Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Riverdale South to Market Project, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues; Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC, 49364-49366 [2017-23107]
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49364
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 205 / Wednesday, October 25, 2017 / Notices
330–761–7869, Emails: mparke@
firstenergycorp.com and ksealy@
firstenergycorp.com.
For transferee: BCE: Mr. David R. Poe
and Ms. Serena A. Rwejuna, Bracewell
LLP, 2001 M Street NW., Suite 900,
Washington, DC 20036, Phone: 202–
467–6370, Emails: dave.poe@
bracewelllaw.com and serena.rwejuna@
bracewell.com.
FERC Contact: Patricia W. Gillis, (202)
502–8735, patricia.gillis@ferc.gov.
Deadline for filing comments, motions
to intervene, and protests: 30 days from
the date that the Commission issues this
notice. The Commission strongly
encourages electronic filing. Please file
comments, motions to intervene, and
protests using the Commission’s eFiling
system at https://www.ferc.gov/docsfiling/efiling.asp. Commenters can
submit brief comments up to 6,000
characters, without prior registration,
using the eComment system at https://
www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
ecomment.asp. You must include your
name and contact information at the end
of your comments. For assistance,
please contact FERC Online Support at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866)
208–3676 (toll free), or (202) 502–8659
(TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please
send a paper copy to: Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.
The first page of any filing should
include docket number P–2716–047.
Dated: October 18, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–23112 Filed 10–24–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. EL18–19–000]
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Notice of Institution of Section 206
Proceeding and Refund Effective Date;
Southwest Power Pool, Inc.
On October 19, 2017, the Commission
issued an order in Docket No. EL18–19–
000, Southwest Power Pool, Inc., 161
FERC 61,062 (2017) (October 2017
Order), pursuant to section 206 of the
Federal Power Act (FPA), 16 U.S.C.
824e (2012), instituting an investigation
to examine the Southwest Power Pool,
Inc. (SPP) Membership Agreement and
any other Commission-jurisdictional
SPP documents that must be revised to
fully implement the refund commitment
concerns identified in the Commission’s
July 21, 2016 order in Docket No. EL16–
VerDate Sep<11>2014
22:06 Oct 24, 2017
Jkt 244001
91–000 in Southwest Power Pool, Inc.,
156 FERC 61,059 (2016). The October
2017 Order also consolidated Docket
Nos. EL16–91–000 and EL18–19–000.
The refund effective date in Docket
No. EL18–19–000, established pursuant
to section 206(b) of the FPA, will be the
date of publication of this notice in the
Federal Register.
Any interested person desiring to be
heard in Docket No. EL18–19–000 must
file a notice of intervention or motion to
intervene, as appropriate, with the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street NE., Washington, DC
20426, in accordance with Rule 214 of
the Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure, 18 CFR 385.214, within 21
days of the date of issuance of the order.
Dated: October 19, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–23110 Filed 10–24–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP18–5–000]
Notice of Petition for Declaratory
Order; Constitution Pipeline Company,
LLC
Take notice that on October 12, 2017,
pursuant to section 385.207 of the
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission’s (Commission) Rules of
Practice and Procedure, 18
385.207(2017), Constitution Pipeline
Company, LLC (Constitution) filed a
Petition for Declaratory Order finding
that New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation failed to
act within a reasonable period of time
on Constitution’s Clean water Act
Section 401 application, and that such
failure to act constitutes a waiver of
Section 401 water quality certification
requirement for federal authorizations
related to the New York State portion of
Constitution’s pipeline project, all as
more fully explained in the petition.
Any person desiring to intervene or to
protest in this proceeding must file in
accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of
the Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and
385.214) on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern
time on the specified comment date.
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
PO 00000
Frm 00054
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
intervention or motion to intervene, as
appropriate. Such notices, motions, or
protests must be filed on or before the
comment date. Anyone filing a motion
to intervene or protest must serve a copy
of that document on the Petitioner.
The Commission encourages
electronic submission of protests and
interventions in lieu of paper, using the
FERC Online links at https://
www.ferc.gov. To facilitate electronic
service, persons with Internet access
who will eFile a document and/or be
listed as a contact for an intervenor
must create and validate an
eRegistration account using the
eRegistration link. Select the eFiling
link to log on and submit the
intervention or protests.
Persons unable to file electronically
should submit an original and 5 copies
of the intervention or protest to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street NE., Washington, DC
20426.
