Freeport LNG Development, L.P., FLNG Liquefaction, LLC, FLNG Liquefaction 2, LLC, FLNG Liquefaction 3, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Noble Gas Project, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 44291-44293 [2020-15877]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 141 / Wednesday, July 22, 2020 / Notices Although no formal application has been filed, Commission staff has already initiated a NEPA review under the Commission’s pre-filing process. The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early involvement of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before the Commission receives an application. As part of the pre-filing review, Commission staff will contact Federal and state agencies to discuss their involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the EA. The EA will present Commission staff’s independent analysis of the issues. The EA will be available in electronic format in the public record through eLibrary 4 and the Commission’s natural gas environmental documents web page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/ natural-gas/environment/ environmental-documents). If eSubscribed, you will receive instant email notification when the EA is issued. The EA may be issued for an allotted public comment period. Commission staff will consider all comments on the EA before making recommendations to the Commission. To ensure Commission staff has 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, the Commission is asking agencies with jurisdiction by law and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues related to this project to formally cooperate 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. jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES Consultation 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, the Commission is using this notice to initiate consultation with the applicable State Historic Preservation Office(s), and to solicit their views and those of other government agencies, interested Indian tribes, and the public on the project’s 4 For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice. 5 The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing cooperating agency responsibilities are at title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, § 1501.6. VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:11 Jul 21, 2020 Jkt 250001 potential effects on historic properties.6 The EA for this project will document our findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize the status of consultations under section 106. Environmental Mailing List The environmental mailing list includes Federal, state, and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. This list also includes all affected landowners (as defined in the Commission’s regulations) who are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used temporarily for project purposes, or who own homes within certain distances of aboveground facilities, and anyone who submits comments on the project. Commission staff will update the environmental mailing list as the analysis proceeds to ensure that Commission notices related to this environmental review are sent to all individuals, organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the planned project. If the Commission issues the EA for an allotted public comment period, a Notice of Availability of the EA will be sent to the environmental mailing list and will provide instructions to access the electronic document on the FERC’s website (www.ferc.gov). If you need to make changes to your name/address, or if you would like to remove your name from the mailing list, please return the attached ‘‘Mailing List Update Form’’ (appendix 2). Becoming an Intervenor Once Northern files its application with the Commission, you may want to become an ‘‘intervenor’’ which is an official party to the Commission’s proceeding. Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission’s decision 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 pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214). Motions to intervene are more fully described at https://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/ how-to.asp. Please note that the 6 The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation 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. PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 44291 Commission will not accept requests for intervenor status at this time. You must wait until the Commission receives a formal application for the project, after which the Commission will issue a public notice that establishes an intervention deadline. 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 (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on the eLibrary link, click on ‘‘General Search’’ and enter the docket number in the ‘‘Docket Number’’ field, excluding the last three digits (i.e., PF20–1). 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 all formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings. Public sessions or site visits will be posted on the Commission’s calendar located at https://www.ferc.gov/newsevents/eventsalong with other related information. Dated: July 9, 2020. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2020–15262 Filed 7–21–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. CP20–455–000] Freeport LNG Development, L.P., FLNG Liquefaction, LLC, FLNG Liquefaction 2, LLC, FLNG Liquefaction 3, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Noble Gas 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 Noble Gas Project involving construction and operation of facilities by Freeport LNG Development, L.P., FLNG Liquefaction, LLC, FLNG Liquefaction 2, LLC, and FLNG Liquefaction 3, LLC (together referred to as Freeport LNG) in Brazoria County, Texas. The Commission will use this EA E:\FR\FM\22JYN1.SGM 22JYN1 44292 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 141 / Wednesday, July 22, 2020 / Notices jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES in its decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the public interest. This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested agencies about issues regarding the project. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could result from its action whenever it considers the issuance of an authorization. NEPA also requires the Commission to discover 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 issues to address in the EA. To ensure that your comments are timely and properly recorded, please submit your comments so that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 17, 2020. You can make a difference by submitting 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. Commission staff will consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EA. If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the opening of this docket on May 13, 2020, you will need to file those comments in Docket No. CP20–455–000 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. Public Participation The Commission offers a free service called eSubscription which makes it easy to stay informed of all issuances and submittals regarding the dockets/ projects to which you subscribe. These instant email notifications are the fastest way to receive notification and provide a link to the document files which can reduce the amount of time you spend researching proceedings. Go to https:// www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to register for eSubscription. For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit your VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:11 Jul 21, 2020 Jkt 250001 comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208–3676 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, which is located on the Commission’s website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to FERC Online. Using eComment 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, which is located on the Commission’s website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to FERC Online. 