Rio Bravo Pipeline Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Rio Bravo Pipeline Project Amendment, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 46616-46619 [2020-16810]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 149 / Monday, August 3, 2020 / Notices
Description: Baseline eTariff Filing:
MBR Application to be effective 9/25/
2020.
Filed Date: 7/27/20.
Accession Number: 20200727–5167.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 8/17/20.
Docket Numbers: ER20–2516–000.
Applicants: Southwest Power Pool,
Inc.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
Tariff Clean-Up Filing Effective
20200701 to be effective 7/1/2020.
Filed Date: 7/28/20.
Accession Number: 20200728–5046.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 8/18/20.
Docket Numbers: ER20–2517–000.
Applicants: Northern Colorado
Interconnect, LLC.
Description: Baseline eTariff Filing:
NorCol Interconnect, NorCol & NorCol II
SFA to be effective 8/28/2020.
Filed Date: 7/28/20.
Accession Number: 20200728–5053.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 8/18/20.
Docket Numbers: ER20–2518–000.
Applicants: New England Power Pool
Participants Committee, ISO New
England Inc.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing: ISO–
NE & NEPOOL; Revisions to ISO
Information Policy Re: Defaulting
Participants to be effective 10/1/2020.
Filed Date: 7/28/20.
Accession Number: 20200728–5065.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 8/18/20.
Docket Numbers: ER20–2519–000.
Applicants: East Line Solar, LLC.
Description: Baseline eTariff Filing:
East Line Solar, LLC MBR Tariff to be
effective 7/29/2020.
Filed Date: 7/28/20.
Accession Number: 20200728–5076.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 8/18/20.
Docket Numbers: ER20–2520–000.
Applicants: PJM Interconnection,
L.L.C.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
Original ISA, SA No. 5692; Queue No.
AF1–198 to be effective 6/30/2020.
Filed Date: 7/28/20.
Accession Number: 20200728–5084.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 8/18/20.
Docket Numbers: ER20–2521–000.
Applicants: PJM Interconnection,
L.L.C.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
Original ISA, SA No. 5689; Queue No.
AF1–193 to be effective 6/29/2020.
Filed Date: 7/28/20.
Accession Number: 20200728–5091.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 8/18/20.
Docket Numbers: ER20–2522–000.
Applicants: Duke Energy Florida,
LLC.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
DEF—Bartow Amended and Restated
NITSA SA–145 to be effective 10/1/
2020.
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Filed Date: 7/28/20.
Accession Number: 20200728–5092.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 8/18/20.
Docket Numbers: ER20–2523–000.
Applicants: PJM Interconnection,
L.L.C.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
Original WMPA SA No. 5722; Queue No
AF1–210 to be effective 6/30/2020.
Filed Date: 7/28/20.
Accession Number: 20200728–5093.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 8/18/20.
Docket Numbers: ER20–2524–000.
Applicants: Weaver Wind, LLC.
Description: Baseline eTariff Filing:
Market-Based Rate Application to be
effective 9/27/2020.
Filed Date: 7/28/20.
Accession Number: 20200728–5095.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 8/18/20.
Docket Numbers: ER20–2525–000.
Applicants: Westlands Transmission,
LLC.
Description: Baseline eTariff Filing:
Rate Schedule FERC No. 1,
Transmission Service Agreement to be
effective 9/28/2020.
Filed Date: 7/28/20.
Accession Number: 20200728–5096.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 8/18/20.
Docket Numbers: ER20–2526–000.
Applicants: Weaver Wind Maine
Master Tenant, LLC.
Description: Baseline eTariff Filing:
Market-Based Rate Application to be
effective 9/27/2020.
Filed Date: 7/28/20.
Accession Number: 20200728–5099.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 8/18/20.
Take notice that the Commission
received the following foreign utility
company status filings:
Docket Numbers: FC20–12–000.
Applicants: I Squared Capital.
Description: Self-Certification of FC of
I Squared Capital.
Filed Date: 7/27/20.
Accession Number: 20200727–5139.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 8/17/20.
Docket Numbers: FC20–13–000.
Applicants: I Squared Capital.
Description: Self-Certification of FC of
I Squared Capital.
Filed Date: 7/27/20.
Accession Number: 20200727–5144.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 8/17/20.
