[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 208 (Thursday, October 29, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55833-55834]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-25975]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

 [Docket No. PF09-13-000]


East Tennessee Natural Gas, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Northeastern Tennessee 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

October 22, 2009.
    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 East Tennessee Natural Gas, 
LLC's (ETNG) proposed Northeastern Tennessee Project (Project). The 
proposed Project would involve the construction, replacement and 
operation of approximately 28 miles of natural gas transmission 
pipeline in southwestern Virginia and northeastern Tennessee. 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 process we \1\ 
will use to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the 
proposed 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 close on November 20, 2009.
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    \1\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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    This notice is being sent to affected landowners; 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. State and local 
government representatives are asked 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 an ETNG representative about the acquisition of an easement across 
your property. ETNG would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable 
agreement for the rights to construct and operate the proposed natural 
gas transmission pipeline across your property. If the proposed Project 
is approved by the Commission, that approval would convey with it the 
right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to 
produce an agreement, ETNG 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 at 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 Commission's 
proceedings.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    ETNG proposes to:
     Construct and operate approximately 8.53 miles of 24-inch-
diameter natural gas transmission pipeline parallel to an existing 
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) electrical transmission powerline in 
Greene and Hawkins Counties, Tennessee;
     Construct and operate approximately 7.80 miles of 24-inch-
diameter natural gas transmission pipeline loop within or immediately 
adjacent to existing ETNG natural gas transmission pipeline easement in 
Sullivan, Washington and Greene Counties, Tennessee;
     Replace approximately 2.37 miles of existing 12-inch-
diameter natural gas transmission pipeline with 24-inch-diameter 
natural gas transmission pipeline in Sullivan County, Tennessee;
     Replace approximately 9.30 miles of existing 8-inch-
diameter natural gas transmission pipeline with 24-inch-diameter 
natural gas transmission pipeline in Washington County, Virginia and 
Sullivan County, Tennessee; and
     Modify piping at the Glade Spring and Flatwoods Compressor 
Stations in Washington County, Virginia and Greene County, Tennessee, 
respectively.
    ETNG also proposes to:
     Construct a meter facility at the terminus of the proposed 
8.53-mile, 24-inch-diameter natural gas transmission pipeline; and
     Construct and operate related natural gas transmission 
pipeline facilities including mainline valves and pipeline inspection 
launching and receiving facilities.
    The locations of the proposed facilities are shown in Appendix 1.
    According to ETNG, the proposed facilities are necessary to provide 
natural gas service to TVA's proposed North East Plant power generating 
facility in Hawkins County, Tennessee.
    If approved, ETNG anticipates placing the proposed facilities in-
service by 2012.

Land Requirements

    Construction and replacement of the proposed pipeline facilities 
would require the use of a temporary construction right-of-way ranging 
in width from 100- to 125-feet. Additional temporary workspace would 
also be required to construct and replace the proposed pipeline, 
metering facility, compressor station piping and related natural gas 
transmission pipeline facilities. Operation of the proposed pipeline 
facilities would require the permanent use of a 50-foot-wide 
maintenance right-of-way. Additionally, the operation of the metering 
facility and the related natural gas transmission pipeline facilities 
would require the permanent use of lands.

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 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 of Intent, the Commission staff 
requests public comments on the scope of the issues to address in the 
EA. All comments received are considered during the preparation of the 
EA. State and local government representatives are encouraged to notify 
their constituents of this proposed action and encourage them to 
comment on their areas of concern.
    In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the proposed facilities. We will also 
evaluate possible alternatives to the

[[Page 55834]]

proposed Project or portions of the Project, and make recommendations 
on how to avoid or mitigate impacts on the various resource areas.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be in the EA. Depending 
on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA may be 
published and mailed to federal, state, and local agencies, public 
interest groups, interested individuals, affected landowners, 
newspapers, libraries, 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. To ensure your comments are 
considered, please carefully follow the instructions in the public 
participation section below.
    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. 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 for filing comments provided under the Public 
Participation section of this NOI.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the 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 November 
20, 2009.
    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 PF09-13-000 with your submission. 
The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has 
dedicated staff to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or [email protected].
    (1) You may file your comments electronically by using the Quick 
Comment feature located on the Commission's internet Web site 
(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 also file your comments electronically by using the 
eFiling feature located on the Commission's internet Web site (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 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 send your comments via U.S. 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

    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.
    If you do not want to send comments at this time but still want to 
remain on our mailing list, please return the Information Request 
(Appendix 2). If you do not return the Information Request, you will be 
taken off the mailing list.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want 
to become an ``intervenor,'' which is an official party to the 
proceeding. Intervenors play a more formal role in the process and are 
able to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be heard by the courts if 
they choose to appeal the Commission's final ruling. An intervenor 
formally participates in a Commission proceeding by filing a request to 
intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are included in the 
User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web site.

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 Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. 
Click on the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter PF09-
13-000 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 (866) 208-3676, 
or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659. The eLibrary link also provides 
access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such 
as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
    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, public meetings or route evaluations, if applicable, 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. E9-25975 Filed 10-28-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P