Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Line 8000 Replacement Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 60981-60983 [2017-27729]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 26, 2017 / Notices
60981
Number of
respondents
New or Modifications
to Existing Agreements (Reporting).
New or Modifications
to Existing Agreements (Record
Keeping).
Total ...................
Annual
number of
responses per
respondent
Total number
of responses
Average burden
hours
& cost per response
($) (rounded)
Total annual burden
hours & total
annual cost
($) (rounded)
Cost per
respondent
($) (rounded)
(1)
FERC–725F
(2)
(1) * (2) = (3)
(4)
(3) * (4) = (5)
*(5) ÷ (1)
60 nuclear plants +
120 transmission
entities 11.
60 nuclear plants +
120 transmission
entities.
2
Comments: Comments are invited on:
(1) Whether the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
Commission, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(2) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of the burden and cost of the collection
of information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(3) ways to enhance the quality, utility
and clarity of the information collection;
and (4) ways to minimize the burden of
the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including the use
of automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
Dated: December 19, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–27732 Filed 12–22–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP18–13–000]
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC;
Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the
Proposed Line 8000 Replacement
Project and Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues
ethrower on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
The staff of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an
indicates that wages are 69.6% and benefits are
30.4% of total salary (https://www.bls.gov/
news.release/ecec.nr0.htm).)
The estimated hourly cost (for wages plus
benefits) for reporting requirements is $84.23/hour,
based on the average for an electrical engineer
(occupation code 17–2071, $68.12/hour), legal
(occupation code 23–0000, $143.68/hour), and
office and administrative staff (occupation code 43–
000, $40.89/hour).
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:21 Dec 22, 2017
Jkt 244001
66.67 hrs.; $5,616 ....
24,001 hrs.;
$2,021,621.
2
..................................
360
360
6.67 hrs.; $218 .........
2,401 hrs.; $78,615 ..
........................
12 360
..................................
26,402 hrs.; 13
$2,100,236.
$11,231
$437
........................
environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of
the Line 8000 Replacement Project
involving the abandonment,
construction, and operation of facilities
by Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC
(Columbia) in Mineral County, West
Virginia and Allegany County,
Maryland. 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 18,
2018.
If you sent comments on this project
to the Commission before the opening of
this docket on November 3, 2017, you
will need to file those comments in
Docket No. CP18–13–000 to ensure they
are considered as part of this
proceeding.
This notice is being sent to the
Commission’s current environmental
mailing list for this project. State and
local government representatives should
notify their constituents of this
proposed project and encourage them to
comment on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this
notice, a pipeline company
representative may contact you about
the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the
proposed facilities. The company would
seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable
agreement. However, if the Commission
approves the project, that approval
conveys with it the right of eminent
domain. Therefore, if easement
negotiations fail to produce an
agreement, the pipeline company could
initiate condemnation proceedings
where compensation would be
determined in accordance with state
law.
Columbia provided landowners with
a fact sheet prepared by the FERC
entitled ‘‘An Interstate Natural Gas
Facility On My Land? What Do I Need
To Know?’’ This fact sheet addresses a
number of typically asked questions,
including the use of eminent domain
and how to participate in the
Commission’s proceedings. It is also
available for viewing on the FERC
website (www.ferc.gov).
The estimated hourly cost (wages plus benefits)
for record keeping is $32.74/hour for a file clerk
(occupation code 43–4071).
11 This figure of 120 transmission entities is based
on the assumption that each agreement will be
between 1 nuclear plant and 2 transmission entities
(60 × 2 = 120). However, there is some double
counting in this figure because some transmission
entities may be party to multiple agreements with
multiple nuclear plants. The double counting does
not affect the burden estimate, and the correct
number of unique respondents will be reported to
OMB.
12 The 180 respondents affected by the reporting
requirements are also affected by the recordkeeping
requirements.
13 The reporting requirements have not changed.
The decrease in the number of respondents is due
to: (a) Normal fluctuations in industry (e.g.,
companies merging and splitting, and coming into
and going out of business), and (b) no new
agreements being issued due to the lack of new
nuclear plants being developed.
PO 00000
Frm 00034
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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
E:\FR\FM\26DEN1.SGM
26DEN1
60982
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 26, 2017 / Notices
ethrower on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
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 (CP18–13–
000) with your submission: Kimberly D.
Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street
NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Summary of the Proposed Project
Columbia has developed a multi-year,
comprehensive modernization program
to address its aging infrastructure. As
part of its modernization program,
Columbia proposes to abandon and
replace about 14 miles of pipeline along
Line 8000 and four laterals 1 and
abandon or modify associated minor
aboveground facilities in Mineral
County, West Virginia and Allegany
County, Maryland. The Line 8000
Replacement Project would not increase
capacity and would continue to serve
the Maryland distribution markets.
According to Columbia, by abandoning
and replacing portions of the existing
aging, bare steel pipeline, its project
would increase system reliability,
thereby greatly reducing the risk of
interruptions to Columbia’s customers.
