Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Eastern Panhandle Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 20470-20472 [2017-08797]

Download as PDF 20470 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 83 / Tuesday, May 2, 2017 / Notices DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. CP17–80–000] sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Eastern Panhandle 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 Eastern Panhandle Expansion Project involving construction and operation of facilities by Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC (Columbia) in Fulton County, Pennsylvania; Washington County, Maryland; and Morgan County, West Virginia. 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 May 25, 2017. If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the opening of this docket on March 29, 2017, you will need to file those comments in Docket No. CP17–80–000 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 VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:36 May 01, 2017 Jkt 241001 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. Columbia 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 FercOnlineSupport@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 (CP17–80– 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 Columbia proposes to construct, operation, and maintain the Eastern Panhandle Expansion Project (Project) in three counties and states (Fulton County, Pennsylvania; Washington County, Maryland; and Morgan County, West Virginia). The Project would provide an additional 47.5 dekatherms PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 per day (Dth/d) of capacity for firm transportation service to markets in West Virginia through Mountaineer Gas Company’s (Mountaineer) gathering system. The Project will involve the construction and operation of the following facilities: • Approximate 3.4 miles of new greenfield 8-inch-diameter pipeline; • three main line valves (MLV); and • two new tie-in assemblies. The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.1 Land Requirements for Construction Construction of the proposed facilities would disturb about 61 acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipeline. Following construction, Columbia would maintain about 26 acres for permanent operation of the facilities; the remaining acreage would be restored and revert to former uses. Related Facilities We have already received comments regarding the Mountaineer Gas Pipeline. On November 17, 2016, Columbia’s customer, Mountaineer Gas, received an order from the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) authorizing construction of Phase 1 of its project which is a 24-mile-long 10-inchdiameter gas pipeline that begins north of Berkley, Virginia and terminates in Martinsburg, West Virginia. It traverses Morgan and Berkley Counties in West Virginia. Mountaineer Gas intends to file an application with the PSC for authorization to construct Phases 2 and 3 of its project in 2019 which are still undergoing development. These related intrastate facilities are subject to state jurisdiction and would be nonjurisdictional to the FERC. Consequently, the Mountaineer Gas Pipeline will not be a part of the proposed action considered in the EA. However, we intend to disclose available resource impact information for the related project in the EA to inform stakeholders and decision makers. 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 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. E:\FR\FM\02MYN1.SGM 02MYN1 sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 83 / Tuesday, May 2, 2017 / Notices Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us 2 to discover and address concerns the public may have about proposals. This process is referred to as ‘‘scoping.’’ The main goal of the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EA on the important environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. We will consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EA. In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these general headings: • Geology and soils; • land use; • water resources, fisheries, and wetlands; • cultural resources; • vegetation and wildlife; • air quality and noise; • endangered and threatened species; • public safety; 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 Offices (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 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. 2 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of Energy Projects. 3 The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1501.6. 4 The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s regulations are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Those regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:36 May 01, 2017 Jkt 241001 Currently Identified Environmental Issues We have already received comments and identified issues that we think deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the environmental information provided by Columbia. This preliminary list of issues includes: Potential impacts on the Potomac River and the C&O Canal, and potential impacts associated with Karst features and groundwater in the area. The list may be changed based on your comments and our analysis. 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 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 20471 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 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., CP17–80. 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 E:\FR\FM\02MYN1.SGM 02MYN1 20472 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 83 / Tuesday, May 2, 2017 / Notices calendar located at www.ferc.gov/ EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information. Dated: April 20, 2017. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary. Dated: April 25, 2017. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2017–08801 Filed 5–1–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–P [FR Doc. 2017–08797 Filed 5–1–17; 8:45 am] DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY BILLING CODE 6717–01–P Federal Energy Regulatory Commission DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Combined Notice of Filings #2 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Combined Notice of Filings Take notice that the Commission has received the following Natural Gas Pipeline Rate and Refund Report filings: sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES Filings Instituting Proceedings Docket Numbers: RP17–663–000. Applicants: Midcontinent Express Pipeline LLC. Description: Midcontinent Express Pipeline LLC submits tariff filing per 154.204: Fuel Tracker Filing 04/19/17 to be effective 6/1/2017. Filed Date: 04/19/2017. Accession Number: 20170419–5008. Comment Date: 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, May 01, 2017. Docket Numbers: RP17–664–000. Applicants: Elba Express Company, L.L.C. Description: Elba Express Company, L.L.C. submits tariff filing per 154.204: Fuel Tracker Filing–2017 to be effective 6/1/2017. Filed Date: 04/20/2017. Accession Number: 20170420–5020. Comment Date: 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, May 02, 2017. 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. VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:36 May 01, 2017 Jkt 241001 Take notice that the Commission received the following electric rate filings: Docket Numbers: ER10–3145–008; ER10–3116–008; ER10–3120–008; ER11–2036–008; ER13–1544–005; ER10–3128–008; ER10–1800–009; ER10–3136–008; ER11–2701–010; ER10–1728–008; ER16–930–002. Applicants: AES Alamitos, LLC, AES Energy Storage, LLC, AES Huntington Beach, L.L.C., AES Laurel Mountain, LLC, AES ES Tait, LLC, AES Redondo Beach, L.L.C., Indianapolis Power & Light Company, Mountain View Power Partners, LLC, Mountain View Power Partners IV, LLC, The Dayton Power and Light Company, AES Ohio Generation, LLC. Description: Supplement to December 21, 2016 Triennial Market Power Analysis for Northeast Region of AES MBR Affiliates. Filed Date: 4/25/17. Accession Number: 20170425–5206. Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 5/16/17. Docket Numbers: ER17–1469–000. Applicants: Northern States Power Company, a Wisconsin corporation. Description: Notice of cancellation of Transmission Line Coordinating Agreement No. 57 of Northern States Power Company, a Wisconsin corporation. Filed Date: 4/25/17. Accession Number: 20170425–5145. Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 5/16/17. Docket Numbers: ER17–1470–000. Applicants: Duke Energy Progress, LLC. Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing: DEPRevised PPAs RS Nos. 174–177 to be effective 7/1/2017. Filed Date: 4/25/17. Accession Number: 20170425–5246. Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 5/16/17. 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 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 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: April 25, 2017. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2017–08796 Filed 5–1–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Combined Notice of Filings Take notice that the Commission has received the following Natural Gas Pipeline Rate and Refund Report filings: Filings Instituting Proceedings Docket Numbers: RP17–665–000. Applicants: Dominion Transmission, Inc. Description: § 4(d) Rate Filing: DTI— April 20, 2017 Gas Quality Revisions to be effective 6/1/2017. Filed Date: 4/20/17. Accession Number: 20170420–5065. Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 5/2/17. Docket Numbers: RP17–666–000. Applicants: Stingray Pipeline Company, L.L.C. Description: Compliance filing Stingray Pre-Filing Settlement. Filed Date: 4/21/17. Accession Number: 20170421–5033. Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 5/3/17. Docket Numbers: RP17–667–000. Applicants: UGI Storage Company. Description: § 4(d) Rate Filing: Operational Sales Filing to be effective 5/22/2017. Filed Date: 4/21/17. Accession Number: 20170421–5240. Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 5/3/17. 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. E:\FR\FM\02MYN1.SGM 02MYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 2, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20470-20472]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-08797]



