Blue Mountain Midstream, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Blue Mountain Delivery Line Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 60597-60599 [2017-27494]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 244 / Thursday, December 21, 2017 / Notices
Filed Date: 12/14/17.
Accession Number: 20171214–5155.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/4/18.
Docket Numbers: ER18–455–000.
Applicants: ISO New England Inc.,
New England Power Pool Participants
Committee.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing: ISO–
NE and NEPOOL Filing Re: CSO
Transfer Improvements to be effective
3/1/2018.
Filed Date: 12/15/17.
Accession Number: 20171215–5054.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/5/18.
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
Docket Numbers: ER18–456–000.
Applicants: PJM Interconnection,
L.L.C.
Description: Tariff Cancellation:
Notice of Cancellation of 1st Rev.
Service Agreement No. 2195, Queue No.
X1–074 to be effective 1/13/2018.
Filed Date: 12/15/17.
Accession Number: 20171215–5061.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/5/18.
Docket Numbers: ER18–457–000.
Applicants: Gainesville Renewable
Energy Center, LLC.
Description: Tariff Cancellation:
Cancellation of MBR Tariff to be
effective 12/18/2017.
Filed Date: 12/15/17.
Accession Number: 20171215–5069.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/5/18.
The filings are accessible in the
Commission’s eLibrary system by
clicking on the links or querying the
docket number.
Any person desiring to intervene or
protest in any of the above proceedings
must file in accordance with Rules 211
and 214 of the Commission’s
Regulations (18 CFR 385.211 and
385.214) on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern
time on the specified comment date.
Protests may be considered, but
intervention is necessary to become a
party to the proceeding.
eFiling is encouraged. More detailed
information relating to filing
requirements, interventions, protests,
service, and qualifying facilities filings
can be found at: https://www.ferc.gov/
docs-filing/efiling/filing-req.pdf. For
other information, call (866) 208–3676
(toll free). For TTY, call (202) 502–8659.
Dated: December 15, 2017.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–27492 Filed 12–20–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:57 Dec 20, 2017
Jkt 244001
Dated: December 15, 2017.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[FR Doc. 2017–27493 Filed 12–20–17; 8:45 am]
Combined Notice of Filings #2
Take notice that the Commission
received the following electric rate
filings:
Docket Numbers: ER17–1138–002.
Applicants: PJM Interconnection,
L.L.C.
Description: Compliance filing:
Compliance Filing Pursuant to the Nov.
17, 2017 Order in Docket No. ER17–
1138 to be effective 5/9/2017.
Filed Date: 12/15/17.
Accession Number: 20171215–5111.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/5/18.
Docket Numbers: ER17–1864–001.
Applicants: Bayshore Solar A, LLC.
Description: Compliance filing:
Bayshore Solar A LLC MBR Tariff to be
effective 8/19/2017.
Filed Date: 12/15/17.
Accession Number: 20171215–5073.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/5/18.
Docket Numbers: ER17–1909–001.
Applicants: Bayshore Solar C, LLC.
Description: Compliance filing:
Bayshore Solar C LLC MBR Tariff to be
effective 8/26/2017.
Filed Date: 12/15/17.
Accession Number: 20171215–5072.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/5/18.
Docket Numbers: ER18–458–000.
Applicants: Midcontinent
Independent System Operator, Inc.,
Ameren Illinois Company.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
2017–12–15_SA 2880 Attachment A
Project Specs No. 2 (Ameren-Wabash
Valley UCA) to be effective 11/30/2017.
Filed Date: 12/15/17.
Accession Number: 20171215–5103.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/5/18.
The filings are accessible in the
Commission’s eLibrary system by
clicking on the links or querying the
docket number.
Any person desiring to intervene or
protest in any of the above proceedings
must file in accordance with Rules 211
and 214 of the Commission’s
Regulations (18 CFR 385.211 and
385.214) on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern
time on the specified comment date.
Protests may be considered, but
intervention is necessary to become a
party to the proceeding.
eFiling is encouraged. More detailed
information relating to filing
requirements, interventions, protests,
service, and qualifying facilities filings
can be found at: https://www.ferc.gov/
docs-filing/efiling/filing-req.pdf. For
other information, call (866) 208–3676
(toll free). For TTY, call (202) 502–8659.
PO 00000
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60597
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP18–14–000]
Blue Mountain Midstream, LLC; Notice
of Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Assessment for the Proposed Blue
Mountain Delivery Line 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 Blue Mountain Delivery Line Project
involving construction and operation of
facilities by Blue Mountain Midstream,
LLC (Blue Mountain) in Grady County,
Oklahoma. 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 January 16,
2018.
If you sent comments on this project
to the Commission before the opening of
this docket on November 9, 2017, you
will need to file those comments in
Docket No. CP18–14–000 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
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 244 / Thursday, December 21, 2017 / Notices
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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.
Blue Mountain 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
website (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 website
(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 website
(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 (CP18–14–
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
Blue Mountain proposes to construct
and operate two natural gas pipelines
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20:57 Dec 20, 2017
Jkt 244001
totaling 9.57 miles and a metering and
pigging facility in Grady County,
Oklahoma.1 The Blue Mountain Deliver
Line would provide about 225 million
cubic feet of natural gas per day to
markets in Oklahoma and neighboring
states. According to Blue Mountain, its
project would accommodate natural gas
development in Grady County,
Oklahoma.