The Line 8000 Replacement Project
would consist of:
• Replacement of a total of
approximately 13.25 miles of existing
12-inch-diameter bare steel pipeline,
with approximately 13.54 miles of new,
coated 12-inch-diameter natural gas
transmission pipeline in five sections
and four modification points along Line
8000 and Lateral Line 8006;
1 A lateral is a segment of a pipeline that branches
off the main or transmission line to transport the
product to a termination point, such as a tank farm
or a metering station.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:21 Dec 22, 2017
Jkt 244001
• replacement of a total of
approximately 0.55 miles of existing 4inch-diameter bare steel pipeline, with
approximately 0.78 miles of new coated
4-inch-diameter natural gas
transmission pipeline along three
laterals (Lateral Lines 8225, 8244, and
18012);
• installation of two new pig 2
launcher and receiver sites and four
new mainline valves associated with
pipeline facilities;
• modifications/abandonment of four
existing mainline valves and three
existing side tap valve sites and
modification of tie-ins at two regulator
stations; and
• abandonment of 13 active
residential taps and 109 inactive taps.
The general location of the project
facilities is shown in appendix 1.3
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the proposed facilities
would disturb about 288 acres of land
for the pipelines and minor
aboveground facilities. Following
construction, Columbia would maintain
about 71 acres for permanent operation
of the project’s facilities; the remaining
acreage would be restored and revert to
former uses. Approximately 85 percent
of the new Line 8000 pipeline would be
co-located within the right-of-way of the
existing Line 8000 pipeline (to be
abandoned). Approximately 15 percent
of the new Line 8000 pipeline would be
located within a new right-of-way due
to construction constraints that prevents
co-location with the pipeline to be
abandoned.
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 4 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
2A
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.
3 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.
4 We, us, and our refer to the environmental staff
of the Commission’s Office of Energy Projects.
PO 00000
Frm 00035
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
notice, the Commission requests public
comments on the scope of the issues to
address in the EA. We will consider all
filed comments during the preparation
of the EA.
In the EA we will discuss impacts that
could occur as a result of the
construction and operation of the
proposed project under these general
headings:
• Geology and soils;
• land use;
• water resources, fisheries, and
wetlands;
• cultural resources;
• vegetation and wildlife;
• air quality and noise;
• endangered and threatened species;
• public safety; and
• cumulative impacts
We will also evaluate reasonable
alternatives to the proposed project or
portions of the project, and make
recommendations on how to lessen or
avoid impacts on the various resource
areas.
The EA will present our independent
analysis of the issues. The EA will be
available in the public record through
eLibrary. Depending on the comments
received during the scoping process, we
may also publish and distribute the EA
to the public for an allotted comment
period. We will consider all comments
on the EA before making our
recommendations to the Commission.
To ensure we have the opportunity to
consider and address your comments,
please carefully follow the instructions
in the Public Participation section,
beginning on page 2.
With this notice, we are asking
agencies with jurisdiction by law and/
or special expertise with respect to the
environmental issues of this project to
formally cooperate with us in the
preparation of the EA.5 Agencies that
would like to request cooperating
agency status should follow the
instructions for filing comments
provided under the Public Participation
section of this notice.
Consultations Under Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act
In accordance with the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation’s
implementing regulations for section
106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act, we are using this
notice to initiate consultation with the
applicable State Historic Preservation
Offices (SHPO), and to solicit their
views and those of other government
5 The Council on Environmental Quality
regulations addressing cooperating agency
responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
E:\FR\FM\26DEN1.SGM
26DEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 26, 2017 / Notices
agencies, interested Indian tribes, and
the public on the project’s potential
effects on historic properties.6 We will
define the project-specific Area of
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation
with the SHPOs as the project develops.
On natural gas facility projects, the APE
at a minimum encompasses all areas
subject to ground disturbance (examples
include construction right-of-way,
contractor/pipe storage yards,
compressor stations, and access roads).
Our EA for this project will document
our findings on the impacts on historic
properties and summarize the status of
consultations under section 106.
ethrower on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
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
6 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
20:21 Dec 22, 2017
Jkt 244001
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.,
CP18–13). 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 19, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–27729 Filed 12–22–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Notice of Petition for Declaratory Order
Docket Nos.
Franklin Energy Storage One,
LLC, Franklin Energy Storage
Two, LLC, Franklin Energy
Storage Three, LLC, Franklin
Energy Storage Four, LLC.
Franklin Energy Storage One,
LLC.
Franklin Energy Storage Two,
LLC.
PO 00000
Frm 00036
Fmt 4703
EL18–50–000
QF17–581–001
QF17–582–002
Sfmt 4703
60983
Docket Nos.
Franklin Energy Storage Three,
LLC.
Franklin Energy Storage Four,
LLC.