The filings are accessible in the
Commission’s eLibrary system (https://
elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/search/
fercgensearch.asp) by 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
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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: July 28, 2020.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020–16809 Filed 7–31–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP20–481–000]
Rio Bravo Pipeline Company, LLC;
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the
Proposed Rio Bravo Pipeline Project
Amendment, 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 Rio Bravo Pipeline Project
Amendment (Project Amendment)
involving construction and operation of
facilities by Rio Bravo Pipeline
Company, LLC (RB Pipeline) in Jim
Wells, Kleberg, Kenedy, Willacy, and
Cameron Counties, Texas. 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 about issues
regarding the Project Amendment. 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 a
Certificate of Public Convenience and
Necessity. 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
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 149 / Monday, August 3, 2020 / Notices
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 27, 2020.
Comments may be submitted in written
form.
Further details on how to submit
comments are provided in the Public
Participation section of this notice.
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 written comments
during the preparation of the EA.
If you sent comments on this project
to the Commission before the opening of
this docket on June 16, 2020, you will
need to file those comments in Docket
No. CP20–481- 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
easement agreement. You are not
required to enter into an agreement.
However, if the Commission approves
the Project Amendment, the Natural Gas
Act conveys the right of eminent
domain to the company. Therefore, if
you and the company do not reach an
easement agreement, the pipeline
company could initiate condemnation
proceedings in court. In such instances,
compensation would be determined by
a judge in accordance with state law.
RB Pipeline 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) under the
natural gas Landowner Topics link.
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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
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
Commission. Be sure to reference the
project docket number (CP20–481–000)
on your letter. Submissions sent via the
U.S. Postal Service must be addressed
to: 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 addressed to:
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225
Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
Please note this is not your only
public input opportunity; please refer to
the review process flow chart in
appendix 1.1
1 The appendices referenced in this notice will
not appear in the Federal Register. Copies of the
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
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Summary of the Proposed Project
RB Pipeline proposes to modify the
facilities approved in the Commission’s
Order Granting Authorizations under
Sections 3 and 7 of the Natural Gas Act
(Order) issued on November 22, 2019.
The Rio Bravo Pipeline, as authorized,
consists of a 2.4-mile-long, 42-inchdiameter pipeline, including 0.8 mile of
dual pipeline (referred to as the Header
System) in Kleber and Jim Wells
Counties; 135.5 miles of parallel 42inch-diameter pipelines originating in
Kleberg County and terminating at Rio
Grande LNG, LLC’s Rio Grande
liquefied natural gas (LNG) Terminal in
Cameron County (referred to as
Pipelines 1 and 2); four metering sites
along the Header System; two
interconnect booster compressor
stations, each with a metering site; three
compressor stations (one at the Rio
Grande LNG Terminal); and other
associated utilities, systems, and
facilities, all in Texas.
As part of the Project Amendment, RB
Pipeline proposes the following
pipeline facility modifications:
• Decrease the maximum allowable
operating pressure (MAOP) of the 2.4mile-long Header System pipeline from
1,480 pounds per square inch gauge
(psig) to 1,200 psig;
• construct an extension of 0.2 mile
of mainline pipeline for each Pipeline 1
and 2 for a total of 135.7 miles each;
• increase the diameter of Pipeline 1
from 42 inches to 48 inches and
increase the MAOP of both pipelines
from 1,480 psig to 1,825 psig (Pipeline
2 will remain a 42-inch-diameter
pipeline); and
• increase the transportation capacity
of Pipeline 1 from 2.25 billion cubic feet
per day (Bcf/d) to 2.6 Bcf/d, and
decrease the transportation capacity of
Pipeline 2 from 2.25 Bcf/d to 1.9 Bcf/d,
resulting in the total authorized capacity
of 4.5 Bcf/d remaining unchanged.
The Project Amendment also includes
modifications to the following
aboveground facilities that are
authorized (but as yet unbuilt) along the
Rio Bravo Pipeline right-of- way:
• Eliminate Compressor Station 2 in
Kenedy County;
• eliminate Compressor Station 3
within the Rio Grande LNG Terminal in
Cameron County, except for a meter and
other ancillary facilities within the LNG
Terminal;
• eliminate all facilities associated
with Booster Stations 1 and 2, including
Commission’s Public Reference Room, 888 First
Street NE, Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 5028371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary,
refer to the last page of this notice.
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related meter stations, in Kenedy
County; and
• increase the horsepower (hp) at
Compressor Station 1 from 180,000 hp
to 282,000 hp by switching from six
30,000-hp natural gas compressor units
to four 43,000-hp natural gas
compressor units and two 55,000-hp
compressor units.
The general location of the project
facilities is shown in appendix 2.
