[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 148 (Thursday, July 31, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44717-44719]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-17494]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF08-19-000]


T.W. Phillips Pipeline Corporation; Notice of Intent To Prepare 
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Bionol Clearfield Pipeline 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

July 24, 2008.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
address the environmental impacts of the Bionol Clearfield Pipeline 
Project proposed by T.W. Phillips Pipeline Corporation (Phillips). The 
Commission will use the EA in its decision-making process to determine 
whether or not to authorize the project. This notice explains the 
scoping process we \1\ will use to gather environmental input from the 
public and interested agencies on the projects. Your input will help 
the Commission determine the issues that need to be evaluated in the 
EA. Please note that the scoping period will close on August 25, 2008.
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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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    Details on how to submit written comments are provided in the 
Public Participation section of this notice.
    This Notice of Intent (NOI) to Prepare an Environmental Assessment 
for the proposed Bionol Clearfield Pipeline Project is being sent to 
federal, state, and local government agencies, elected officials, 
affected landowners, environmental and public interest groups, Native 
American tribes, other interested parties, and local libraries and 
newspapers. We encourage government representatives to notify their 
constituents of this planned project and encourage them to comment on 
their areas of concern.
    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted 
by a pipeline company 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 for its project. 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, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation proceedings 
in accordance with state law.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility on My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is available for 
viewing on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). This fact 
sheet addresses a number of typically asked questions, including the 
use of eminent domain and how to participate in the FERC's proceedings.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Phillips proposes to construct, own, operate, and maintain certain 
natural gas transportation facilities within the Clearfield County, 
Pennsylvania. The general location of the proposed pipeline is shown in 
the figures included as Appendix 1.\2\ The purpose of the project is to 
provide 12,500 dekatherms per day of firm transportation capacity for 
Bionol Clearfield, LLC's ethanol plant under construction in 
Clearfield, Pennsylvania.
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    \2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of all appendices, other 
than Appendix 1 (maps), are available on the Commission's Web site 
at the ``eLibrary'' link or from the Commission's Public Reference 
Room, 888 First Street, NW., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 
502-8371. For instructions on connectiing to eLibrary refer to the 
Public Participation section of this space. 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 Phillips.
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    Phillips proposes to construct:
     7.74 miles of 6-inch-diameter pipeline lateral from 
Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation's 16-inch-diameter pipeline to 
the Bionol Clearfield, LLC ethanol plant, all within the Clearfield 
County, Pennsylvania;
     A meter station at milepost (MP) 0.0
     A regulator station at MP 7.74; and
     Three mainline valves.
    Work on the project is proposed to begin in April 2009 with the 
proposed in-service date for July 2009.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the project would disturb about 90 acres of land. 
After construction Phillips would retain 49 acres as new permanent 
right-of-way.
    Generally, the width of the proposed construction right-of-way 
would be 75 feet, consisting of the proposed new 50-foot-wide permanent 
right-of-way and a 25-foot-wide temporary right-of-way used for 
construction only. The construction right-of-way would be reduced in 
areas containing sensitive resources such as wetlands and stream banks. 
Work at the aboveground facilities (meter station, regulator station, 
and mainline valves) would take place within this proposed construction 
right-of-way.
    Additional temporary extra workspaces beyond the typical 
construction right-of-way limits would be required at certain feature 
crossings (e.g., roads, railroads, wetlands, or waterbodies, 
utilities), in areas with steep side slopes, in areas requiring special 
construction techniques, and in areas needing topsoil segregation. In 
addition, one to three temporary pipe storage/contractor yards along 
the pipeline route would also be required. Phillips would access its 
project construction areas primarily along existing pipeline rights-of-
way and

[[Page 44718]]

existing roads; however, other temporary and permanent access roads 
would be required for construction and operation.

The EA Process

    The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the 
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could 
result from an action when it considers whether or not an interstate 
natural gas pipeline should be approved. The FERC will use the EA to 
consider the environmental impact that could result if the project is 
authorized under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act. NEPA also requires 
us to discover and address concerns the public may have about proposals 
to be considered by the Commission. 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. With this 
NOI, the Commission staff is requesting public comments on the scope of 
the issues to be addressed in the EA. All comments received will be 
considered during preparation of the EA.
    In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the proposed project under these 
general headings:
     Geology and soils;
     Land use;
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
     Cultural resources;
     Vegetation and wildlife;
     Threatened and endangered species;
     Air quality and noise;
     Hazardous waste; and
     Public safety.
    In the EA, we will also evaluate possible alternatives to the 
proposed project or portions of the project, and make recommendations 
on how to lessen or avoid impacts on affected resources.
    Although no formal application has been filed, the FERC staff has 
already initiated its NEPA review under the FERC's Pre-filing Process. 
The purpose of the Pre-filing Process is to encourage the early 
involvement of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve 
issues before an application is filed with the FERC.
    With this NOI, we are asking federal, state, and local agencies 
with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to 
environmental issues to formally cooperate with us in the preparation 
of the EA (see Appendix 2). These agencies may choose to participate 
once they have evaluated the proposal relative to their 
responsibilities. Additional agencies that would like to request 
cooperating agency status should follow the instructions in Appendix 2 
of this NOI.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Phillips. This preliminary 
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     Federally listed threatened and endangered species are 
present in the project area.
     Pipeline route variations will be studied.
     Riparian vegetation associated with the horizontal 
directional drill crossing of Clearfield Creek.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the Bionol Clearfield Pipeline Project. Your 
comments should focus on the 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 your comments are timely and properly recorded, please 
send in your comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC, 
on or before August 25, 2008.
    For your convenience, there are three methods which you can use to 
submit your comments to the Commission. In all instances please 
reference the project docket number PF08-19-000 with your submission. 
The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has 
dedicated eFiling expert staff available to assist you at 202-502-8258 
or [email protected].
    (1) You may file your comments electronically by using the Quick 
Comment feature, which is located on the Commission's Internet Web site 
at http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. A Quick 
Comment is an easy method for interested persons to submit text-only 
comments on a project;
    (2) You may file your comments electronically by using the eFiling 
feature, which is located on the Commission's Internet Web site at 
http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. eFiling 
involves preparing your submission in the same manner as you would if 
filing on paper, and then saving the file on your computer's hard 
drive. You will attach that file as your submission. 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. A comment on a particular project is considered a ``Comment on 
a Filing;'' or
    (3) You may file your comments via mail to the Commission by 
sending an original and two copies of your letter to: Kimberly D. Bose, 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE., 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
    Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas Branch 2, 
PJ11.2.

Environmental Mailing List

    We may mail the EA for public comment. If you are interested in 
receiving it, please return the Mailing List Retention Form (Appendix 
3). If you do not return the Mailing List Retention Form, you will be 
taken off the 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.'' Click on the eLibrary link, select ``General Search'' and enter 
the project docket number excluding the last three digits (PF08-17) 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 toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or TTY, 
contact (202) 502-8659. 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 FERC now offers a free service called 
eSubscription that 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. To register for this service, go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    Phillips will establish an Internet Web site for the Bionol 
Clearfield Pipeline Project in the near future, which would

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include contact information and information about its proposed project.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-17494 Filed 7-30-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P