Texas Eastern Transmission, LP; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Marshall County Mine Panel 18W Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 35196-35198 [2017-15914]
Download as PDF
35196
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 144 / Friday, July 28, 2017 / Notices
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: July 24, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–15913 Filed 7–27–17; 8:45 am]
This filing is accessible on-line at
https://www.ferc.gov, using the
‘‘eLibrary’’ link and is available for
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 August 11, 2017.
Dated: July 24, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[FR Doc. 2017–15917 Filed 7–27–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
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 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 August 10, 2017.
Dated: July 21, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–15916 Filed 7–27–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Covanta Marion, Inc.; Notice of Petition
for Enforcement
asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES
[Docket Nos. EL17–81–000; QF83–118–002]
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Take notice that on July 21, 2017,
Covanta Marion, Inc., filed a Petition for
Enforcement, pursuant to section
210(h)(2)(B) of the Public Utility
Regulatory Policies Act of 1978
(PURPA), requesting the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (Commission)
to exercise its authority and initiate
enforcement action against the Public
Utility Commission of Oregon (OPUC)
to remedy OPUC’s alleged improper
implementation of PURPA.
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. Such notices, motions, or
protests must be filed on or before the
comment date. On or before the
comment date, it is not necessary to
serve motions to intervene or protests
on persons other than the Applicant.
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.
[Docket No. EL17–80–000]
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
The City of Alexandria, Louisiana;
Notice of Filing.
[Docket No. CP17–468–000]
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:50 Jul 27, 2017
Jkt 241001
Take notice that on July 20, 2017,
pursuant to section 207(a)(5) of the
Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure 1, the City of Alexandria,
Louisiana filed a petition for approval of
a revenue requirement for reactive
power and voltage control from
generation sources service, all as more
fully explained in the petition.
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. Such notices, motions, or
protests must be filed on or before the
comment date. On or before the
comment date, it is not necessary to
serve motions to intervene or protests
on persons other than the Applicant.
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
PO 00000
1 18
CFR 385.207(a)(5) (2014).
Frm 00025
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Texas Eastern Transmission, LP;
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the
Proposed Marshall County Mine Panel
18W 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 Marshall County Mine Panel 18W
Project involving construction and
operation of facilities by Texas Eastern
Transmission, LP (Texas Eastern) in
Marshall 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
E:\FR\FM\28JYN1.SGM
28JYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 144 / Friday, July 28, 2017 / Notices
asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES
that the Commission receives them in
Washington, DC on or before August 23,
2017.
If you sent comments on this project
to the Commission before the opening of
this docket on June 30, 2017, you will
need to file those comments in Docket
No. CP17–468–000 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.
Texas Eastern 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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:50 Jul 27, 2017
Jkt 241001
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 (CP17–468–
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
Texas Eastern proposes to excavate
and elevate 1.6-mile-sections of each of
its Lines 10 (30-inch-diameter), 15 (30inch-diameter), 30 (36-inch-diameter),
and a 1.5-mile-long section of its Line
25 (36-inch-diameter) to minimize and
monitor potential strains on the
pipelines due to anticipated longwall
mining activities of Marshall Coal.
Concurrent with pipeline elevation,
portions of two of the lines, Lines 10
and 15, would be replaced with new
pipe to accommodate a minimum Class
2 design.1 Texas Eastern will also
perform maintenance activities on
sections of Lines 25 and 30. The four
mainline sections will be returned to
natural gas service while remaining
elevated using sandbags and skids
during the longwall mining activities
and potential ground subsidence. Once
the mining-induced subsidence and the
2017–2018 heating season have both
ended, the two sections of pipeline
located within wetlands will be
removed and the four elevated pipeline
sections will be re-installed
belowground, hydrostatically tested,
and placed back into service.
The general location of the project
facilities is shown in appendix 1.2
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction workspace would
disturb about 56.9 acres of land for the
pipeline excavation, elevation, and/or
1 Lines 10 and 15 were installed prior to the
effective date of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety
Act, and are grandfathered to operate at greater than
72% of Specified Minimum Yield Strength (SMYS).
The portions of these pipelines included in this
Project will be replaced with pipe that meets or
exceeds the current Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration regulations. See 49
CFR 192.611(a).
2 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.
PO 00000
Frm 00026
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
35197
replacement. Following construction,
Texas Eastern would maintain about
38.2 acres of existing right-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 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
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
3 We, us, and our refer to the environmental staff
of the Commission’s Office of Energy Projects.
E:\FR\FM\28JYN1.SGM
28JYN1
35198
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 144 / Friday, July 28, 2017 / Notices
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.
Consultations Under Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act
In accordance with the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation’s
implementing regulations for section
106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act, we are using this
notice to initiate consultation with the
applicable State Historic Preservation
Office (SHPO), and to solicit their views
and those of other government agencies,
interested Indian tribes, and the public
on the project’s potential effects on
historic properties.5 We will define the
project-specific Area of Potential Effects
(APE) in consultation with the SHPO as
the project develops. On natural gas
facility projects, the APE at a minimum
encompasses all areas subject to ground
disturbance (examples include
construction right-of-way, contractor/
pipe storage yards, compressor stations,
and access roads). Our EA for this
project will document our findings on
the impacts on historic properties and
summarize the status of consultations
under section 106.
Environmental Mailing List
asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES
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
4 The Council on Environmental Quality
regulations addressing cooperating agency
responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
5 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
18:50 Jul 27, 2017
Jkt 241001
interested in and/or potentially affected
by the proposed project.
