Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Northern Lights 2021 Expansion Project, 83073-83074 [2020-28095]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 245 / Monday, December 21, 2020 / Notices
The Commission strongly encourages
electronic filings of comments, protests
and interventions in lieu of paper using
the eFile link at https://www.ferc.gov.
Persons unable to file electronically may
mail similar pleadings to the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426.
Hand delivered submissions in
docketed proceedings should be
delivered to Health and Human
Services, 12225 Wilkins Avenue,
Rockville, Maryland 20852.
Comment Date: 5:00 p.m. Eastern
Time on December 30, 2020.
Dated: December 15, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020–28089 Filed 12–18–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Combined Notice of Filings
Take notice that the Commission has
received the following Natural Gas
Pipeline Rate and Refund Report filings:
Docket Numbers: RP21–308–000.
Applicants: Algonquin Gas
Transmission, LLC.
Description: § 4(d) Rate Filing:
Negotiated Rate—CNG Amended NRA
510796 to be effective 12/15/2020.
Filed Date: 12/14/20.
Accession Number: 20201214–5065.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 12/28/20.
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
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.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
22:33 Dec 18, 2020
Jkt 253001
Dated: December 15, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020–28093 Filed 12–18–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP20–503–000]
Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice
of Availability of the Environmental
Assessment for the Proposed Northern
Lights 2021 Expansion Project
The staff of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared an
environmental assessment (EA) for the
Northern Lights 2021 Expansion Project
(Project), proposed by Northern Natural
Gas Company (Northern) in the abovereferenced docket. Northern requests
authorization to construct the Project,
which will consist of (1) an 0.80-milelong extension of its 24-inch-diameter
Willmar D Branch Line; (2) a 0.63-milelong 24-inch-diameter Carlton
Interconnect Loop; (3) replacement of
the 0.08-mile-long 8-inch-diameter
Viking Interconnect Branch Line with a
12-inch-diameter branch line of the
same length; (4) a new compressor
station (Hinckley Compressor Station);
(5) modifications of the Pierz
Compressor Station and Interconnect;
and (6) additional above-grade facilities
including a launcher, receiver, and
valve setting. The Project facilities
would be in Dakota, Scott, Carlton,
Morrison, and Pine counties in
Minnesota.
The EA assesses the potential
environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the
Northern Lights 2021 Expansion Project
in accordance with the requirements of
the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). FERC staff concludes that
approval of the proposed Project, with
appropriate mitigating measures, would
not constitute a major federal action
significantly affecting the quality of the
human environment.
The Commission mailed a copy of the
Notice of Availability to federal, state,
and local government representatives
and agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest
groups; Native American tribes;
potentially affected landowners and
other interested individuals and groups;
and newspapers and libraries in the
project area. The EA is only available in
electronic format. It may be viewed and
downloaded from the FERC’s website
PO 00000
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83073
(www.ferc.gov), on the natural gas
environmental documents page (https://
www.ferc.gov/industries-data/naturalgas/environment/environmentaldocuments). In addition, the EA may be
accessed by using the eLibrary link on
the FERC’s website. Click on the
eLibrary link (https://elibrary.ferc.gov/
eLibrary/search), select General Search
and enter the docket number in the
Docket Number field, excluding the last
three digits (i.e. CP20–503). 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 EA is not a decision document.
It presents Commission staff’s
independent analysis of the
environmental issues for the
Commission to consider when
addressing the merits of all issues in
this proceeding. Any person wishing to
comment on the EA may do so. Your
comments should focus on the EA’s
disclosure and discussion of potential
environmental effects, reasonable
alternatives, and measures to avoid or
lessen environmental impacts. The more
specific your comments, the more useful
they will be. To ensure that the
Commission has the opportunity to
consider your comments prior to
making its decision on this project, it is
important that we receive your
comments in Washington, DC on or
before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on
January 14, 2021.
For your convenience, there are three
methods you can use to file 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 on the Commission’s website
(www.ferc.gov) under the link to FERC
Online. This is an easy method for
submitting brief, text-only comments on
a project;
(2) You can also file your comments
electronically using the eFiling feature
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 must select the type of
filing you are making. If you are filing
a comment on a particular project,
please select ‘‘Comment on a Filing’’; or
E:\FR\FM\21DEN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 245 / Monday, December 21, 2020 / Notices
(3) You can file a paper copy of your
comments by mailing them to the
Commission. Be sure to reference the
project docket number (CP20–503–000)
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, Maryland
20852.