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Land Requirements for Construction
The Rio Bravo Pipeline system, as
authorized, will affect about 2,501.2
acres during construction; and about
1,330 acres of land would be retained
for permanent use during operation. The
Project Amendment would modify those
totals to affect 2,457.8 acres during
construction and 1,286.7 acres during
operation; the reduction in land
requirements would be due in large part
to the elimination of Compressor Station
2 and Booster Stations 1 and 2.
The EA Process
The EA will discuss impacts that
could occur as a result of the
construction and operation of the
Project Amendment under these general
headings:
• geology and soils;
• water resources and wetlands;
• vegetation and wildlife;
• threatened and endangered species;
• cultural resources;
• socioeconomics;
• 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
staff’s 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
2 For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer
to the last page of this notice.
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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
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.
Currently Identified Environmental
Issues
Commission staff have already
identified several issues that deserve
attention based on a preliminary review
of the proposed facilities and the
environmental information provided by
RB Pipeline. This preliminary list of
environmental issues may change based
on your comments and our analysis:
• alternative systems analysis;
• visual resources;
• pipeline safety associated with the
increased diameter and capacity of
Pipelines 1 and 2;
• air quality impacts associated with
the pipeline and aboveground
facilities;
• noise impacts associated with
pipeline construction and operation;
• cumulative impacts; and
• climate change.
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.
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Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list for the
Project Amendment 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-ofway 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 and includes a mailing address
with their comments. 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 3).
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.,
CP20–481). 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.
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 149 / Monday, August 3, 2020 / Notices
Dated: July 28, 2020.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020–16810 Filed 7–31–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Project No. 77–298; Project No. 77–285]
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NOI Parties; Notice Soliciting Scoping
Comments
Take notice that the following
hydroelectric application has been filed
with Commission and is available for
public inspection:
a. Type of Application: Major, new
license.
b. Project Nos.: P–77–298; P–77–285.
c. Date filed: June 28, 2019.
d. Applicant: NOI Parties (the NOI
Parties are proxies for a new Regional
Entity that ultimately would be the
license applicant for the project. The
Regional Entity has not yet been formed
under California law, but once formed,
the Regional Entity would supplant the
NOI Parties in this Integrated Licensing
Process [ILP] proceeding. The NOI
Parties are Mendocino County Inland
Water Agency and Power Commission;
Sonoma County Water Agency;
California Trout, Inc.; County of
Humboldt, California; and the Round
Valley Indian Tribes).
e. Name of Project: Potter Valley
Project.
f. Location: On the Eel and East Fork
Russian Rivers in Lake and Mendocino
Counties, California, about 15 miles
northeast of the City of Ukiah. The
existing 9.959-megawatt (MW) Potter
Valley Project occupies lands owned by
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (2,328
acres), National Forest System Lands
administered by the United States
Forest Service, Mendocino National
Forest (1,146 acres), and privatelyowned lands (41 acres).
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power
Act, 16 U.S.C. 791a—825u.
h. Applicant Contacts: Grant Davis,
General Manager, Sonoma County Water
Agency, 404 Aviation Boulevard, Santa
Rosa, CA 95403, (707) 547–1900,
Grant.Davis@scwa.ca.gov; Janet Pauli,
Chair, Mendocino County Inland Water
and Power Commission, P.O. Box 1247,
Ukiah, CA 95482, (707) 743–1173,
pauli@mendoiwpc.com; Curtis Knight,
Executive Director, California Trout, 360
Pine Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco,
CA 94104, (415) 392–8887, cknight@
caltrout.org; and Hank Seemann,
Deputy Director—Environmental
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20:39 Jul 31, 2020
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Services, Humboldt County Public
Works Department, 1106 Second Street,
Eureka, CA 95501, (707) 268–2680,
hseemann@co.humboldt.ca.us.
i. FERC Contact: Quinn Emmering,
quinn.emmering@ferc.gov, 202–502–
6382.
j. Cooperating agencies: Federal, state,
local, and tribal agencies with
jurisdiction and/or special expertise
with respect to environmental issues
that wish to cooperate in the
preparation of the environmental
document should follow the
instructions for filing such requests
described in item o below. Cooperating
agencies should note the Commission’s
policy that agencies that cooperate in
the preparation of the environmental
document cannot also intervene. See 94
FERC 61,076 (2001).
k. Please note that on April 6, 2017,
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
(PG&E) initiated the Commission’s
Integrated Licensing Process (ILP) to
relicense the Potter Valley Project by
filing, pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6, a Notice
of Intent (NOI) and Pre-Application
Document (PAD), which included a
proposed process plan and schedule.