The filings in the above proceeding
are accessible in the Commission’s
eLibrary system by clicking on the
appropriate link in the above list. They
are also 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 November 9, 2017
Dated: October 19, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–23109 Filed 10–24–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP17–490–000]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the
Proposed Riverdale South to Market
Project, and Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues;
Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line
Company, LLC
The staff of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an
environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of
E:\FR\FM\25OCN1.SGM
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sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 205 / Wednesday, October 25, 2017 / Notices
the Riverdale South to Market Project
involving construction and operation of
facilities by Transcontinental Gas Pipe
Line Company, LLC (Transco) in
Bergen, Hudson, and Union Counties,
New Jersey. The Commission will use
this EA in its decision-making process
to determine whether the project is in
the public convenience and necessity.
This notice announces the opening of
the scoping process the Commission
will use to gather input from the public
and interested agencies on the project.
You can make a difference by providing
us with your specific comments or
concerns about the project. Your
comments should focus on the potential
environmental effects, reasonable
alternatives, and measures to avoid or
lessen environmental impacts. Your
input will help the Commission staff
determine what issues they need to
evaluate in the EA. To ensure that your
comments are timely and properly
recorded, please send your comments so
that the Commission receives them in
Washington, DC on or before November
20, 2017.
If you sent comments on this project
to the Commission before the opening of
this docket on August 31, 2017, you will
need to file those comments in Docket
No. CP17–490–000 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.
Transco 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).
VerDate Sep<11>2014
22:06 Oct 24, 2017
Jkt 244001
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 (CP17–490–
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
Transco proposes to construct,
modify, upgrade, and operate various
facilities in connection with its
proposed Riverdale South to Market
Project located in Bergen, Hudson, and
Union Counties, New Jersey. According
to Transco, the Project would increase
the firm delivery transportation capacity
of its existing pipeline system by
190,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of
natural gas per day from the Riverdale
interconnection to existing Compressor
Station 210 in Mercer County and the
Central Manhattan Metering and
Regulating Station (M&R) in Hudson
County. The Compressor Station 210
pooling point would receive 140,000
Dth/d, and the Central Manhattan
Metering and Regulating Station would
receive 50,000 Dth/d.
The Project would consist of the
following facilities:
• Uprate of 10.35 miles of Transco’s
existing 24-inch-diameter North New
Jersey Extension pipeline in Bergen
County;
• Upgrades to the existing Orange and
Rockland M&R, Emerson M&R, and
PO 00000
Frm 00055
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
49365
Paramus M&R in Bergen County to
accommodate additional capacity;
• Construction of approximately 0.61
mile of new 42-inch-diameter pipeline
loop 1 along Transco’s existing Mainline
A in Bergen County;
• Modifications to the Central
Manhattan M&R in Hudson County;
• Removal of the J199 Valve in
Bergen County; and
• Installation of appurtenant ancillary
facilities.
The general location of the project
facilities is shown in appendix 1.2
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the proposed facilities
would disturb about 58 acres of land for
the aboveground facilities and the
pipeline. Following construction,
Transco would maintain about 10 acres
for permanent operation of the project’s
facilities; the remaining acreage would
be restored and revert to former uses.
The majority of the project would be
constructed within existing rights-ofway or within existing fenced facilities.
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;
1 A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed
parallel to an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
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.
3 We, us, and our refer to the environmental staff
of the Commission’s Office of Energy Projects.
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 205 / Wednesday, October 25, 2017 / Notices
• 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 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.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.
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Consultations Under Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act
In accordance with the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation’s
implementing regulations for section
106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act, we are using this
notice to initiate consultation with the
applicable State Historic Preservation
Office (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/
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
22:06 Oct 24, 2017
Jkt 244001
pipe storage yards, compressor stations,
and access roads). Our EA for this
project will document our findings on
the impacts on historic properties and
summarize the status of consultations
under section 106.
Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list
includes federal, state, and local
government representatives and
agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest
groups; Native American Tribes; other
interested parties; and local libraries
and newspapers. This list also includes
all affected landowners (as defined in
the Commission’s regulations) who are
potential right-of-way grantors, whose
property may be used temporarily for
project purposes, or who own homes
within certain distances of aboveground
facilities, and anyone who submits
comments on the project. We will
update the environmental mailing list as
the analysis proceeds to ensure that we
send the information related to this
environmental review to all individuals,
organizations, and government entities
interested in and/or potentially affected
by the proposed project.