Filing environmental comments will
not give you intervenor status, but you
do not need intervenor status to have
your comments considered. Only
intervenors have the right to seek
rehearing or judicial review of the
Commission’s decision. At this point in
this proceeding, the timeframe for filing
timely intervention requests has
expired. Any person seeking to become
a party to the proceeding must file a
motion to intervene out-of-time
pursuant to Rule 214(b)(3) and (d) of the
Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedures (18 CFR 385.214(b)(3) and
(d)) and show good cause why the time
limitation should be waived. Motions to
intervene are more fully described at
https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/ferconline/how-guides.
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. The eLibrary link also
provides access to the texts of all 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 https://www.ferc.gov/
ferc-online/overview to register for
eSubscription.
Dated: December 15, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020–28095 Filed 12–18–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
VerDate Sep<11>2014
22:33 Dec 18, 2020
Jkt 253001
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration
Reauthorization of Permits,
Maintenance, and Vegetation
Management on Western Area Power
Administration Transmission Lines on
National Forest System Lands,
Colorado, Nebraska, and Utah (DOE/
EIS–0442)
Western Area Power
Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Record of decision.
AGENCY:
PO 00000
Frm 00048
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WAPA is
a Federal power marketing
administration within DOE that markets
and delivers Federal wholesale electric
power (principally hydroelectric power)
to municipalities, rural electric
cooperatives, public utilities, irrigation
districts, Federal and State agencies,
Native American tribes, and other
wholesale customers in 15 western and
central States. WAPA’s Rocky Mountain
Customer Service Region (RM) operates
in Arizona, Colorado, most of Wyoming,
and portions of Kansas, Nebraska, New
Mexico, and Utah.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Western Area Power
Administration (WAPA) has determined
that it will implement the proposed
action, or Project, as described in the
Reauthorization of Maintenance and
Vegetation Management on Western
Area Power Administration
Transmission Lines on Forest Service
Lands, Colorado, Nebraska, and Utah
final environmental impact statement
(Final EIS) (DOE/EIS–0442). The
proposed action includes changing
WAPA’s vegetation management and
facility maintenance practices in some
rights-of-way (ROWs) along
approximately 273 miles of electrical
transmission lines on National Forest
System (NFS) lands in Colorado,
Nebraska, and Utah. The U.S. Forest
Service (USFS) was a joint lead agency
on the EIS and proposes to authorize the
changes through new Special Use
Permits (SUPs) and Operations and
Maintenance (O&M) Plans. This Record
of Decision (ROD) was prepared in
accordance with the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ) regulations for
implementing NEPA, and U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) NEPA
regulations.
DATES: The ROD was effective when it
was signed by WAPA’s Administrator
on December 8, 2020. All known
interested parties, agencies, tribes, and
the public will be notified of this ROD
directly via the Project mailing list and
via paid advertising, news releases, or
other appropriate means.
ADDRESSES: The Final EIS, this ROD,
and other Project documents are
available on the Project website at
https://www.wapa.gov/transmission/
EnvironmentalReviewNEPA/Pages/
vegetation-management.aspx.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
additional information on the Project,
the EIS process or this ROD, please
contact Ms. E. Lynn Burkett at
Headquarters A9400, Western Area
Power Administration, P.O. Box 281213,
Lakewood, CO 80228–8213, email
SUMMARY:
burkett@wapa.gov, telephone (720) 962–
7000. For general information on the
DOE NEPA review process, please
contact Brian Costner, Office of NEPA
Policy and Compliance, GC–54, U.S.
Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue SW, Washington,
DC 20585–0119, email AskNEPA@
hq.doe.gov, telephone (202) 586–4600 or
(800) 472–2756, facsimile (202) 586–
7031.