[[Page 20470]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP17-80-000]


Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Eastern Panhandle 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 Eastern Panhandle Expansion 
Project involving construction and operation of facilities by Columbia 
Gas Transmission, LLC (Columbia) in Fulton County, Pennsylvania; 
Washington County, Maryland; and Morgan County, West Virginia. 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 May 25, 2017.
    If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the 
opening of this docket on March 29, 2017, you will need to file those 
comments in Docket No. CP17-80-000 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.
    Columbia 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 FercOnlineSupport@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 
(CP17-80-000) 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

    Columbia proposes to construct, operation, and maintain the Eastern 
Panhandle Expansion Project (Project) in three counties and states 
(Fulton County, Pennsylvania; Washington County, Maryland; and Morgan 
County, West Virginia). The Project would provide an additional 47.5 
dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of capacity for firm transportation service 
to markets in West Virginia through Mountaineer Gas Company's 
(Mountaineer) gathering system.
    The Project will involve the construction and operation of the 
following facilities:
     Approximate 3.4 miles of new greenfield 8-inch-diameter 
pipeline;
     three main line valves (MLV); and
     two new tie-in assemblies.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
1.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in 
the Federal Register. Copies of appendices were sent to all those 
receiving this notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov 
using the link called ``eLibrary'' or from the Commission's Public 
Reference Room, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call 
(202) 502-8371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to 
the last page of this notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities would disturb about 61 
acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipeline. 
Following construction, Columbia would maintain about 26 acres for 
permanent operation of the facilities; the remaining acreage would be 
restored and revert to former uses.

Related Facilities

    We have already received comments regarding the Mountaineer Gas 
Pipeline. On November 17, 2016, Columbia's customer, Mountaineer Gas, 
received an order from the West Virginia Public Service Commission 
(PSC) authorizing construction of Phase 1 of its project which is a 24-
mile-long 10-inch-diameter gas pipeline that begins north of Berkley, 
Virginia and terminates in Martinsburg, West Virginia. It traverses 
Morgan and Berkley Counties in West Virginia. Mountaineer Gas intends 
to file an application with the PSC for authorization to construct 
Phases 2 and 3 of its project in 2019 which are still undergoing 
development. These related intrastate facilities are subject to state 
jurisdiction and would be non-jurisdictional to the FERC. Consequently, 
the Mountaineer Gas Pipeline will not be a part of the proposed action 
considered in the EA. However, we intend to disclose available resource 
impact information for the related project in the EA to inform 
stakeholders and decision makers.

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

[[Page 20471]]

Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us 
\2\ to discover and address concerns the public may have about 
proposals. This process is referred to as ``scoping.'' The main goal of 
the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EA on the important 
environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public 
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. We will 
consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the proposed project under these 
general headings:
     Geology and soils;
     land use;
     water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
     cultural resources;
     vegetation and wildlife;
     air quality and noise;
     endangered and threatened species;
     public safety; 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing 
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Consultations Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act

    In accordance with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's 
implementing regulations for section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act, we are using this notice to initiate consultation 
with the applicable State Historic Preservation Offices (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 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already received comments and identified issues that we 
think deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed 
facilities and the environmental information provided by Columbia. This 
preliminary list of issues includes: Potential impacts on the Potomac 
River and the C&O Canal, and potential impacts associated with Karst 
features and groundwater in the area. The list may be changed based on 
your comments and our analysis.

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 
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-
80. 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

[[Page 20472]]

calendar located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along 
with other related information.

    Dated: April 25, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-08797 Filed 5-1-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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