[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 134 (Friday, July 11, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39954-39956]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-15792]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP08-256-000]


Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed J-2 Loop Project, Request for 
Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Site Visit

July 3, 2008.
    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 J-2 Loop Project, involving 
construction and operation of natural gas facilities by Algonquin Gas 
Transmission, LLC (Algonquin) in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The 
EA will be used by the Commission 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 period that will 
be used to gather environmental input from the public and interested 
agencies on the project. Your input will help the Commission staff 
determine which issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that 
the scoping period will

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close on August 2, 2008. Details on how to submit comments are provided 
in the Public Participation section of this notice.
    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted 
by an Algonquin representative about the acquisition of an easement to 
construct, operate, and maintain the proposed project facilities. The 
pipeline company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable 
agreement. However, if the project is approved by the Commission, that 
approval conveys with it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if 
easement negotiations fail to produce an agreement, Algonquin could 
initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with Massachusetts 
State law.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility on My Land? What Do I Need to Know?'' addresses a number 
of typically asked questions, including the use of eminent domain and 
how to participate in the Commission's proceedings. It is available for 
viewing on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov).
    With this notice, we \1\ are asking other Federal, State, and local 
agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to 
environmental issues to cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA. 
Agencies that would like to request cooperating status should follow 
the instructions for filing comments provided below.
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    \1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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Summary of the Proposed Project

    Algonquin seeks authorization to construct about 2.3 miles of 14-
inch-diameter pipeline and associated facilities within the cities of 
Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. The project would commence at an 
existing meter station adjacent to the Mystic Valley Parkway in Medford 
and travel in a general southeast direction within road rights-of-way 
to its terminus at an interconnection with NSTAR Gas Company's (NSTAR) 
system adjacent to the McGrath Highway/railroad track overpass in 
Somerville. A meter station and pig \2\ launcher facility would be 
constructed in Medford, at the existing meter station and a valve and 
pig receiver would be constructed at the interconnect with NSTAR.
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    \2\ A pipeline ``pig'' is a device designed to internally clean 
or inspect the pipeline. A pig launcher/receiver is an aboveground 
facility where pigs are inserted or retrieved from the pipeline.
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    Appendix A presents a detailed map identifying all facilities 
associated with this project.\3\
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    \3\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the 
Commission's Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) at the 
``eLibrary'' link or from the Commission's Public Reference Room at 
(202) 502-8371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to 
the ``Additional Information'' section at the end of this notice. 
Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving this 
notice in the mail. Requests for detailed maps of the proposed 
facilities should be made directly to Dominion.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Algonquin would temporarily disturb about 36.8 acres to construct 
the new pipeline and about 0.6 acres for aboveground facilities. During 
operation of the project, Algonquin would affect about 0.33 acres for 
pipeline maintenance and about 0.04 acres for aboveground facilities.
    The majority of the J-2 Loop Project would be constructed within 
existing roadways, roadside shoulders, and paved parking areas.