However, on January 25, 2019, PG&E
filed a notice of withdrawal indicating
that it was discontinuing its efforts to
relicense the project, which became
effective on February 11, 2019. As a
result, on March 1, 2019, the
Commission issued a Notice Soliciting
Applications for interested applicants to
file NOIs, PADs, and requests to
complete the pre-filing stages of the
relicensing process.
On June 28, 2019, the NOI Parties
filed a NOI to seek a new license for the
project and that it incorporates by
reference PG&E’s PAD as part of the
project record as all the general
information on the existing project is
the same. On August 1, 2019, the
Commission issued a public notice of
the NOI Parties’ intent to continue the
ILP initiated by PG&E and file a final
license application by April 14, 2022.
On May 13, 2020, the NOI Parties filed
a Feasibility Study Report, which
includes information on the proposed
Regional Entity to operate and maintain
the project and its proposed changes to
project facilities and operations from
what PG&E originally proposed.
Therefore, in addition to the Feasibility
Study Report and NOI, participants
should also refer to PG&E’s PAD for
general information about existing
project facilities, project operations, and
environmental resources in the project
area.
l. Deadline for filing scoping
comments: August 27, 2020.
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46619
The Commission strongly encourages
electronic filing. Please file scoping
comments using the Commission’s
eFiling system at https://
ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx.
Commenters can submit brief comments
up to 6,000 characters, without prior
registration, using the eComment system
at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/
QuickComment.aspx. You must include
your name and contact information at
the end of your comments. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online
Support at FERCOnlineSupport@
ferc.gov, (866) 208–3676 (toll free), or
(202) 502–8659 (TTY). In lieu of
electronic filing, you may submit a
paper copy. Submissions sent via the
U.S. Postal Service must be addressed
to: 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 addressed to:
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225
Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland
20852. The first page of any filing
should include docket number P–77–
298.
The Commission’s Rules of Practice
and Procedure require all interveners
filing documents with the Commission
to serve a copy of that document on
each person on the official service list
for the project. Further, if an intervener
files comments or documents with the
Commission relating to the merits of an
issue that may affect the responsibilities
of a particular resource agency, it must
also serve a copy of the document on
that resource agency.
m. This application is not ready for
environmental analysis at this time.
n. The Potter Valley Project stores
winter runoff from the upper Eel River
Basin and annually diverts an average of
approximately 60,000 acre-feet of Eel
River water into the Russian River to
generate hydroelectric power, provide
water to local water users, and meet
regulatory streamflow requirements for
the Eel River and East Branch Russian
River.
Existing project facilities include: (1)
Lake Pillsbury, a 2,275-acre storage
reservoir with a current storage capacity
of 76,876 acre-feet at normal maximum
water surface elevation (NMWSE) of
1,828.3 feet impounded by Scott Dam
on the Eel River; (2) Scott Dam, a 130foot-high, 805-foot-long, concrete
gravity dam with an ogee-shaped,
overflow spillway structure with five
32-foot-wide, 10-foot-high, radial gates,
and 26 10-foot-high, 7.5- to 10-footwide, steel slide gates; (3) a 72-inchdiameter, riveted-steel outlet pipe
passing through Scott Dam at invert
E:\FR\FM\03AUN1.SGM
03AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 149 (Monday, August 3, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46616-46619]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16810]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP20-481-000]
Rio Bravo Pipeline Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Rio Bravo Pipeline Project
Amendment, 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 Rio Bravo Pipeline Project
Amendment (Project Amendment) involving construction and operation of
facilities by Rio Bravo Pipeline Company, LLC (RB Pipeline) in Jim
Wells, Kleberg, Kenedy, Willacy, and Cameron Counties, Texas. 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 about issues regarding the Project Amendment. 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 a Certificate of Public
Convenience and Necessity. 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
[[Page 46617]]
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 27, 2020. Comments may be
submitted in written form.
Further details on how to submit comments are provided in the
Public Participation section of this notice.
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 written comments during the preparation of the
EA.
If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on June 16, 2020, you will need to file those
comments in Docket No. CP20-481- 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 easement agreement. You
are not required to enter into an agreement. However, if the Commission
approves the Project Amendment, the Natural Gas Act conveys the right
of eminent domain to the company. Therefore, if you and the company do
not reach an easement agreement, the pipeline company could initiate
condemnation proceedings in court. In such instances, compensation
would be determined by a judge in accordance with state law.