QF17–583–003
QF17–584–004
Take notice that on December 14,
2017, pursuant to Rule 207 of the
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission’s (Commission) Rules of
Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.207,
Franklin Energy Storage One, LLC,
Franklin Energy Storage Two, LLC,
Franklin Energy Storage Three, LLC,
and Franklin Energy Storage Four, LLC
filed a petition for declaratory order
finding that certain orders of the Idaho
Public Utilities Commission are
inconsistent with the Public Utilities
Regulatory Policies act of 1978, 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
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 website that
enables subscribers to receive email
notification when a document is added
E:\FR\FM\26DEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 26, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60981-60983]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-27729]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP18-13-000]
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Line 8000 Replacement 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 Line 8000 Replacement Project
involving the abandonment, construction, and operation of facilities by
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC (Columbia) in Mineral County, West
Virginia and Allegany County, Maryland. 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 18, 2018.
If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on November 3, 2017, you will need to file those
comments in Docket No. CP18-13-000 to ensure they are considered as
part of this proceeding.
This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental
mailing list for this project. State and local government
representatives should notify their constituents of this proposed
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a pipeline company
representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. The company
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if
the Commission approves the project, that approval conveys with it the
right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to
produce an agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation
proceedings where compensation would be determined in accordance with
state law.
Columbia provided landowners with a fact sheet prepared by the FERC
entitled ``An Interstate Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I
Need To Know?'' This fact sheet addresses a number of typically asked
questions, including the use of eminent domain and how to participate
in the Commission's proceedings. It is also available for viewing on
the FERC 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
[[Page 60982]]
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
(CP18-13-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A,
Washington, DC 20426.
Summary of the Proposed Project
Columbia has developed a multi-year, comprehensive modernization
program to address its aging infrastructure. As part of its
modernization program, Columbia proposes to abandon and replace about
14 miles of pipeline along Line 8000 and four laterals \1\ and abandon
or modify associated minor aboveground facilities in Mineral County,
West Virginia and Allegany County, Maryland. The Line 8000 Replacement
Project would not increase capacity and would continue to serve the
Maryland distribution markets. According to Columbia, by abandoning and
replacing portions of the existing aging, bare steel pipeline, its
project would increase system reliability, thereby greatly reducing the
risk of interruptions to Columbia's customers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ A lateral is a segment of a pipeline that branches off the
main or transmission line to transport the product to a termination
point, such as a tank farm or a metering station.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Line 8000 Replacement Project would consist of:
Replacement of a total of approximately 13.25 miles of
existing 12-inch-diameter bare steel pipeline, with approximately 13.54
miles of new, coated 12-inch-diameter natural gas transmission pipeline
in five sections and four modification points along Line 8000 and
Lateral Line 8006;
replacement of a total of approximately 0.55 miles of
existing 4-inch-diameter bare steel pipeline, with approximately 0.78
miles of new coated 4-inch-diameter natural gas transmission pipeline
along three laterals (Lateral Lines 8225, 8244, and 18012);
installation of two new pig \2\ launcher and receiver
sites and four new mainline valves associated with pipeline facilities;
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
modifications/abandonment of four existing mainline valves
and three existing side tap valve sites and modification of tie-ins at
two regulator stations; and
abandonment of 13 active residential taps and 109 inactive
taps.
The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
1.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ 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 288
acres of land for the pipelines and minor aboveground facilities.
Following construction, Columbia would maintain about 71 acres for
permanent operation of the project's facilities; the remaining acreage
would be restored and revert to former uses. Approximately 85 percent
of the new Line 8000 pipeline would be co-located within the right-of-
way of the existing Line 8000 pipeline (to be abandoned). Approximately
15 percent of the new Line 8000 pipeline would be located within a new
right-of-way due to construction constraints that prevents co-location
with the pipeline to be abandoned.
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
\4\ 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ We, us, and our refer to the environmental staff of the
Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of
the construction and operation of the proposed project under these
general headings:
Geology and soils;
land use;
water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
cultural resources;
vegetation and wildlife;
air quality and noise;
endangered and threatened species;
public safety; and
cumulative impacts
We will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed
project or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to
lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
The EA will present our independent analysis of the issues. The EA
will be available in the public record through eLibrary. Depending on
the comments received during the scoping process, we may also publish
and distribute the EA to the public for an allotted comment period. We
will consider all comments on the EA before making our recommendations
to the Commission. To ensure we have the opportunity to consider and
address your comments, please carefully follow the instructions in the
Public Participation section, beginning on page 2.
With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues of
this project to formally cooperate with us in the preparation of the
EA.\5\ 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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\5\ 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 Offices (SHPO), and to
solicit their views and those of other government
[[Page 60983]]
agencies, interested Indian tribes, and the public on the project's
potential effects on historic properties.\6\ We will define the
project-specific Area of Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with
the SHPOs as the project develops. On natural gas facility projects,
the APE at a minimum encompasses all areas subject to ground
disturbance (examples include construction right-of-way, contractor/
pipe storage yards, compressor stations, and access roads). Our EA for
this project will document our findings on the impacts on historic
properties and summarize the status of consultations under section 106.
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\6\ 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 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-
13). 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 19, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-27729 Filed 12-22-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