If we publish and distribute the EA,
copies will be sent to the environmental
mailing list for public review and
comment. If you would prefer to receive
a paper copy of the document instead of
the CD version or would like to remove
your name from the mailing list, please
return the attached Information Request
(appendix 2).
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA
scoping process, you may want to
become an intervenor which is an
official party to the Commission’s
proceeding. Intervenors play a more
formal role in the process and are able
to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be
heard by the courts if they choose to
appeal the Commission’s final ruling.
An intervenor formally participates in
the proceeding by filing a request to
intervene. Instructions for becoming an
intervenor are in the Document-less
Intervention Guide under the e-filing
link on the Commission’s Web site.
Motions to intervene are more fully
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
PO 00000
Frm 00056
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
number, excluding the last three digits
in the Docket Number field (i.e., CP17–
490). 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/Event
Calendar/EventsList.aspx along with
other related information.
Dated: October 19, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–23107 Filed 10–24–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Project No. 8936–024]
Notice of Application for Surrender of
License, Soliciting Comments, Motions
To Intervene, And Protests; Far West
Power Corporation
Take notice that the following
hydroelectric application has been filed
with the Commission and is available
for public inspection:
a. Type of Proceeding: Application for
surrender of license.
b. Project No.: 8936–024.
c. Date Filed: August 1, 2017.
d. Licensee: Far West Power
Corporation.
e. Name of Project: Power Canal
Hydroelectric Project.
f. Location: The project is located on
the tailrace canal of Pacific Gas and
Electric Company’s (PG&E) Potter Valley
Hydroelectric Project No. 77, on the East
Fork Russian River, in Mendocino
County, California.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power
Act, 16 U.S.C. 791a–825r.
h. Licensee Contact: Mr. Ross
Goodwin, Far West Power Corporation,
E:\FR\FM\25OCN1.SGM
25OCN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 205 (Wednesday, October 25, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49364-49366]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-23107]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP17-490-000]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the
Proposed Riverdale South to Market Project, and Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues; Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of
[[Page 49365]]
the Riverdale South to Market Project involving construction and
operation of facilities by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC
(Transco) in Bergen, Hudson, and Union Counties, New Jersey. The
Commission will use this EA in its decision-making process to determine
whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity.
This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested
agencies on the project. You can make a difference by providing us with
your specific comments or concerns about the project. Your comments
should focus on the potential environmental effects, reasonable
alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts.
Your input will help the Commission staff determine what issues they
need to evaluate in the EA. To ensure that your comments are timely and
properly recorded, please send your comments so that the Commission
receives them in Washington, DC on or before November 20, 2017.
If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on August 31, 2017, you will need to file those
comments in Docket No. CP17-490-000 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.
Transco 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 [email protected]. 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
(CP17-490-000) 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
Transco proposes to construct, modify, upgrade, and operate various
facilities in connection with its proposed Riverdale South to Market
Project located in Bergen, Hudson, and Union Counties, New Jersey.
According to Transco, the Project would increase the firm delivery
transportation capacity of its existing pipeline system by 190,000
dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of natural gas per day from the Riverdale
interconnection to existing Compressor Station 210 in Mercer County and
the Central Manhattan Metering and Regulating Station (M&R) in Hudson
County. The Compressor Station 210 pooling point would receive 140,000
Dth/d, and the Central Manhattan Metering and Regulating Station would
receive 50,000 Dth/d.
The Project would consist of the following facilities:
Uprate of 10.35 miles of Transco's existing 24-inch-
diameter North New Jersey Extension pipeline in Bergen County;
Upgrades to the existing Orange and Rockland M&R, Emerson
M&R, and Paramus M&R in Bergen County to accommodate additional
capacity;
Construction of approximately 0.61 mile of new 42-inch-
diameter pipeline loop \1\ along Transco's existing Mainline A in
Bergen County;
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed parallel to
an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Modifications to the Central Manhattan M&R in Hudson
County;
Removal of the J199 Valve in Bergen County; and
Installation of appurtenant ancillary facilities.
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 of the proposed facilities would disturb about 58
acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipeline.
Following construction, Transco would maintain about 10 acres for
permanent operation of the project's facilities; the remaining acreage
would be restored and revert to former uses. The majority of the
project would be constructed within existing rights-of-way or within
existing fenced facilities.
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;
[[Page 49366]]
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 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.\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 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-
490). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
[email protected] 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: October 19, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-23107 Filed 10-24-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
