Northwest Pipeline, LLC; Supplemental Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Amended North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 56587-56594 [2017-25727]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 228 / Wednesday, November 29, 2017 / Notices Dr. Kit Dahl, Pacific Council; telephone: (503) 820–2422. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The purpose of this webinar is for the EWG to discuss work associated with the Climate Change and Communities Initiative, which the Council has decided to embark upon. Two tasks have been assigned to the EWG as initial steps in this initiative. First, the EWG is organizing a series of briefings for the Council family on the potential effects of climate change on the California Current Ecosystem including fishing communities. Second, the EWG will draft a report on major Council decision types that may benefit from information on climate change impacts. This webinar in an opportunity for the EWG to discuss progress on these tasks and plan their completion. Public comments during the webinar will be received from attendees at the discretion of the EWG chair. Although non-emergency issues not contained in the meeting agenda may be discussed, those issues may not be the subject of formal action during this meeting. Action will be restricted to those issues specifically listed in this document and any issues arising after publication of this document that require emergency action under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the intent to take final action to address the emergency. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Special Accommodations This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Mr. Kris Kleinschmidt (503) 820–2411 at least 10 business days prior to the meeting date. Dated: November 24, 2017. Tracey L. Thompson, Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2017–25765 Filed 11–28–17; 8:45 am] pmangrum on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 BILLING CODE 3510–22–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:19 Nov 28, 2017 Jkt 241001 DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. CP17–441–001] Northwest Pipeline, LLC; Supplemental Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Amended North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues As previously noticed on June 21, 2017, the staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) announced that it will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) to evaluate and discuss the environmental impacts of the North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project involving construction and operation of facilities by Northwest Pipeline, LLC (Northwest) in Snohomish County, Washington. The Commission will use this EA in its decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity. On October 23, 2017, Northwest filed an amendment to its current FERC application that proposes changes to the project facilities. Northwest now proposes to reduce the length of the upgraded pipeline facilities from 6.8 miles to 5.8 miles and to reroute a portion of its system off its existing right-of-way to avoid construction on the Fritch Forest Products mill site. This reroute was presented as a possible alternative to the originally filed project in the Commission’s June 21, 2017 Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public Scoping Session, which was mailed to the environmental mailing list at that time. This supplemental notice announces the re-opening of the scoping process the Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the project (see appendix 1). 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 December 21, 2017. PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 56587 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. Northwest 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 will provide equal consideration to all comments received. 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; or (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 E:\FR\FM\29NON1.SGM 29NON1 56588 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 228 / Wednesday, November 29, 2017 / Notices (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 (CP17–441– 001) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. pmangrum on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 Summary of the Proposed Project Northwest proposes to remove approximately 5.8 miles of the 8-inchdiameter North Seattle Lateral pipeline and replace it with 20-inch-diameter pipeline, primarily in the same trench. The project is in Snohomish County, Washington. According to Northwest, the proposed facilities would increase service reliability and enable Northwest to provide an incremental approximate 160 million cubic feet of natural gas per day of firm capacity to serve Puget Sound Energy. The amended North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project would consist of the following facilities: • Replace 5.8-miles of 8-inchdiameter pipeline with 20-inchdiameter pipeline; • rebuild the existing North Seattle/ Everett meter station in order to accommodate the increased delivery capacity of the North Seattle Lateral; • abandon and relocate approximately 0.1 mile of 16-inchdiameter pipeline; • relocate an existing 8-inch pig launcher and a 20-inch pig receiver 1 to project milepost 7.76; and • replace an existing 8-inch mainline valve with a 20-inch valve. The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 2, and the reroute around the Fritch Mill is shown in appendix 3. Land Requirements for Construction Construction activities related to the Upgrade Project would disturb about 88 acres of land for the pipeline replacement and aboveground facilities. With the exception of the proposed 0.15 mile reroute around the Fritch Mill, the new pipeline would be installed within Northwest’s existing easement. Following construction, Northwest would maintain 43 acres of easement area for permanent operation of the project facilities; the remaining 45 acres of construction work space would be restored and revert to former uses. The entire existing right-of-way in which the replacements would be made parallels existing pipeline, utility, or road rightsof-way. 1 A pig is a tool that the pipeline company inserts into and pushes through the pipeline for cleaning the pipeline, conducting internal inspections, or other purposes. VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:19 Nov 28, 2017 Jkt 241001 The EA Process The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us 2 to discover and address concerns the public may have about proposals. This process is referred to as ‘‘scoping.’’ The main goal of the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EA on the important environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. We will consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EA. In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these general headings: • Geology and soils; • land use; • water resources, fisheries, and wetlands; • vegetation and wildlife; • endangered and threatened species; • cultural resources; • air quality and noise; • 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 of this Notice. 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 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. PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 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.4 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. Currently Identified Environmental Issues We have already identified two issues that we think deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the environmental information provided by Northwest. This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis. • Effects of construction on residential properties • Impacts on sensitive fish species during in-stream construction activities 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 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. E:\FR\FM\29NON1.SGM 29NON1 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 228 / Wednesday, November 29, 2017 / Notices 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 4). pmangrum on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 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 VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:19 Nov 28, 2017 Jkt 241001 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– 441). 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 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 56589 (202) 502–8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings. In addition, the Commission offers a free service called eSubscription which allows you to keep track of all formal issuances and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with notification of these filings, document summaries, and direct links to the documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/docsfiling/esubscription.asp. Finally, public sessions or site visits will be posted on the Commission’s calendar located at www.ferc.gov/ EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information. Dated: November 21, 2017. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary. BILLING CODE 6717–01–P E:\FR\FM\29NON1.SGM 29NON1 56590 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 228 / Wednesday, November 29, 2017 / Notices Appendix 1 ' ' pmangrum on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 2 VerDate Sep<11>2014 ' N 15:19 Nov 28, 2017 ' • • • • • •. . , . . . 