If we publish and distribute the EA,
copies of the EA will be sent to the
environmental mailing list for public
review and comment. If you would
prefer to receive a paper copy of the
document instead of the CD version or
would like to remove your name from
the mailing list, please return the
attached Information Request (appendix
2).
Dated: July 24, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
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.
Request for Scientific Views: Draft
Updated Aquatic Life Ambient Water
Quality Criteria for Aluminum in
Freshwater
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–
468). 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.
PO 00000
Frm 00027
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
[FR Doc. 2017–15914 Filed 7–27–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OW–2017–0260; FRL–9965–39–
OW]
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
AGENCY:
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is announcing the
availability of Draft Updated Aquatic
Life Ambient Water Quality Criteria for
Aluminum in Freshwater for public
comment. EPA first released freshwater
criteria for aluminum in 1988 to protect
aquatic life from harmful effects of
aluminum toxicity. EPA is updating its
recommended aluminum criteria to
reflect the latest science and to provide
users the flexibility to develop sitespecific criteria based on site-specific
water chemistry. The draft document
provides a scientific assessment of
ecological effects and is not a regulation.
Following closure of this 60-day public
comment period, EPA will consider the
comments, revise the draft document, as
appropriate, and then publish a final
document that will provide
recommendations for states and
authorized tribes to establish water
quality standards. The
recommendations found in this draft
document do not replace or supersede
EPA’s 1988 national recommended
criteria for aluminum in ambient water.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before September 26, 2017.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–
OW–2017–0260 to the Federal
eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
Once submitted, comments cannot be
edited or withdrawn. EPA may publish
any comment received to its public
docket. Do not submit electronically any
information you consider to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI)
or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Multimedia
submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be
accompanied by a written comment.
The written comment is considered the
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\28JYN1.SGM
28JYN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 144 (Friday, July 28, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35196-35198]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-15914]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP17-468-000]
Texas Eastern Transmission, LP; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Marshall County Mine Panel
18W 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 Marshall County Mine Panel 18W
Project involving construction and operation of facilities by Texas
Eastern Transmission, LP (Texas Eastern) in Marshall 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
[[Page 35197]]
that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before August
23, 2017.
If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on June 30, 2017, you will need to file those
comments in Docket No. CP17-468-000 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.
Texas Eastern 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
(CP17-468-000) 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
Texas Eastern proposes to excavate and elevate 1.6-mile-sections of
each of its Lines 10 (30-inch-diameter), 15 (30-inch-diameter), 30 (36-
inch-diameter), and a 1.5-mile-long section of its Line 25 (36-inch-
diameter) to minimize and monitor potential strains on the pipelines
due to anticipated longwall mining activities of Marshall Coal.
Concurrent with pipeline elevation, portions of two of the lines, Lines
10 and 15, would be replaced with new pipe to accommodate a minimum
Class 2 design.\1\ Texas Eastern will also perform maintenance
activities on sections of Lines 25 and 30. The four mainline sections
will be returned to natural gas service while remaining elevated using
sandbags and skids during the longwall mining activities and potential
ground subsidence. Once the mining-induced subsidence and the 2017-2018
heating season have both ended, the two sections of pipeline located
within wetlands will be removed and the four elevated pipeline sections
will be re-installed belowground, hydrostatically tested, and placed
back into service.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Lines 10 and 15 were installed prior to the effective date
of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act, and are grandfathered to
operate at greater than 72% of Specified Minimum Yield Strength
(SMYS). The portions of these pipelines included in this Project
will be replaced with pipe that meets or exceeds the current
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration regulations.
See 49 CFR 192.611(a).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
1.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ 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 workspace would disturb about 56.9 acres of land for
the pipeline excavation, elevation, and/or replacement. Following
construction, Texas Eastern would maintain about 38.2 acres of existing
right-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
\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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ 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
[[Page 35198]]
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 (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.\5\ We will define the project-specific Area of
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO as the project
develops. On natural gas facility projects, the APE at a minimum
encompasses all areas subject to ground disturbance (examples include
construction right-of-way, contractor/pipe storage yards, compressor
stations, and access roads). Our EA for this project will document our
findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize the status
of consultations under section 106.
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\5\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's regulations
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Those
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic
Places.
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Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local
government representatives and agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other
interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. This list also
includes all affected landowners (as defined in the Commission's
regulations) who are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property
may be used temporarily for project purposes, or who own homes within
certain distances of aboveground facilities, and anyone who submits
comments on the project. We will update the environmental mailing list
as the analysis proceeds to ensure that we send the information related
to this environmental review to all individuals, organizations, and
government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the
proposed project.
If we publish and distribute the EA, copies of the EA will be sent
to the environmental mailing list for public review and comment. If you
would prefer to receive a paper copy of the document instead of the CD
version or would like to remove your name from the mailing list, please
return the attached Information Request (appendix 2).
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want
to become an intervenor which is an official party to the Commission's
proceeding. Intervenors play a more formal role in the process and are
able to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be heard by the courts if
they choose to appeal the Commission's final ruling. An intervenor
formally participates in the proceeding by filing a request to
intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are in the Document-
less Intervention Guide under the e-filing link on the Commission's Web
site. Motions to intervene are more fully described at https://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp.
Additional Information
Additional information about the project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the
FERC Web site at www.ferc.gov using the eLibrary link. Click on the
eLibrary link, click on General Search and enter the docket number,
excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field (i.e., CP17-
468). 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: July 24, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-15914 Filed 7-27-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P