of
private easements, Bureau of Land
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.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:23 Jan 31, 2017
Jkt 241001
Management (BLM) rights-of-way,
Nevada Department of Transportation
rights-of-way, and State of Nevada
lands. In total, the project would disturb
about 123.3 acres of land during
construction. Following construction,
Paiute would maintain about 71.5 acres
(including 51.3 acres of existing rightsof-way) 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.
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, paleontology, and soils;
• water resources, fisheries, and
wetlands;
• vegetation and wildlife, including
migratory birds;
• endangered and threatened species;
• land use;
• cultural resources;
• visual resources;
• recreation;
• air quality and noise;
• 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
2 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the
environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of
Energy Projects.
PO 00000
Frm 00023
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
8931
begun to contact some federal and state
agencies to discuss their involvement in
the scoping process and the preparation
of the EA.
The EA will present our independent
analysis of the issues. The EA will be
available in the public record through
eLibrary. Depending on the comments
received during the scoping process, we
may also publish and distribute the EA
to the public for an allotted comment
period. We will consider all comments
on the EA before we make our
recommendations to the Commission.
To ensure we have the opportunity to
consider and address your comments,
please carefully follow the instructions
in the Public Participation section
beginning on page 2.
With this notice, we are asking
agencies with jurisdiction by law and/
or special expertise with respect to the
environmental issues related to this
project to formally cooperate with us in
the preparation of the EA.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. The BLM
indicated that it plans to be a
cooperating agency in the preparation of
the EA because the project would cross
federally administered lands in Nevada.
As a cooperating agency, the BLM
intends to adopt the EA per Title 40 of
the Code of Federal Regulations, Part
1506.3 to meet its responsibilities under
NEPA regarding Paiute’s application for
a Right-of-Way Grant and Temporary
Use Permit for crossing federally
administered lands. Impacts on
resources and programs, and the
proposed project’s conformance with
land use plans, will be considered in the
BLM’s decision.
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
Offices (SHPOs), 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
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
regulations are at Title 36, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 800. Those regulations define
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Continued
01FEN1
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 20 / Wednesday, February 1, 2017 / Notices
define the project-specific Area of
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation
with the SHPOs 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.
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list
includes federal, state, and local
government representatives and
agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest
groups; Native American Tribes; other
interested parties; and local libraries
and newspapers. This list also includes
all affected landowners (as defined in
the Commission’s regulations) who are
potential right-of-way grantors, whose
property may be used temporarily for
project purposes, or who own homes
within certain distances of aboveground
facilities, and anyone who submits
comments on the project. We will
update the environmental mailing list as
the analysis proceeds to ensure that we
send the information related to this
environmental review to all individuals,
organizations, and government entities
interested in and/or potentially affected
by the planned project.
If we publish and distribute the EA,
copies of completed 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 Paiute 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
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.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:23 Jan 31, 2017
Jkt 241001
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–
2). 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/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 26, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–02083 Filed 1–31–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. EL17–41–000]
Arkansas Public Service Commission;
Mississippi Public Service
Commission v. System Energy
Resources, Inc.; Notice of Complaint
Take notice that on January 23, 2017,
pursuant to sections 206 and 306 of the
Federal Power Act 1 and Rule 206 of the
1 16
PO 00000
U.S.C. 824e and 825e.
Frm 00024
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 9990
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission’s (Commission) Rules of
Practice and Procedure,2 the Arkansas
Public Service Commission and
Mississippi Public Service Commission
(collectively, the Complainants), filed a
formal complaint against System Energy
Resources, Inc. (SERI or Respondent)
alleging that the current 10.94 percent
return on equity used in calculating
formula rates for inter-affiliate sales by
Respondent is excessive and should be
reduced, as more fully explained in the
complaint.
Complainants certify that copies of
the Complaint were served on contacts
for Respondents.
Any person desiring to intervene or to
protest this filing must file in
accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of
the Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214).
Protests will be considered by the
Commission in determining the
appropriate action to be taken, but will
not serve to make protestants parties to
the proceeding. Any person wishing to
become a party must file a notice of
intervention or motion to intervene, as
appropriate. The Respondent’s answer
and all interventions, or protests must
be filed on or before the comment date.
The Respondent’s answer, motions to
intervene, and protests must be served
on the Complainants.
The Commission encourages
electronic submission of protests and
interventions in lieu of paper using the
‘‘eFiling’’ link at https://www.ferc.gov.
Persons unable to file electronically
should submit an original and 5 copies
of the protest or intervention to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street NE., Washington, DC
20426.
This filing is accessible on-line at
https://www.ferc.gov, using the
‘‘eLibrary’’ link and is available for
electronic review in the Commission’s
Public Reference Room in Washington,
DC There is an ‘‘eSubscription’’ link on
the Web site that enables subscribers to
receive email notification when a
document is added to a subscribed
docket(s). For assistance with any FERC
Online service, please email
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, or call
(866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY, call
(202) 502–8659.
Comment Date: 5:00 p.m. Eastern
Time on February 13, 2017.
Dated: January 24, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–02081 Filed 1–31–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
2 18
E:\FR\FM\01FEN1.SGM
CFR 385.206.
01FEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 20 (Wednesday, February 1, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8930-8932]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-02083]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PF17-2-000]
Paiute Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Planned 2018 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 2018 Expansion Project
involving construction and operation of facilities by Paiute Pipeline
Company (Paiute) in Douglas and Lyon Counties and Carson City, Nevada.
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 27, 2017.
If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on October 17, 2016, you will need to file those
comments in Docket No. PF17-2-000 to ensure they are considered as part
of this proceeding.
This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental
mailing list for this project. State and local government
representatives should notify their constituents of this planned
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a pipeline company
representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the planned facilities. The company
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if
the Commission approves the project, that approval conveys with it the
right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to
produce an agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation
proceedings where compensation would be determined in accordance with
state law.
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is available for
viewing on the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov). This fact sheet addresses
a number of typically asked questions, including the use of eminent
domain and how to participate in the Commission's proceedings.
Public Participation
For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. The Commission will provide equal
consideration to all comments received, whether filed in written form
or provided verbally. The Commission encourages electronic filing of
comments and has expert staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258
or efiling@ferc.gov. Please carefully follow these instructions so that
your comments are properly recorded.
(1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment
feature on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link to
Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for submitting brief,
text-only comments on a project;
(2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling
feature on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link to
Documents and Filings. With eFiling, you can provide comments in a
variety
[[Page 8931]]
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
(PF17-2-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A,
Washington, DC 20426.
Please note this is not your only public input opportunity; please
refer to the review process flow chart in appendix 1.\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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary of the Planned Project
Paiute plans to construct approximately 8.4 miles of pipeline to
upsize or loop four sections along its Carson and South Tahoe Laterals
in Douglas and Lyon Counties and Carson City, Nevada. The project would
provide 4,604 dekatherms per day of new natural gas transportation
capacity to meet growing demands in the above mentioned areas and in El
Dorado County, California. The project would consist of:
Construction of 0.34 miles of new 12-inch-diameter
pipeline paralleling Paiute's existing South Tahoe Lateral pipeline
(Segment 1);
replacement of 1.58 miles of existing 8-inch-diameter
Carson Lateral Loop pipeline with 12-inch-diameter pipeline (Segment
2);
replacement of 2.34 miles of existing 10-inch-diameter
pipeline along Paiute's existing Carson Lateral pipeline with 20-inch-
diameter pipeline (Segment 3); and
construction of 4.17 miles of new 20-inch-diameter
pipeline loop paralleling Paiute's existing Carson Lateral pipeline
(Segment 4).
There are no aboveground facilities planned for the project. The
general location of the facilities is shown in appendix 2.
Land Requirements for Construction
The entire project would be installed in or adjacent to Paiute's
existing rights of way. All pipeline facilities would be installed
within a combination of private easements, Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) rights-of-way, Nevada Department of Transportation rights-of-way,
and State of Nevada lands. In total, the project would disturb about
123.3 acres of land during construction. Following construction, Paiute
would maintain about 71.5 acres (including 51.3 acres of existing
rights-of-way) 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 planned project under these
general headings:
Geology, paleontology, and soils;
water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
vegetation and wildlife, including migratory birds;
endangered and threatened species;
land use;
cultural resources;
visual resources;
recreation;
air quality and noise;
public safety; and,
cumulative impacts.
We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the planned project
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
Although no formal application has been filed, we have already
initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing process.
The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early involvement
of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before
the FERC receives an application. As part of our pre-filing review, we
have begun to contact some federal and state agencies to discuss their
involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the EA.
The EA will present our independent analysis of the issues. The EA
will be available in the public record through eLibrary. Depending on
the comments received during the scoping process, we may also publish
and distribute the EA to the public for an allotted comment period. We
will consider all comments on the EA before we make our recommendations
to the Commission. To ensure we have the opportunity to consider and
address your comments, please carefully follow the instructions in the
Public Participation section beginning on page 2.
With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues
related to this project to formally cooperate with us in the
preparation of the EA.\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. The BLM indicated that it plans to be a cooperating agency in
the preparation of the EA because the project would cross federally
administered lands in Nevada. As a cooperating agency, the BLM intends
to adopt the EA per Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part
1506.3 to meet its responsibilities under NEPA regarding Paiute's
application for a Right-of-Way Grant and Temporary Use Permit for
crossing federally administered lands. Impacts on resources and
programs, and the proposed project's conformance with land use plans,
will be considered in the BLM's decision.
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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 Offices (SHPOs), 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
[[Page 8932]]
define the project-specific Area of Potential Effects (APE) in
consultation with the SHPOs 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 regulations
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Those
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic
Places.
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Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local
government representatives and agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other
interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. This list also
includes all affected landowners (as defined in the Commission's
regulations) who are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property
may be used temporarily for project purposes, or who own homes within
certain distances of aboveground facilities, and anyone who submits
comments on the project. We will update the environmental mailing list
as the analysis proceeds to ensure that we send the information related
to this environmental review to all individuals, organizations, and
government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the
planned project.
If we publish and distribute the EA, copies of completed 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 Paiute 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., PF17-2). 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/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 26, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-02083 Filed 1-31-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P