0 ........... ~~--~~~~~~-~~~~~~~·~~·~~~- ·~-~~~~ Jkt 241001 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4725 E:\FR\FM\29NON1.SGM ' ' 2 ' 29NON1 0 0 EN29NO17.000</GPH> ' Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 228 / Wednesday, November 29, 2017 / Notices Figure 1 Project Site Location - - Northwest Pipel ine VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:19 Nov 28, 2017 21 ,000 Jkt 241001 42,000 Feet PO 00000 Frm 00012 Snohom ish Co unty, \Nashington Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4725 E:\FR\FM\29NON1.SGM 29NON1 EN29NO17.001</GPH> pmangrum on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 10,500 56591 56592 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 228 / Wednesday, November 29, 2017 / Notices VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:19 Nov 28, 2017 Jkt 241001 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4725 E:\FR\FM\29NON1.SGM 29NON1 EN29NO17.002</GPH> pmangrum on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 Proposed Realignment Around Fritch Mill Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 228 / Wednesday, November 29, 2017 / Notices 56593 INFORMATION REQUEST North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project CP17-441-001 Name --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agency_____________________________________________________________________________ Address__________________________________________________________________________ City_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.State___ Zip Code_ _ __ D Please send me a paper copy of the published NEPA document D Please remove my name from the mailing list FROM________________ EN29NO17.004</GPH> CP17-441-001 North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project Staple or Tape Here VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:19 Nov 28, 2017 Jkt 241001 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4725 E:\FR\FM\29NON1.SGM 29NON1 EN29NO17.003</GPH> pmangrum on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 ATTN: OEP- Gas Branch 4; PJ- 11.4 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 888 First Street NE Washington, DC 20426 56594 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 228 / Wednesday, November 29, 2017 / Notices [FR Doc. 2017–25727 Filed 11–28–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–C DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Notice of Electric Quarterly Report Users Group Meeting Docket Nos. pmangrum on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 Electric Quarterly Report User Group Meeting. Filing Requirements for Electric Utility Service Agreements. Electricity Market Transparency Provisions of Section 220 of the Federal Power Act. Revisions to Electric Quarterly Report Filing Process. Electric Quarterly Reports AD18–4–000 RM01–8–000 RM10–12–000 RM12–3–000 ER02–2001–000 On October 17, 2017, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) issued a notice that Commission staff will hold an Electric Quarterly Report (EQR) Users Group meeting on December 5, 2017. The meeting will take place from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EST) in the Commission Meeting Room at 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. All interested persons are invited to attend. For those unable to attend in person, access to the meeting will be available via webcast. Staff is hereby supplementing the October 17, 2017, notice with the agenda for discussion. During the meeting, Commission staff and the EQR users will discuss potential improvements to the EQR program and EQR filing process, including: (1) Progress since the last user group meeting; (2) EQR resources and Web site updates; (3) EQR validations and error messages; and (4) use of ‘‘Other’’ as a Product Name and Product Type Name. Please note that matters pending before the Commission and subject to ex parte limitations cannot be discussed at this meeting. An agenda of the meeting is attached. Those interested in participating in the discussion are encouraged to attend in person. All interested persons (whether attending in person or via webcast) are asked to register online at https://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/ registration/12-05-17-form.asp. There is no registration fee. Anyone with Internet access can listen to the meeting by navigating to https://www.ferc.gov/ EventCalendar/ EventsList.aspx?View=listview for FERC Calendar of Events, locating the EQR VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:19 Nov 28, 2017 Jkt 241001 Users Group Meeting on the Calendar, and clicking on the link to the webcast. The webcast will allow persons to view and listen to the meeting. Questions during the meeting can be sent to EQRUsersGroup@ferc.gov. Commission conferences are accessible under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For accessibility accommodations, please send an email to accessibility@ferc.gov or call toll free 1–866–208–3372 (voice) or 202–208–1659 (TTY), or send a FAX to 202–208–2106 with the required accommodations. To increase administrative efficiency, issuances related to future EQR user group meetings will not be assigned to Docket Nos. RM01–8–000, RM10–12– 000, RM12–3–000 and ER02–2001–000. For more information about the EQR Users Group meeting, please contact Jeff Sanders of the Commission’s Office of Enforcement at (202) 502–6455, or send an email to EQRUsersGroup@ferc.gov. Dated: November 21, 2017. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2017–25726 Filed 11–28–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. CP18–17–000] Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc.; Notice of Request Under Blanket Authorization Take notice that on November 14, 2017, Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc. (Southern Star), 4700 State Highway 56, Owensboro, Kentucky 42301, filed a prior notice application pursuant to sections 157.205, and 157.216(b) of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (Commission) regulations under the Natural Gas Act (NGA), and Columbia’s blanket certificate issued in Docket No. CP82–479–000. Southern Star requests authorization to construct, own and operate the Blue Mountain Chisholm Trail Project located in Grady and Carter Counties, Oklahoma. The proposed project consists of approximately 4.67 miles of 12-inch diameter pipeline, associated above-ground facilities, a booster compression site utilizing rental compressor units and a lateral to the delivery point, at a cost of $20,881,158, all as more fully set forth in the application which is open to the public for inspection. Blue Mountain Midstream LLC (Blue Mountain) has proposed construction of PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 a new cryogenic gas processing plant in Grady County,1 Oklahoma, with an approximate inlet capacity of 250,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d). Southern Star’s proposed project will receive up to 150,000 Dth/d of gas processed by this production facility for transport on its system. Of this volume, Southern Star has contractual commitments for firm transportation with Blue Mountain for a minimum delivery of 45,000 Dth/ d to a proposed delivery point on Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America (NGPL) in Carter County, Oklahoma. The remaining capacity will enhance gas supply for existing customers on Southern Star’s system. Southern Star and Blue Mountain have entered into a precedent agreement, interconnect agreement and will enter into an FTS Agreement, and Southern Star and NGPL have entered into an interconnect agreement. The filing may also be viewed on the web at https://www.ferc.gov using the eLibrary link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or call toll-free, (866) 208–3676 or TTY, (202) 502–8659. Any questions regarding this application should be directed to Cindy C. Thompson, Manager, Regulatory, Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc., 4700 Highway 56, Owensboro, Kentucky 42301 or call (270) 852–4655, or email to Cindy.C.Thompson@ sscgp.com. Any person or the Commission’s staff may, within 60 days after issuance of the instant notice by the Commission, file pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission’s Procedural Rules (18 CFR 385.214) a motion to intervene or notice of intervention and pursuant to Section 157.205 of the regulations under the NGA (18 CFR 157.205), a protest to the request. If no protest is filed within the time allowed therefore, the proposed activity shall be deemed to be authorized effective the day after the time allowed for filing a protest. If a protest is filed and not withdrawn within 30 days after the allowed time for filing a protest, the instant request shall be treated as an application for authorization pursuant to section 7 of the NGA. Pursuant to section 157.9 of the Commission’s rules, 18 CFR 157.9, within 90 days of this Notice the Commission staff will either: complete its environmental assessment (EA) and place it into the Commission’s public 1 See application filed November 9, 2017, in Docket No. CP18–14–000. E:\FR\FM\29NON1.SGM 29NON1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 228 (Wednesday, November 29, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56587-56594]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-25727]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP17-441-001]