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. You will be asked to select the type of filing you are making; a comment on a particular project is considered a Comment on a Filing; or (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to the following address using the U.S. Postal Service. Be sure to reference the project docket number (CP20–455–000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be sent to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 2225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852. Summary of the Proposed Project Freeport LNG requests authorization to site, construct, and operate modifications to Freeport LNG’s existing Pretreatment Facility in Brazoria County, Texas, to allow for the extraction of helium from the existing compressed boil-off gas (BOG) pipeline. The Pretreatment Facility is part of the Freeport LNG Terminal facilities, and is located about 1.5 miles from the Freeport LNG Terminal facilities on Quintana Island. The modifications to the Pretreatment Facility include tie-ins to the BOG pipeline, a firewater system, and a nitrogen utility unit at the Pretreatment Facility. The purpose is to support the extraction of helium from the BOG pipeline. These tie-ins, along with a non-jurisdictional helium extraction and purification plant and associated non-jurisdictional electric supply tie-in, are referred to collectively as the Noble Gas Project (Project). PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.1 Land Requirements for Construction The Project would be located entirely within Freeport LNG’s existing Pretreatment Facility. Construction would affect about 3.6 acres and operation would affect less than 0.1 acre of land within the current Pretreatment Facility footprint. A 9.9-acre existing access road would be used during construction of the Project. The EA Process The EA 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 and wetlands; • vegetation and wildlife; • threatened and endangered species; • cultural resources; • land use; • air quality and noise; • public safety; and • cumulative impacts. Commission staff 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 Commission staffs’ independent analysis of the issues. The EA will be available in electronic format in the public record through eLibrary 2 and the Commission’s natural gas environmental documents web page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/ natural-gas/environment/ environmental-documents). If eSubscribed, you will receive instant email notification when the EA is issued. The EA may be issued for an allotted public comment period. Commission staff will consider all comments on the EA before making recommendations to the Commission. To ensure Commission staff have the opportunity to address your comments, please carefully follow the instructions in the Public Participation section, beginning on page 2. With this notice, the Commission is asking agencies with jurisdiction by law 1 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. 2 For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice. E:\FR\FM\22JYN1.SGM 22JYN1 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 141 / Wednesday, July 22, 2020 / Notices and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues of this project to formally cooperate 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. Consultation 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, the Commission is using this notice to initiate consultation with the applicable State Historic Preservation Office, 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 The EA for this project will document findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize the status of consultations under section 106. jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD 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. Commission staff will update the environmental mailing list as the analysis proceeds to ensure that Commission notices related to this environmental review are sent to all individuals, organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the proposed project. If the Commission issues the EA for an allotted public comment period, a Notice of Availability of the EA will be sent to the environmental mailing list and will provide instructions to access the electronic document on the FERC’s 3 The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1501.6. 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. VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:11 Jul 21, 2020 Jkt 250001 website (www.ferc.gov). If you need to make changes to your name/address, or if you would like to remove your name from the mailing list, please return the attached Mailing List Update Form (appendix 2). 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 in the Docket Number field, excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP20–455). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or (866) 208–3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502–8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the texts of all formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings. Public sessions or site visits will be posted on the Commission’s calendar located at https://www.ferc.gov/newsevents/events along with other related information. Dated: July 16, 2020. Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr., Deputy Secretary. [FR Doc. 2020–15877 Filed 7–21–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. CP20–494–000] Texas Eastern Transmission, LP; Notice of Request Under Blanket Authorization Take notice that on July 6, 2020, Texas Eastern Transmission, LP (Texas Eastern), 5400 Westheimer Court, Houston, Texas 77056, filed in Docket No. CP20–494–000 a prior notice request pursuant to sections 157.205 and 157.216 of the Commission’s regulations under the Natural Gas Act (NGA), and Texas Eastern’s blanket certificate issued in Docket No. CP82– 535–000, to abandon a supply lateral and related facilities located in offshore federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico near Louisiana. Specifically Texas Eastern intends to: (i) Abandon in place approximately 3.53 miles of its 12-inch Line 40–G–1 from milepost (MP) 0.00 in West Delta Block 87 to approximately MP 3.53 in West Delta Block 86, and (ii) PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 44293 abandon by removal metering and regulating (M&R) station 72137 and approximately 0.07 miles of connecting 12-inch Line 40–G–1 pipeline from MP 3.53 to MP 3.60 on Platform A, West Delta Block 86. (Line 40–G–1 Abandonment Project). In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the Federal Register, the Commission provides all interested persons an opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this document via the internet through the Commission’s Home Page (https:// ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to access the document. At this time, the Commission has suspended access to the Commission’s Public Reference Room, due to the proclamation declaring a National Emergency concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID–19), issued by the President on March 13, 2020. For assistance, contact FERC at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or call toll-free, (886) 208–3676 or TYY, (202) 502–8659. Any questions concerning this application may be directed to Lisa A. Connolly, Director, Rates & Certificates, Texas Eastern Transmission, LP, P.O. Box 1642, Houston, Texas 77251–1642, by telephone at (713) 627–4102, by fax at (713) 627–5947, or by email at lisa.connolly@enbridge.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 record (eLibrary) for this proceeding, or issue a Notice of Schedule for Environmental Review. If a Notice of Schedule for Environmental Review is issued, it will indicate, among other milestones, the anticipated date for the E:\FR\FM\22JYN1.SGM 22JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 141 (Wednesday, July 22, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44291-44293]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15877]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP20-455-000]