RB Pipeline 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) under the natural gas Landowner Topics
link.
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 Commission. Be sure to reference the project docket number (CP20-
481-000) on your letter. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service
must be addressed to: 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 addressed to:
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
Please note this is not your only public input opportunity; please
refer to the review process flow chart in appendix 1.\1\
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\1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in
the Federal Register. Copies of the 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.
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Summary of the Proposed Project
RB Pipeline proposes to modify the facilities approved in the
Commission's Order Granting Authorizations under Sections 3 and 7 of
the Natural Gas Act (Order) issued on November 22, 2019. The Rio Bravo
Pipeline, as authorized, consists of a 2.4-mile-long, 42-inch-diameter
pipeline, including 0.8 mile of dual pipeline (referred to as the
Header System) in Kleber and Jim Wells Counties; 135.5 miles of
parallel 42-inch-diameter pipelines originating in Kleberg County and
terminating at Rio Grande LNG, LLC's Rio Grande liquefied natural gas
(LNG) Terminal in Cameron County (referred to as Pipelines 1 and 2);
four metering sites along the Header System; two interconnect booster
compressor stations, each with a metering site; three compressor
stations (one at the Rio Grande LNG Terminal); and other associated
utilities, systems, and facilities, all in Texas.
As part of the Project Amendment, RB Pipeline proposes the
following pipeline facility modifications:
Decrease the maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP)
of the 2.4- mile-long Header System pipeline from 1,480 pounds per
square inch gauge (psig) to 1,200 psig;
construct an extension of 0.2 mile of mainline pipeline
for each Pipeline 1 and 2 for a total of 135.7 miles each;
increase the diameter of Pipeline 1 from 42 inches to 48
inches and increase the MAOP of both pipelines from 1,480 psig to 1,825
psig (Pipeline 2 will remain a 42-inch-diameter pipeline); and
increase the transportation capacity of Pipeline 1 from
2.25 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) to 2.6 Bcf/d, and decrease the
transportation capacity of Pipeline 2 from 2.25 Bcf/d to 1.9 Bcf/d,
resulting in the total authorized capacity of 4.5 Bcf/d remaining
unchanged.
The Project Amendment also includes modifications to the following
aboveground facilities that are authorized (but as yet unbuilt) along
the Rio Bravo Pipeline right-of- way:
Eliminate Compressor Station 2 in Kenedy County;
eliminate Compressor Station 3 within the Rio Grande LNG
Terminal in Cameron County, except for a meter and other ancillary
facilities within the LNG Terminal;
eliminate all facilities associated with Booster Stations
1 and 2, including
[[Page 46618]]
related meter stations, in Kenedy County; and
increase the horsepower (hp) at Compressor Station 1 from
180,000 hp to 282,000 hp by switching from six 30,000-hp natural gas
compressor units to four 43,000-hp natural gas compressor units and two
55,000-hp compressor units.
The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
2.
Land Requirements for Construction
The Rio Bravo Pipeline system, as authorized, will affect about
2,501.2 acres during construction; and about 1,330 acres of land would
be retained for permanent use during operation. The Project Amendment
would modify those totals to affect 2,457.8 acres during construction
and 1,286.7 acres during operation; the reduction in land requirements
would be due in large part to the elimination of Compressor Station 2
and Booster Stations 1 and 2.
The EA Process
The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the
construction and operation of the Project Amendment under these general
headings:
geology and soils;
water resources and wetlands;
vegetation and wildlife;
threatened and endangered species;
cultural resources;
socioeconomics;
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 staff's 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.
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\2\ For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the
last page of this notice.
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With this notice, the Commission is asking agencies with
jurisdiction by law 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.
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\3\ 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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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.
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\4\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's regulations
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Those
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic
Places.
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Currently Identified Environmental Issues
Commission staff have already identified several issues that
deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed
facilities and the environmental information provided by RB Pipeline.
This preliminary list of environmental issues may change based on your
comments and our analysis:
alternative systems analysis;
visual resources;
pipeline safety associated with the increased diameter and
capacity of Pipelines 1 and 2;
air quality impacts associated with the pipeline and
aboveground facilities;
noise impacts associated with pipeline construction and
operation;
cumulative impacts; and
climate change.
Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list for the Project Amendment 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 and includes a mailing
address with their comments. 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 3).
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-
481). 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.
[[Page 46619]]
Dated: July 28, 2020.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-16810 Filed 7-31-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