Northwest Pipeline, LLC; Supplemental Notice of Intent To Prepare 
an Environmental Assessment for the Amended North Seattle Lateral 
Upgrade Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

    As previously noticed on June 21, 2017, the staff of the Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) announced that it 
will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) to evaluate and discuss 
the environmental impacts of the North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities by Northwest 
Pipeline, LLC (Northwest) in Snohomish County, Washington. The 
Commission will use this EA in its decision-making process to determine 
whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity.
    On October 23, 2017, Northwest filed an amendment to its current 
FERC application that proposes changes to the project facilities. 
Northwest now proposes to reduce the length of the upgraded pipeline 
facilities from 6.8 miles to 5.8 miles and to reroute a portion of its 
system off its existing right-of-way to avoid construction on the 
Fritch Forest Products mill site. This reroute was presented as a 
possible alternative to the originally filed project in the 
Commission's June 21, 2017 Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental 
Assessment for the Proposed North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project, 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public 
Scoping Session, which was mailed to the environmental mailing list at 
that time.
    This supplemental notice announces the re-opening of the scoping 
process the Commission will use to gather input from the public and 
interested agencies on the project (see appendix 1). 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 December 21, 2017.
    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.
    Northwest 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 will provide equal 
consideration to all comments received. 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; or
    (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

