Tres Palacios Gas Storage LLC; Notice of Scoping Period Requesting Comments on Environmental Issues for the Proposed Tres Palacios Cavern 4 Expansion Project, 73547-73549 [2022-26093]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 30, 2022 / Notices
circuits and semiconductors, most of
which are manufactured outside of the
U.S. What tools and technologies are
needed to understand the provenance of
hardware components used in U.S.
energy systems and the risks from
foreign manufacture? How will the
newly passed CHIPS and Science Act
change the risk landscape? What is
needed in terms of regulation,
standards, and other guidance to
strengthen the security of the hardware
component supply chain from cyber and
other risks?
Panelists
• Steven Kunsman, Director Product
Management and Applications,
Hitachi Energy
• Ron Brash, Vice President Technical
Research & Integrations, aDolus
• Zachary Tudor, Associate Laboratory
Director, National and Homeland
Security
• Allan Friedman, Senior Advisor and
Strategist, DHS CISA
• Brian Barrios, Vice President,
Cybersecurity & IT Compliance,
Southern California, Edison
• Representative of Amazon Web
Services (invited)
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
2:45 p.m.
Break
3:00 p.m. Panel IV: Enhancing the
Supply Chain Security Posture of the
Bulk-Power System
This panel will discuss forwardlooking initiatives that can be used to
improve the supply chain security
posture of the Bulk-Power System.
These initiatives could include vendor
accreditation programs, product and
service verification, improved internal
supply chain security capability, third
party services, and private and public
partnerships.
Vendor accreditation can be
established in various ways. One of the
more prominent ways is currently being
explored by the North American
Transmission Forum through its Supply
Chain Security Assessment model and
the associated questionnaire.3 The panel
will also explore certain programs and
practices used by utilities to verify the
authenticity and effectiveness of
products and services. Internal supply
chain security capabilities include
hiring people with the appropriate
background and knowledge, while also
developing relevant skills internally,
through training on broad supply chain
topics and applying them to the specific
needs of the organization. Finally, this
panel will address private and public
partnerships on supply chain security
3 https://www.natf.net/industry-initiatives/
supply-chain-industry-coordination.
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16:58 Nov 29, 2022
Jkt 259001
and how they can facilitate timely
access to information that will help
better identify current and future supply
chain threats to the Bulk-Power System
and best practices to address those risks.
This panel may include a discussion
of the following topics and questions:
1. What vendor accreditation
programs currently exist or are in
development? How can entities vet a
vendor in the absence of a vendor
accreditation program?
2. What are the challenges, benefits,
and risks associated with utilizing thirdparty services for maintaining a supply
chain risk management program?
3. What are the best practices and
other guidance for security evaluation of
vendors?
4. What programs and practices are
currently in use to ensure product and
service integrity?
5. What processes are used to test
products prior to implementation?
6. What is the right balance between
vendor and product security and cost?
Is there a point of diminishing returns?
7. What are effective strategies for
recruiting personnel with the
appropriate background and SCRM
skills to strengthen internal security
practices? How do you provide the
training necessary to further develop the
skills specific to your unique
organizational challenges?
8. What are the best ways to
meaningfully assimilate SBOM
information and what subsequent
analyses can be done to strengthen
internal security practices?
9. How can the industry keep
informed of the latest supply chain
compromises? How do entities currently
respond to these compromises to keep
their systems secure? Are there ways to
improve these responses? What actions
can government take, both formal
regulatory actions and coordination, to
help keep industry informed of supply
chain compromises and to facilitate
effective responses?
10. What key risk factors do entities
need to consider prior to leveraging
third party services and how should
those risk factors be balanced with an
entity’s organizational policy? What
SCRM controls do you have in place to
ensure your systems and products have
a reduced risk of compromise? Please
discuss any challenges that you have
experienced as well as successes.
11. How should government and
industry prioritize and coordinate
federal cross-agency and private sector
collaboration and activities regarding
SCRM?
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73547
Panelists
• Tobias Whitney, Vice President of
Strategy and Policy, Fortress
Information Security
• Valerie Agnew, General Counsel,
North American Transmission Forum
• David Schleicher, President and CEO,
Northern Virginia Electric
Cooperative
• Ron Schoff, Director, Research &
Development, Electric Power
Research Institute
• Representative of the National Risk
Management Center, DHS CISA
(invited)
• Representative of the Office of
National Cyber Director (invited)
• Representative of the National
Association of Regulatory Utility
Commissioners (invited)
4:45 p.m.
Closing Remarks
5:00 p.m.
