[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 17, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12739-12740]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-5776]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP10-65-000]


Mississippi Hub, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Expansion Project II and 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

March 10, 2010.
    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 Expansion Project II (Project) 
involving construction and operation of facilities by Mississippi Hub, 
LLC (MS HUB) in Simpson, Jefferson Davis and Covington Counties, 
Mississippi. This 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 the 
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested 
agencies on the Project. 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 April 9, 2010.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for this Project. 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.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    MS HUB proposes to construct and operate at its previously 
certificated Natural Gas Handling Facility Site (NGHFS): Two new salt 
dome storage caverns; 37,305 horsepower (HP) of additional compression; 
and ancillary equipment. The Project would expand the NGHFS storage 
capacity from 22.1 billion cubic feet (Bcf) to 44.2 Bcf and working gas 
capacity from 7.1 Bcf to 14.2 Bcf. The Project would also increase the 
NGHFS delivery capacity from 1.4 Bcf per day (Bcf/d) to 2.8 Bcf/d and 
injection capacity from 0.8 Bcf/d to 1.5 Bcf/d. According to MS HUB, 
its Project would meet the growing need for high-deliverability natural 
gas storage in the Gulf Coast region of the United States in markets 
served directly and indirectly by the natural gas pipelines that 
traverse the region.
    The Project would consist of the following facilities:
     Two 11.05 Bcf salt dome storage caverns;
     Three 7,700 HP electric motor-driven compressors;
     Three 4,735 HP natural gas-fired reciprocating engine 
compressors;
     Two 350 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d) gas 
dehydration units;
     Four 12 million British Thermal Units per hour (MMBtu/hr) 
natural gas withdrawal heaters;
     One 1,250 kilowatt (kW) emergency generator; and
     Ancillary piping and equipment.
    The general location of the Project facilities is shown in Appendix 
1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of appendices were sent to 
all those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at 
http://www.ferc.gov using the link called ``eLibrary'' or from the 
Commission's Public Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 502-8371. For instructions on 
connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities would take place entirely 
within the previously certificated 80-acre NGHFS.

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 
\2\ 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, the Commission requests public 
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. All comments 
received will be considered during the preparation of the EA.
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    \2\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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    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;
     Air quality and noise;
     Endangered and threatened species; and
     Public safety.
    We 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.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the EA. 
The EA will be placed in the public record and, depending on the 
comments received during the scoping process, may be published and 
distributed to the public. A comment period will be allotted if the EA 
is published for review. 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 notice, we are asking 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. 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.

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 your comments so 
that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before April 9, 
2010.
    For your convenience, there are three methods which you can use to 
submit your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages 
electronic filing of comments and has expert eFiling 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 at http://www.ferc.gov under the link 
called ``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 that is listed under the ``Documents and Filings'' 
link. eFiling involves preparing your submission in the same manner as 
you would if filing

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on paper, and then saving the file on your computer's hard drive. You 
will attach that file to your submission. New eFiling users must first 
create an account by clicking on the links called ``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 a paper copy of your comments at the following 
address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.

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 who own land within certain distances 
of aboveground facilities, and anyone who submits comments on the 
Project. We will update the environmental mailing list as the analysis 
proceeds to ensure that we send the information related to this 
environmental review to all individuals, organizations, and government 
entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the proposed 
Project.
    If the EA is published for distribution, copies will be sent to the 
environmental mailing list for public review and comment. If you would 
prefer to receive a paper copy of the document instead of the CD 
version or would like to remove your name from the mailing list, please 
return the attached Information Request (Appendix 2).

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 
Commission's 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 the 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 Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using the ``eLibrary'' link. Click 
on the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket 
number, excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field 
(i.e., CP10-65). 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 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. 2010-5776 Filed 3-16-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P