Freeport LNG Development, L.P., FLNG Liquefaction, LLC, FLNG 
Liquefaction 2, LLC, FLNG Liquefaction 3, LLC; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Noble Gas 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 Noble Gas Project involving 
construction and operation of facilities by Freeport LNG Development, 
L.P., FLNG Liquefaction, LLC, FLNG Liquefaction 2, LLC, and FLNG 
Liquefaction 3, LLC (together referred to as Freeport LNG) in Brazoria 
County, Texas. The Commission will use this EA

[[Page 44292]]

in its decision-making process to determine whether the project is in 
the public interest.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the 
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested 
agencies about issues regarding the project. The National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to take into account the 
environmental impacts that could result from its action whenever it 
considers the issuance of an authorization. NEPA also requires the 
Commission to discover 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 issues to address in the EA. To ensure that 
your comments are timely and properly recorded, please submit your 
comments so that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or 
before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 17, 2020.
    You can make a difference by submitting 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. Commission 
staff will consider all filed comments during the preparation of the 
EA.
    If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the 
opening of this docket on May 13, 2020, you will need to file those 
comments in Docket No. CP20-455-000 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.

Public Participation

    The Commission offers a free service called eSubscription which 
makes it easy to stay informed of all issuances and submittals 
regarding the dockets/projects to which you subscribe. These instant 
email notifications are the fastest way to receive notification and 
provide a link to the document files which can reduce the amount of 
time you spend researching proceedings. Go to https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to register for eSubscription.
    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 staff available to assist you at (866) 208-
3676 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, which is located on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) 
under the link to FERC Online. Using eComment 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, which is located on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) 
under the link to FERC Online. 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. You will be asked to select the type of filing you are 
making; a comment on a particular project is considered a Comment on a 
Filing; or
    (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to 
the following address using the U.S. Postal Service. Be sure to 
reference the project docket number (CP20-455-000) with your 
submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. 
Submissions sent via any other carrier must be sent to: Kimberly D. 
Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 2225 Wilkins 
Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Freeport LNG requests authorization to site, construct, and operate 
modifications to Freeport LNG's existing Pretreatment Facility in 
Brazoria County, Texas, to allow for the extraction of helium from the 
existing compressed boil-off gas (BOG) pipeline. The Pretreatment 
Facility is part of the Freeport LNG Terminal facilities, and is 
located about 1.5 miles from the Freeport LNG Terminal facilities on 
Quintana Island. The modifications to the Pretreatment Facility include 
tie-ins to the BOG pipeline, a firewater system, and a nitrogen utility 
unit at the Pretreatment Facility. The purpose is to support the 
extraction of helium from the BOG pipeline. These tie-ins, along with a 
non-jurisdictional helium extraction and purification plant and 
associated non-jurisdictional electric supply tie-in, are referred to 
collectively as the Noble Gas Project (Project).
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
1.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ 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

    The Project would be located entirely within Freeport LNG's 
existing Pretreatment Facility. Construction would affect about 3.6 
acres and operation would affect less than 0.1 acre of land within the 
current Pretreatment Facility footprint. A 9.9-acre existing access 
road would be used during construction of the Project.

The EA Process

    The EA 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 and wetlands;
     vegetation and wildlife;
     threatened and endangered species;
     cultural resources;
     land use;
     air quality and noise;
     public safety; and
     cumulative impacts.
    Commission staff 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 Commission staffs' independent analysis of the 
issues. The EA will be available in electronic format in the public 
record through eLibrary \2\ and the Commission's natural gas 
environmental documents web page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents). If eSubscribed, you 
will receive instant email notification when the EA is issued. The EA 
may be issued for an allotted public comment period. Commission staff 
will consider all comments on the EA before making recommendations to 
the Commission. To ensure Commission staff have the opportunity to 
address your comments, please carefully follow the instructions in the 
Public Participation section, beginning on page 2.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the 
last page of this notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    With this notice, the Commission is asking agencies with 
jurisdiction by law

[[Page 44293]]

and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues of 
this project to formally cooperate 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Consultation 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, the Commission is using this notice to initiate 
consultation with the applicable State Historic Preservation Office, 
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\ The EA for this project will 
document findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize 
the status of consultations under section 106.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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. Commission staff will update the environmental 
mailing list as the analysis proceeds to ensure that Commission notices 
related to this environmental review are sent to all individuals, 
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially 
affected by the proposed project.
    If the Commission issues the EA for an allotted public comment 
period, a Notice of Availability of the EA will be sent to the 
environmental mailing list and will provide instructions to access the 
electronic document on the FERC's website (www.ferc.gov). If you need 
to make changes to your name/address, or if you would like to remove 
your name from the mailing list, please return the attached Mailing 
List Update Form (appendix 2).

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 in 
the Docket Number field, excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP20-
455). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For 
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or (866) 208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 
502-8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the texts of all 
formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and 
rulemakings.
    Public sessions or site visits will be posted on the Commission's 
calendar located at https://www.ferc.gov/news-events/events along with 
other related information.

    Dated: July 16, 2020.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-15877 Filed 7-21-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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