Adjourn
[FR Doc. 2022–26092 Filed 11–29–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP23–3–000]
Tres Palacios Gas Storage LLC; Notice
of Scoping Period Requesting
Comments on Environmental Issues
for the Proposed Tres Palacios Cavern
4 Expansion Project
The staff of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an
environmental document that will
discuss the environmental impacts of
the Tres Palacios Cavern 4 Expansion
Project (Expansion Project) involving
construction and operation of facilities
by Tres Palacios Gas Storage LLC (Tres
Palacios) in Matagorda County, Texas.
The Commission will use this
environmental document 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 regarding the
Expansion Project. As part of the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) review process, the Commission
takes into account concerns the public
may have about proposals and the
environmental impacts that could result
from its action whenever it considers
the issuance of a Certificate of Public
Convenience and Necessity. This
gathering of public input is referred to
E:\FR\FM\30NON1.SGM
30NON1
73548
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 30, 2022 / Notices
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
as ‘‘scoping.’’ The main goal of the
scoping process is to focus the analysis
in the environmental document on the
important environmental issues.
Additional information about the
Commission’s NEPA process is
described below in the NEPA Process
and Environmental Document section of
this notice.
By this notice, the Commission
requests public comments on the scope
of issues to address in the
environmental document. 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 p.m. Eastern Time on December
23, 2022. Details on how to submit
comments are provided in the Public
Participation section of this notice.
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 environmental
document. Commission staff will
consider all written comments during
the preparation of the environmental
document.
If you submitted comments on this
project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on October 26,
2022, you will need to file those
comments in Docket No. CP23–3–000 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.
Tres Palacios 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?’’ which addresses typically
asked questions, including how to
participate in the Commission’s
proceedings. This fact sheet along with
other landowner topics of interest are
available for viewing on the FERC
website (www.ferc.gov) under the
Natural Gas, Landowner Topics link.
Public Participation
There are three methods you can use
to submit your comments to the
Commission. Please carefully follow
these instructions so that your
comments are properly recorded. The
Commission encourages electronic filing
of comments and has staff available to
assist you at (866) 208–3676 or
FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:58 Nov 29, 2022
Jkt 259001
(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 (CP23–3–000) 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.
Additionally, 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.
Summary of the Proposed Project
Tres Palacios proposes to expand its
certificated natural gas storage capacity 1
at its existing natural gas storage facility
(the Storage Facility) in Matagorda
County, Texas. The Expansion Project
would add approximately 6.5 billion
cubic feet (Bcf) of new working gas
capacity and 3.5 Bcf of base gas at the
Storage Facility. According to Tres
Palacios, its project would help satisfy
market demand for incremental natural
gas storage in the previously developed
1 September 20, 2007 Order Issuing Certificates in
Docket No. CP07–90–000, et al., as amended on
December 14, 2010, in Docket No. CP10–499–000,
on August 10, 2011, in Docket No. CP11–507–000,
and on September 21, 2017, in Docket CP16–145–
000.
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
area located near the Storage Facility.
Tres Palacios also states the Expansion
Project is needed to provide critical
natural gas grid reliability, and to help
reduce price volatility and physical
supply and demand imbalances in the
Gulf Coast natural gas market.
The Expansion Project would consist
of the following facilities and activities:
• Conversion of an existing thirdparty brine production well (Trull 11)
into a natural gas storage cavern (Cavern
4);
• Development of the Trull 11 well
pad site for Cavern 4 (Cavern 4 Well
Pad);
• Construction of a 0.6-mile-long, 16inch-diameter pipeline (New Cavern 4
Pipeline) connecting Cavern 4 to the
existing certificated facilities at the
Storage Facility;
• Abandonment in place of a 15,300
horsepower electric-motor driven
centrifugal compressor unit;
• Installation of a new 5,500
horsepower electric-motor driven
reciprocating compressor unit;
• Addition of a new 2.5 million
British thermal units per hour
dehydration unit;
• Construction of various related
facilities, including a new permanent
access road for the Cavern 4 Well Pad;
and
• Non-jurisdictional facilities
consisting of a new electric service line
to the Cavern 4 Well Pad and a new
fiber optic line from the Cavern 4 Well
Pad to the Storage Facility.
The general location of the Expansion
Project facilities is shown in appendix
1.2
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the proposed facilities
would disturb about 22.3 acres of land.
Following construction, Tres Palacios
would maintain about 3.0 acres for
permanent operation of the project’s
facilities; the remaining acreage would
be restored and revert to former uses.
About 31 percent of the proposed
pipeline route parallels existing
pipeline, utility, or road rights-of-way.
Tres Palacios states that it has acquired
all easements and other land rights
needed for the Expansion Project.
2 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.’’ For instructions on
connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this
notice. 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 TTY (202) 502–8659.
E:\FR\FM\30NON1.SGM
30NON1
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 30, 2022 / Notices
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
NEPA Process and the Environmental
Document
Any environmental document issued
by the Commission will discuss impacts
that could occur as a result of the
construction and operation of the
proposed project under the relevant
general resource areas:
• Geology and soils;
• Water resources and wetlands;
• Vegetation and wildlife;
• Threatened and endangered
species;
• Cultural resources;
• Land use;
• Environmental justice
• Air quality and noise; and
• Reliability and safety.
