[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 54 (Monday, March 22, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13533-13534]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-6236]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP10-41-000]


Paiute Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Pauite Pipeline 2010 
Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

March 16, 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 2010 Expansion Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities proposed by Paiute 
Pipeline Company (Paiute) in Douglas and Washoe Counties, Nevada. 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 22, 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.
    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 facilities. 
The 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, 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?'' was attached to the 
project notice Paiute provided to landowners. 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. It is 
also available for viewing on the FERC website (http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    On January 12, 2010 Paiute filed an application with the FERC under 
section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act. The FERC issued a Notice of 
Application for this project on January 22, 2010.
    Paiute proposes to construct and operate certain mainline natural 
gas facilities to enable Paiute to enhance the capacity of its South 
Tahoe Lateral to meet the growth requirements of its two expansion 
project shippers: Southwest-Northern California and Southwest-Northern 
Nevada.\1\ The 2010 Expansion Project would provide about 2,265 
dekatherms per day of additional firm transportation capacity from the 
Wadsworth Junction Receipt Point to delivery points located at or near 
the terminus of Paiute's South Tahoe Lateral.
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    \1\ Southwest--Northern California and Southwest--Northern 
Nevada are affiliates of Paiute Parent Company.
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    The 2010 Expansion Project would consist of the following:
     Approximately 0.9 miles of new 12-inch-diameter pipeline 
looping \2\ to be constructed and operated between mileposts (MP) 2.41 
and 3.35 on Paiute's existing South Tahoe Lateral in Douglas County, 
Nevada;
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    \2\ A ``loop'' is a segment of new pipeline installed adjacent 
to an existing pipeline, and connected to the existing pipelines on 
both ends, that allows more natural gas to follow through that 
segment.
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     Modifications at the existing Stateline City Gate No. 4 
delivery point located at MP 6.80 on the South Tahoe Lateral in Douglas 
County, Nevada by replacing the existing 3-inch pressure regulator and 
4-inch strainer with a 6-inch filter;
     Modifications at the existing South Lake Tahoe City Gate 
delivery point, at MP 7.55 on the South Tahoe Lateral in Douglas 
County, Nevada; and
     Modifications at the existing Wadsworth Pressure Limiting 
Station, at MP 0.0 of the Carson Lateral, in Washoe County, Nevada;
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in Appendix 
1.\3\
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    \3\ 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 disturb a total of 
about 10.5 acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the 
pipeline combined. Approximately 4.5 acres would be retained as part of 
Paiute's permanent operational easement, after construction. The 
remaining acreage would be restored to its former condition and uses.

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 
\4\ 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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    \4\ ``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;
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
     Vegetation and wildlife;
     Cultural resources;
     Land use and recreation;
     Air quality and noise; and
     Safety and reliability
    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

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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 below.

Consultations Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act

    In accordance with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's 
implementing regulations for the section 106 process, we are using this 
notice to solicit the views of the public on the project's potential 
effects on historic properties.\5\ We will document our findings on the 
impacts on cultural resources and summarize the status of consultations 
under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act in our EA.
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    \5\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's regulations 
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Sec.  800.2(d).
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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 22, 
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 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 (as defined in the Commission's 
regulations) who are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property 
may be used temporarily for project purposes, or who own homes 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., CP10-41). 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. 2010-6236 Filed 3-19-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P