Background
On August 10, 1996, during a period
of high temperatures and high
electricity demand, a transmission line
sagged into filbert trees near Portland,
Oregon, leading to a cascade of power
outages as far away as southern
California. Executive Order 13212,
Actions To Expedite Energy-Related
Projects (May 18, 2001), declared the
increased production and transmission
of energy in a safe and environmentally
sound manner to be essential to the
well-being of the American people and
called for the improvement and
streamlining of cooperation among
Federal agencies to expedite projects
that would increase the production,
transmission, or conservation of energy.
In August 2003, the cascading results of
another equipment failure led to an
enormous power outage in the Northeast
and Midwest, affecting approximately
45 million people in the United States
and 10 million people in Ontario,
Canada. The U.S.-Canada Power System
Outage Task Force found that, again,
transmission line sag into overgrown
trees in rural Ohio sparked the outage.
In response to these outages, Congress
added, as part of the Energy Policy Act
of 2005 (Pub. L. 109–58), a new section
215 to the Federal Power Act. Among
other things, the new section 215
authorized the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) to
certify an ‘‘Electric Reliability
Organization’’ to create mandatory and
enforceable reliability standards, subject
to FERC review and approval. FERC
certified the North American Electric
E:\FR\FM\21DEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 245 (Monday, December 21, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 83073-83074]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-28095]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP20-503-000]
Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Availability of the
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Northern Lights 2021
Expansion Project
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the
Northern Lights 2021 Expansion Project (Project), proposed by Northern
Natural Gas Company (Northern) in the above-referenced docket. Northern
requests authorization to construct the Project, which will consist of
(1) an 0.80-mile-long extension of its 24-inch-diameter Willmar D
Branch Line; (2) a 0.63-mile-long 24-inch-diameter Carlton Interconnect
Loop; (3) replacement of the 0.08-mile-long 8-inch-diameter Viking
Interconnect Branch Line with a 12-inch-diameter branch line of the
same length; (4) a new compressor station (Hinckley Compressor
Station); (5) modifications of the Pierz Compressor Station and
Interconnect; and (6) additional above-grade facilities including a
launcher, receiver, and valve setting. The Project facilities would be
in Dakota, Scott, Carlton, Morrison, and Pine counties in Minnesota.
The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the Northern Lights 2021 Expansion
Project in accordance with the requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). FERC staff concludes that approval of
the proposed Project, with appropriate mitigating measures, would not
constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality
of the human environment.
The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability to
federal, state, and local government representatives and agencies;
elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native
American tribes; potentially affected landowners and other interested
individuals and groups; and newspapers and libraries in the project
area. The EA is only available in electronic format. It may be viewed
and downloaded from the FERC's website (www.ferc.gov), on the natural
gas environmental documents page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents). In addition, the EA
may be accessed by using the eLibrary link on the FERC's website. Click
on the eLibrary link (https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search),
select General Search and enter the docket number in the Docket Number
field, excluding the last three digits (i.e. CP20-503). 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 EA is not a decision document. It presents Commission staff's
independent analysis of the environmental issues for the Commission to
consider when addressing the merits of all issues in this proceeding.
Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. Your comments should
focus on the EA's disclosure and discussion of potential environmental
effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen
environmental impacts. The more specific your comments, the more useful
they will be. To ensure that the Commission has the opportunity to
consider your comments prior to making its decision on this project, it
is important that we receive your comments in Washington, DC on or
before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 14, 2021.
For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to file
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 on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to
FERC Online. This is an easy method for submitting brief, text-only
comments on a project;
(2) You can also file your comments electronically using the
eFiling feature 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 must select the type of filing you are making. If you
are filing a comment on a particular project, please select ``Comment
on a Filing''; or
[[Page 83074]]
(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-
503-000) 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, Maryland 20852.
Filing environmental comments will not give you intervenor status,
but you do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered.
Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or judicial review of
the Commission's decision. At this point in this proceeding, the
timeframe for filing timely intervention requests has expired. Any
person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a motion
to intervene out-of-time pursuant to Rule 214(b)(3) and (d) of the
Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214(b)(3) and
(d)) and show good cause why the time limitation should be waived.
Motions to intervene are more fully described at https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/ferc-online/how-guides.
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. The eLibrary link
also provides access to the texts of all 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 https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to
register for eSubscription.
Dated: December 15, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-28095 Filed 12-18-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