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. Your comments will
help Commission staff identify and
focus on the issues that might have an
effect on the human environment and
potentially eliminate others from further
study and discussion in the
environmental document.
Following this scoping period,
Commission staff will determine
whether to prepare an Environmental
Assessment (EA) or an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS). The EA or the
EIS will present Commission staff’s
independent analysis of the issues. If
Commission staff prepares an EA, a
Notice of Schedule for the Preparation
of an Environmental Assessment will be
issued. The EA may be issued for an
allotted public comment period. The
Commission would consider timely
comments on the EA before making its
decision regarding the proposed project.
If Commission staff prepares an EIS, a
Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS/
Notice of Schedule will be issued,
which will open up an additional
comment period. Staff will then prepare
a draft EIS which will be issued for
public comment. Commission staff will
consider all timely comments received
during the comment period on the draft
EIS and revise the document, as
necessary, before issuing a final EIS.
Any EA or draft and final EIS will be
available in electronic format in the
public record through eLibrary 3 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
3 For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer
to the last page of this notice.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:58 Nov 29, 2022
Jkt 259001
email notification when the
environmental document is issued.
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 environmental document.4
Agencies that would like to request
cooperating agency status should follow
the instructions for filing comments
provided under the Public Participation
section of this notice.
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
potential effects on historic properties.5
The environmental document for this
project will document 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 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
4 The Council on Environmental Quality
regulations addressing cooperating agency
responsibilities are at title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, section 1501.8.
5 The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s
regulations are at title 36, Code of Federal
Regulations, part 800. Those regulations define
historic properties as any prehistoric or historic
district, site, building, structure, or object included
in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register
of Historic Places.
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Frm 00011
Fmt 4703
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73549
potentially affected by the proposed
project.
If you need to make changes to your
name/address, or if you would like to
remove your name from the mailing list,
please complete one of the following
steps:
(1) Send an email to
GasProjectAddressChange@ferc.gov
stating your request. You must include
the docket number CP23–3–000 in your
request. If you are requesting a change
to your address, please be sure to
include your name and the correct
address. If you are requesting to delete
your address from the mailing list,
please include your name and address
as it appeared on this notice. This email
address is unable to accept comments.
OR
(2) 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. 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: November 23, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022–26093 Filed 11–29–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Combined Notice of Filings #1
Take notice that the Commission
received the following electric corporate
filings:
Docket Numbers: EC23–32–000.
Applicants: Brookfield Smoky
Mountain Hydropower LP, Smoky
Mountain Transmission LLC, AMF
Kimble Holdings, LLC.
E:\FR\FM\30NON1.SGM
30NON1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 229 (Wednesday, November 30, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73547-73549]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-26093]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP23-3-000]
Tres Palacios Gas Storage LLC; Notice of Scoping Period
Requesting Comments on Environmental Issues for the Proposed Tres
Palacios Cavern 4 Expansion Project
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental document that will discuss
the environmental impacts of the Tres Palacios Cavern 4 Expansion
Project (Expansion Project) involving construction and operation of
facilities by Tres Palacios Gas Storage LLC (Tres Palacios) in
Matagorda County, Texas. The Commission will use this environmental
document 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 regarding the Expansion Project. As part of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process, the Commission takes
into account concerns the public may have about proposals and the
environmental impacts that could result from its action whenever it
considers the issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience and
Necessity. This gathering of public input is referred to
[[Page 73548]]
as ``scoping.'' The main goal of the scoping process is to focus the
analysis in the environmental document on the important environmental
issues. Additional information about the Commission's NEPA process is
described below in the NEPA Process and Environmental Document section
of this notice.
By this notice, the Commission requests public comments on the
scope of issues to address in the environmental document. 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 p.m. Eastern Time on December 23, 2022. Details on how to
submit comments are provided in the Public Participation section of
this notice.
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 environmental document. Commission
staff will consider all written comments during the preparation of the
environmental document.
If you submitted comments on this project to the Commission before
the opening of this docket on October 26, 2022, you will need to file
those comments in Docket No. CP23-3-000 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.
Tres Palacios 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?'' which addresses typically asked questions, including
how to participate in the Commission's proceedings. This fact sheet
along with other landowner topics of interest are available for viewing
on the FERC website (www.ferc.gov) under the Natural Gas, Landowner
Topics link.
Public Participation
There are three methods you can use to submit your comments to the
Commission. Please carefully follow these instructions so that your
comments are properly recorded. The Commission encourages electronic
filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-
3676 or [email protected].
(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 (CP23-3-
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.
Additionally, 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.