[[Page 56588]]

    (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 
(CP17-441-001) 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

    Northwest proposes to remove approximately 5.8 miles of the 8-inch-
diameter North Seattle Lateral pipeline and replace it with 20-inch-
diameter pipeline, primarily in the same trench. The project is in 
Snohomish County, Washington. According to Northwest, the proposed 
facilities would increase service reliability and enable Northwest to 
provide an incremental approximate 160 million cubic feet of natural 
gas per day of firm capacity to serve Puget Sound Energy.
    The amended North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project would consist of 
the following facilities:
     Replace 5.8-miles of 8-inch-diameter pipeline with 20-
inch-diameter pipeline;
     rebuild the existing North Seattle/Everett meter station 
in order to accommodate the increased delivery capacity of the North 
Seattle Lateral;
     abandon and relocate approximately 0.1 mile of 16-inch-
diameter pipeline;
     relocate an existing 8-inch pig launcher and a 20-inch pig 
receiver \1\ to project milepost 7.76; and
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ A pig is a tool that the pipeline company inserts into and 
pushes through the pipeline for cleaning the pipeline, conducting 
internal inspections, or other purposes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     replace an existing 8-inch mainline valve with a 20-inch 
valve.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
2, and the reroute around the Fritch Mill is shown in appendix 3.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction activities related to the Upgrade Project would 
disturb about 88 acres of land for the pipeline replacement and 
aboveground facilities. With the exception of the proposed 0.15 mile 
reroute around the Fritch Mill, the new pipeline would be installed 
within Northwest's existing easement. Following construction, Northwest 
would maintain 43 acres of easement area for permanent operation of the 
project facilities; the remaining 45 acres of construction work space 
would be restored and revert to former uses. The entire existing right-
of-way in which the replacements would be made parallels existing 
pipeline, utility, or road rights-of-way.

The EA Process

    The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the 
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could 
result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of a 
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us 
\2\ to discover and address concerns the public may have about 
proposals. This process is referred to as ``scoping.'' The main goal of 
the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EA on the important 
environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public 
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. We will 
consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

    In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the proposed project under these 
general headings:
     Geology and soils;
     land use;
     water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
     vegetation and wildlife;
     endangered and threatened species;
     cultural resources;
     air quality and noise;
     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 of this Notice.
    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 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.\4\ 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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    \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.
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Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified two issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Northwest. This preliminary 
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     Effects of construction on residential properties
     Impacts on sensitive fish species during in-stream 
construction activities

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

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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 4).

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-
441). 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: November 21, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P

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[FR Doc. 2017-25727 Filed 11-28-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-C
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