The Blue Mountain Delivery Line
Project would consist of the following
facilities:
• Two natural gas pipelines, the
Enable Discharge Line #127 (Line 127)
(4.4 miles) and Enable Discharge Line
#128 (Line 128) (5.2 miles); and
• a metering and pigging facility.
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 80.7 acres of land
for the aboveground facilities and the
pipelines. Following construction, Blue
Mountain would maintain about 37.9
acres 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
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.
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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proposed project under these general
headings:
• Geology and soils;
• water resources, fisheries, and
wetlands;
• vegetation and wildlife;
• endangered and threatened species;
• cultural resources;
• land use;
• 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.
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.
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
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.
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 244 / Thursday, December 21, 2017 / Notices
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.
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list
includes federal, state, and local
government representatives and
agencies; elected officials; Native
American Tribes; 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 website.
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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:57 Dec 20, 2017
Jkt 244001
Commission’s Office of External Affairs,
at (866) 208–FERC, or on the FERC
website 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., CP18–14). 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.
Dated: December 15, 2017.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–27494 Filed 12–20–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OPP–2017–0011; FRL–9970–95]
Registration Review; Neonicotinoid
Risk Assessments; Neonicotinoid
Benefits Assessments; Notice of
Availability
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
This notice announces the
availability of EPA’s (or Agency) draft
ecological non-pollinator risk
assessment for the registration review of
imidacloprid, along with draft human
health and non-pollinator ecological
risk assessments for the registration
review of clothianidin, thiamethoxam,
and dinotefuran, and opens a public
comment period on these assessments.
This notice also announces the
availability of assessments of benefits of
neonicotinoid insecticide use in cotton
and citrus. While EPA typically releases
benefits assessments along with the
SUMMARY:
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60599
proposed interim decisions, EPA is
releasing and obtaining public comment
on these two benefits assessments at an
earlier stage of the registration review
process. These benefits assessments will
help EPA evaluate the impacts of
potential measures to reduce certain
risks to pollinators identified in
previously issued preliminary pollinator
risk assessments. EPA is not proposing
any mitigation at this stage, and
anticipates that early input and
information from the public on the
benefits of these compounds will be
helpful as EPA evaluates and considers
the risks and the benefits of the
neonicotinoid insecticides. Finally, EPA
is releasing a response to public
comments on the Agency’s 2014
assessment of the benefits of
neonicotinoid seed treatments to
soybean production. This assessment
and associated comments are available
in docket EPA–HQ–OPP–2014–0737.
Copies of all of the benefits assessments
will be placed in the individual
chemical dockets for each of the four
neonicotinoid insecticides listed in
Table 1 of Unit III.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before February 20, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by the docket identification
(ID) number for the specific pesticide of
interest provided in Table 1 of Unit III,
by one of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
Do not submit electronically any
information you consider to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI)
or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute.
• Mail: OPP Docket, Environmental
Protection Agency Docket Center (EPA/
DC), (28221T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave.
NW, Washington, DC 20460–0001.
• Hand Delivery: To make special
arrangements for hand delivery or
delivery of boxed information, please
follow the instructions at https://
www.epa.gov/dockets/contacts.html.
Additional instructions on
commenting or visiting the docket,
along with more information about
dockets generally, is available at https://
www.epa.gov/dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For pesticide specific information
contact: The Chemical Review Manager
for the pesticide of interest identified in
Table 1 of Unit III.
For general questions on the
registration review program, contact:
Dana Friedman, Pesticide Re-Evaluation
Division (7508P), Office of Pesticide
Programs, Environmental Protection
E:\FR\FM\21DEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 244 (Thursday, December 21, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60597-60599]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-27494]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP18-14-000]
Blue Mountain Midstream, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Blue Mountain Delivery Line
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 Blue Mountain Delivery Line
Project involving construction and operation of facilities by Blue
Mountain Midstream, LLC (Blue Mountain) in Grady County, Oklahoma. 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 January 16, 2018.
If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on November 9, 2017, you will need to file those
comments in Docket No. CP18-14-000 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
[[Page 60598]]
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.
Blue Mountain 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 website (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 website (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 website (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
(CP18-14-000) 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
Blue Mountain proposes to construct and operate two natural gas
pipelines totaling 9.57 miles and a metering and pigging facility in
Grady County, Oklahoma.\1\ The Blue Mountain Deliver Line would provide
about 225 million cubic feet of natural gas per day to markets in
Oklahoma and neighboring states. According to Blue Mountain, its
project would accommodate natural gas development in Grady County,
Oklahoma.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Blue Mountain Delivery Line Project would consist of the
following facilities:
Two natural gas pipelines, the Enable Discharge Line #127
(Line 127) (4.4 miles) and Enable Discharge Line #128 (Line 128) (5.2
miles); and
a metering and pigging facility.
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 80.7
acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipelines.
Following construction, Blue Mountain would maintain about 37.9 acres
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;
water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
vegetation and wildlife;
endangered and threatened species;
cultural resources;
land use;
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.
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
[[Page 60599]]
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; Native
American Tribes; 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 website. 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 website 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., CP18-
14). 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: December 15, 2017.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-27494 Filed 12-20-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