The EA Process

    We are preparing this EA to comply with the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) which requires the Commission to take into 
account the environmental impacts that could result from an action 
whenever it considers the issuance of a Certificate of Public 
Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us to discover and 
address concerns the public may have about proposals. This process is 
referred to as ``scoping.'' The main goal of the scoping process is to 
focus the analysis in the EA on the important environmental issues. By 
this notice, we are requesting public comments on the scope of the 
issues to be addressed in the EA. All comments received will be 
considered during the preparation of the EA.
    The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the 
construction and operation of the proposed project under the following 
general headings:
     Geology and Soils
     Cultural Resources
     Land Use and Visual Quality
     Air Quality and Noise
     Alternatives
     Reliability and Safety
    We note that the proposed pipeline would be within high-density 
multi-family residential areas and would require special construction 
procedures.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be addressed in the EA. 
Depending on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA 
may be published for distribution and mailed to federal, state, and 
local agencies; public interest groups; interested individuals; 
affected landowners; newspapers and libraries in the project area; and 
the Commission's official service list for this proceeding. A comment 
period will be allotted for review if the EA is published. We will 
consider all comments on the EA before we make our recommendations to 
the Commission.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commenter, your 
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission. 
Your comments should focus on the potential environmental effects of 
the proposal, reasonable alternatives (including alternative locations 
and routes), and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. The 
more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. Please 
carefully follow these instructions to ensure that your comments are 
received in time and properly recorded:
     Send an original and two copies of your letter to: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 1;
     Reference Docket No. CP08-256-000;
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before August 2, 2008.
    The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments. See 18 
Code of Federal Regulations 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on 
the Commission's Internet Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the 
link to ``Documents and Filings'' and ``eFiling.'' eFiling is a file 
attachment process and requires that you prepare your submission in the 
same manner as you would if filing on paper, and save it to a file on 
your hard drive. New eFiling users must first create an account by 
clicking on ``Sign up'' or ``eRegister.'' You will be asked to select 
the type of filing you are making. This filing is considered a 
``Comment on Filing.'' In addition, there is a ``Quick Comment'' option 
available, which is an easy method for interested persons to submit 
text only comments on a project. The Quick-Comment User Guide can be 
viewed at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling/quick-comment-guide.pdf. Quick Comment does not require a FERC eRegistration account; 
however, you will be asked to provide a valid

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e-mail address. All comments submitted under either eFiling or the 
Quick Comment option are placed in the public record for the specified 
docket or project number(s).

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want 
to become an official party to the proceeding known as an 
``intervenor.'' Intervenors play a more formal role in the process. 
Among other things, intervenors have the right to receive copies of 
case-related Commission documents and filings by other intervenors. 
Likewise, each intervenor must send one electronic copy (using the 
Commission's eFiling system) or 14 paper copies of its filings to the 
Secretary of the Commission and must send a copy of its filings to all 
other parties on the Commission's service list for this proceeding. If 
you want to become an intervenor, you must file a motion to intervene 
according to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedure (18 CFR 385.214) (see appendix B). \4\ Only intervenors have 
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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    \4\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the 
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing 
comments electronically.
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    Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be 
granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they 
have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which would not be 
adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor 
status to have your environmental comments considered.

Site Visit

    On July 15, 2008, the Office of Energy Projects' (OEP) staff will 
conduct a pre-certification site visit of the proposed J-2 Loop 
Project. Representatives of Algonquin and Massachusetts Energy 
Facilities Siting Board will accompany the OEP staff. We will tour the 
proposed project area by automobile and on foot viewing Algonquin's 
proposed pipeline route, route variations, and aboveground facilities 
that are being considered for the proposed project.
    All interested parties may attend the site visit. Those planning to 
attend must provide their own transportation. If you are interested in 
attending the site visit, please meet us at 4:00 p.m. in the parking 
lot of the Somerville High School, 81 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA.
    For additional information, please contact the Commission's Office 
of External Affairs at 1-866-208-FERC (3372).

Environmental Mailing List

    An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals, 
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially 
affected by the proposed project. This includes all landowners who are 
potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used temporarily 
for project purposes, or who own homes within distances defined in the 
Commission's regulations of certain aboveground facilities. We 
encourage government representatives to notify their constituents of 
this proposed project and encourage them to comment on their areas of 
concern. If you do not return the form included as Appendix C, you will 
be removed from the Commission's environmental mailing list.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208-FERC (3372) or on 
the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). Using the 
``eLibrary'' link, select ``General Search'' from the eLibrary menu, 
enter the selected date range and ``Docket Number'' excluding the last 
three digits (i.e., CP08-256), and follow the instructions. For 
assistance with access to eLibrary, the helpline can be reached at 1-
866-208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or at [email protected]. The 
eLibrary link on the FERC Internet Web site also provides access to the 
texts of formal documents issued by the Commission such as orders, 
notices, and rule makings.
    In addition, the Commission now 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 http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    Finally, any public meetings or site visits will be posted on the 
Commission's calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-15792 Filed 7-10-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P