[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 209 (Tuesday, October 28, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63960-63961]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-25624]



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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 and Route 
Modification and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

October 21, 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 \1\ 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.
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    \1\ A loop is a segment of pipeline installed parallel to an 
existing pipeline and connected to the pipeline system at both ends, 
allowing more gas to be moved through the pipeline system or 
function as a backup system.
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    This notice announces the opening of the shortened scoping period 
for the proposed route modification filed on October 10, 2008, that 
will be used to gather environmental input from the public and 
interested agencies on the project. The route modification was filed in 
response to stakeholder concerns regarding the proposed crossing 
location of the Boston and Maine Railroad and is referred to as the 
Pearl Street Deviation. Your input will help the Commission staff 
determine what issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that 
the scoping period will close on November 4, 2008. Details on how to 
submit comments are provided in the Public Participation section of 
this notice.
    On July 3, 2008, the Commission issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) 
which announced FERC's initiation of preparing the EA for the J-2 Loop 
Project. The NOI provided information about the proposed Project, the 
FERC's environmental review process, and requested comments on the 
scope of issues to be addressed in the EA. The comment period for the 
NOI closed on August 2, 2008.
    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).

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 at the existing meter station in Medford 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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    The Pearl Street Deviation involves crossing the Boston & Maine 
Railroad near milepost 2.0. The Pearl Street Deviation would locate the 
pipeline in Skilton Avenue and Pearl Street before rejoining the 
original route on Medford Street. The proposed reroute was developed in 
consultation with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) 
to avoid conflicts with a proposed passenger station on the MBTA's 
Green Line Extension Project.
    Appendix A presents a detailed map identifying the pipeline 
location, including the Pearl Street Deviation, 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 Algonquin.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Algonquin would temporarily disturb about 37 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 \4\ 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.
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    \4\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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    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

[[Page 63961]]

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. We are specifically requesting 
comments on the relocated facility locations. Your input will help 
identify the issues that need to be evaluated in the EA. 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 November 4, 2008.
    The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments. See Title 
18 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 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 computer 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 email address. All comments submitted under either eFiling or the 
Quick Comment option are placed in the public record for the specified 
docket.

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).\5\ Only intervenors have 
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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    \5\ 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.

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 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.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-25624 Filed 10-27-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P