Summary of the Proposed Project
Tres Palacios proposes to expand its certificated natural gas
storage capacity \1\ at its existing natural gas storage facility (the
Storage Facility) in Matagorda County, Texas. The Expansion Project
would add approximately 6.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of new working gas
capacity and 3.5 Bcf of base gas at the Storage Facility. According to
Tres Palacios, its project would help satisfy market demand for
incremental natural gas storage in the previously developed area
located near the Storage Facility. Tres Palacios also states the
Expansion Project is needed to provide critical natural gas grid
reliability, and to help reduce price volatility and physical supply
and demand imbalances in the Gulf Coast natural gas market.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ September 20, 2007 Order Issuing Certificates in Docket No.
CP07-90-000, et al., as amended on December 14, 2010, in Docket No.
CP10-499-000, on August 10, 2011, in Docket No. CP11-507-000, and on
September 21, 2017, in Docket CP16-145-000.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Expansion Project would consist of the following facilities and
activities:
Conversion of an existing third-party brine production
well (Trull 11) into a natural gas storage cavern (Cavern 4);
Development of the Trull 11 well pad site for Cavern 4
(Cavern 4 Well Pad);
Construction of a 0.6-mile-long, 16-inch-diameter pipeline
(New Cavern 4 Pipeline) connecting Cavern 4 to the existing
certificated facilities at the Storage Facility;
Abandonment in place of a 15,300 horsepower electric-motor
driven centrifugal compressor unit;
Installation of a new 5,500 horsepower electric-motor
driven reciprocating compressor unit;
Addition of a new 2.5 million British thermal units per
hour dehydration unit;
Construction of various related facilities, including a
new permanent access road for the Cavern 4 Well Pad; and
Non-jurisdictional facilities consisting of a new electric
service line to the Cavern 4 Well Pad and a new fiber optic line from
the Cavern 4 Well Pad to the Storage Facility.
The general location of the Expansion Project facilities is shown
in appendix 1.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ 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.'' For instructions on
connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice. 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 [email protected] or call toll free, (886) 208-3676
or TTY (202) 502-8659.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the proposed facilities would disturb about 22.3
acres of land. Following construction, Tres Palacios would maintain
about 3.0 acres for permanent operation of the project's facilities;
the remaining acreage would be restored and revert to former uses.
About 31 percent of the proposed pipeline route parallels existing
pipeline, utility, or road rights-of-way. Tres Palacios states that it
has acquired all easements and other land rights needed for the
Expansion Project.
[[Page 73549]]
NEPA Process and the Environmental Document
Any environmental document issued by the Commission will discuss
impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation
of the proposed project under the relevant general resource areas:
Geology and soils;
Water resources and wetlands;
Vegetation and wildlife;
Threatened and endangered species;
Cultural resources;
Land use;
Environmental justice
Air quality and noise; and
Reliability and safety.
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. Your
comments will help Commission staff identify and focus on the issues
that might have an effect on the human environment and potentially
eliminate others from further study and discussion in the environmental
document.
Following this scoping period, Commission staff will determine
whether to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS). The EA or the EIS will present Commission
staff's independent analysis of the issues. If Commission staff
prepares an EA, a Notice of Schedule for the Preparation of an
Environmental Assessment will be issued. The EA may be issued for an
allotted public comment period. The Commission would consider timely
comments on the EA before making its decision regarding the proposed
project. If Commission staff prepares an EIS, a Notice of Intent to
Prepare an EIS/Notice of Schedule will be issued, which will open up an
additional comment period. Staff will then prepare a draft EIS which
will be issued for public comment. Commission staff will consider all
timely comments received during the comment period on the draft EIS and
revise the document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS. Any EA
or draft and final EIS will be available in electronic format in the
public record through eLibrary \3\ 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 environmental document
is issued.
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\3\ 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 environmental document.\4\ Agencies that would like
to request cooperating agency status should follow the instructions for
filing comments provided under the Public Participation section of this
notice.
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\4\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing
cooperating agency responsibilities are at title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, section 1501.8.
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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(s),
and to solicit their views and those of other government agencies,
interested Indian tribes, and the public on the project's potential
effects on historic properties.\5\ The environmental document 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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\5\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's regulations
are at title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, part 800. Those
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic
Places.
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Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local
government representatives and agencies; elected officials;
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 you need to make changes to your name/address, or if you would
like to remove your name from the mailing list, please complete one of
the following steps:
(1) Send an email to [email protected] stating your
request. You must include the docket number CP23-3-000 in your request.
If you are requesting a change to your address, please be sure to
include your name and the correct address. If you are requesting to
delete your address from the mailing list, please include your name and
address as it appeared on this notice. This email address is unable to
accept comments. OR
(2) 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. 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: November 23, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-26093 Filed 11-29-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P