[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 165 (Thursday, August 26, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52524-52526]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-21171]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF10-21-000]


Texas Eastern Transmission, LP; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Planned Texas Eastern Appalachia to 
Market Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental 
Issues

August 19, 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 planned Texas Eastern 
Appalachia to Market Expansion Project (TEAM 2012 Project) which 
involves the construction and operation of interstate natural gas 
transmission facilities by Texas Eastern Transmission, LP (Texas 
Eastern) in Adams, Bedford, Greene, Fayette, and Franklin Counties, 
Pennsylvania. This EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-
making process to determine whether the TEAM 2012 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 TEAM 2012 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 September 17, 2010.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for the TEAM 2012 Project. State and local government 
representatives are asked to notify their constituents of this 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 planned 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 where compensation would be 
determined 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 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 Commission's proceedings.

Summary of the Planned Project

    Texas Eastern has agreed to provide Range Resources--Appalachia and 
the Chesapeake Utilities Corporation natural gas transportation 
services. According to Texas Eastern, these services are required to 
meet a growing demand for natural gas in the northeast and to provide 
additional natural gas supply diversity and reliability.
    To satisfy its agreements, Texas Eastern plans to install and 
operate approximately 17.8 miles of 36-inch-diameter natural gas 
transmission pipeline and associated aboveground facilities adjacent to 
its existing natural gas transmission pipeline system. Texas Eastern 
also plans to abandon approximately 11.3 miles of 24-inch-diameter 
natural gas transmission pipeline. The planned new pipeline facilities 
include:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                         Length
           Facility name *              (miles)            County
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heidlersburg Discharge Abandonment            4.0  Adams.
 and Loop.
Holbrook East Loop..................          4.7  Fayette.
Chambersburg Discharge Abandonment            7.3  Franklin.
 and Loop.
Holbrook West Loop..................          1.8  Greene.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Associated aboveground facilities include main line valves, pig
  launchers and receivers, cathodic protection stations, and meter
  stations.

    Additionally, Texas Eastern plans to increase the amount of 
compression at its Bedford Compressor Station by 20,720 horsepower 
(hp). Texas Eastern plans to install a 26,000 horsepower (hp) 
electrical compressor unit, uprate two 11,000 hp electrical units to 
14,300 hp units, and abandon in-place nine reciprocating units.

[[Page 52525]]

    The general location of the planned 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 (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

    Texas Eastern anticipates temporarily disturbing approximately 
303.29 acres of land during construction of the planned TEAM 2012 
Project. Following construction, Texas Eastern plans to maintain 
approximately 161.95 acres of land for operation of the planned 
facilities. Of the land required for use during construction and 
operation of the planned facilities, approximately 141.64 acres of this 
land is currently utilized as Texas Eastern natural gas pipeline 
permanent right-of-way.

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 planned 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
     Reliability and safety.
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the planned project 
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen 
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    Although no formal application has been filed, we have already 
initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing process. 
The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early involvement 
of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before an 
application is filed with the FERC. As part of our pre-filing review, 
we will contact numerous federal and state agencies to discuss their 
involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the EA.
    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 public 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 on page 5.
    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.

Consultations Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act

    In accordance with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's 
implementing regulations for section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act, we are using this notice to initiate consultation 
with applicable State Historic Preservation Office(s), and to solicit 
their views and those of other government agencies, interested Indian 
tribes, and the public on the project's potential effects on historic 
properties.\3\ We will define the project-specific Area of Potential 
Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO(s) as the project is 
further developed. On natural gas facility projects, the APE at a 
minimum encompasses all areas subject to ground disturbance (examples 
include construction right-of-way, contractor/pipe storage yards, 
compressor stations, and access roads). Our EA for this project will 
document our findings on the impacts on historic properties and 
summarize the status of consultations under section 106.
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    \3\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's regulations 
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Historic 
properties are defined in those regulations as any prehistoric or 
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in 
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic 
Places.
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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 September 17, 
2010.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the 
project docket number (PF10-21-000) with your submission. The 
Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert 
eFiling staff available to assist you by phone at (202) 502-8258 or by 
e-mail at [email protected].
    (1) You may file your comments electronically by using the eComment 
feature, which is located on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. An eComment is an 
easy method for interested persons to submit brief, 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 Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. With eFiling you 
can provide comments in a variety of formats by attaching them as a 
file with your submission. New eFiling users must first create an 
account by clicking on ``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

[[Page 52526]]

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 planned 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

    Once Texas Eastern files its application with the Commission, 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. Please note that the Commission will not accept 
requests for intervenor status at this time. You must wait until a 
formal application for the project is filed with the Commission.

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 (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., PF10-21-000). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date 
range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support by e-mail at 
[email protected] or by phone 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 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, any 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. 2010-21171 Filed 8-25-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P