[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 199 (Friday, October 15, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63462-63465]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-25966]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP10-480-000]


Central New York Oil and Gas Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed MARC I Hub Line 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of 
Public Scoping Meeting and Onsite Review

September 22, 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 MARC I Hub Line Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities by Central New York 
Oil and Gas Company, LLC (CNYOG) in Bradford, Sullivan, and Lycoming 
Counties, Pennsylvania. 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.

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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 October 25, 2010.
    Comments may be submitted in written form or verbally. Further 
details on how to submit written comments are provided in the Public 
Participation section of this notice. In lieu of or in addition to 
sending written comments, the Commission invites you to attend the 
public scoping meeting scheduled as follows: FERC Public Scoping 
Meeting, MARC I Hub Line Project, October 13, 2010, at 6:30 p.m., 
Sullivan County Court House, 245 Muncy Street, Laporte, PA.
    On October 13 and 14, 2010, the Office of Energy Projects staff 
will be in the MARC I Hub Line Project area to gather data related to 
the environmental analysis. Staff will examine the proposed route and 
aboveground facility locations and possible modifications to the 
proposed facilities. This will assist staff in completing its 
comparative evaluation of environmental impacts of the proposed 
project. Viewing of this area is anticipated to be from public access 
points.
    All interested parties planning to attend must provide their own 
transportation. Those attending should meet at the following location:
    On both October 13 and 14, 2010, at 8:30 a.m.: Sullivan County Road 
House, Route 220, Muncy Valley, PA.
    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 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?'' was attached to the 
project notice CNYOG 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 Web site (http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    CNYOG proposes to construct and operate about 39 miles of 30-inch-
diameter pipeline (the MARC I Hub Line), a total of 31,660 horsepower 
(hp) of compression, metering and regulating facilities, and 
appurtenant facilities in Bradford, Sullivan, and Lycoming Counties, 
Pennsylvania. The MARC I Hub Line Project would provide transportation 
service of about 550,000 dekatherms of natural gas per day, and would 
have a maximum allowable operating pressure of 1260 pounds per square 
inch gauge. According to CNYOG, its project would provide interstate 
pipeline infrastructure to receive natural gas produced from Marcellus 
Shale production areas for delivery to existing interstate pipeline 
systems of Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company (TGP), CNYOG, and 
Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Corporation (Transco). It would also 
provide for bi-directional transportation between TGP, CNYOG, and 
Transco.
    The MARC I Hub Line Project would consist of the following 
facilities:
     The MARC I Hub Line consisting of approximately 39 miles 
of 30-inch-diameter pipeline extending southward from interconnections 
with CNYOG's South Lateral and TGP's Line 300 in Bradford County, 
through Sullivan County, and ending at an interconnection with 
Transco's Leidy Line in Sullivan County, all in Pennsylvania;
     The M1-N Unit consisting of 15,300 hp of additional 
electric-driven compression, filter separators, gas coolers, and 
electrical infrastructure at CNYOG's NS2 Compressor Station on CNYOG's 
South Lateral proposed in Docket No CP10-194-000;
     The M1-S Compressor Station consisting of 16,360 hp of 
gas-driven compression, gas coolers, filter separators, and a 300 
kilovolt (nominal) emergency generator located on the MARC I Hub Line 
about 3 miles north of the proposed interconnection with Transco's 
Leidy Line;
     The Northern Meter Station at the NS2 Compressor Station 
including metering facilities, valves, filter separator, and related 
telemetry equipment;
     The Southern Meter Station at the Transco interconnection 
including metering facilities, valves, filter separator, related 
telemetry equipment, and possibly odorant equipment for deliveries to 
Transco;
     Interconnections to gathering lines;
     Wareyards for temporary equipment and materials storage 
located near mileposts (MPs) 4.3, 10.6, and 16.0 of the MARC I Hub 
Line; and
     About 33 temporary access roads to be used during 
construction of the project, and permanent access roads to the Southern 
Meter Station and the M1-S Compressor Station.
    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 disturb about 591 
acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipeline, 
including access roads. Additional areas would be used for temporary 
wareyards or contractor yards to store equipment and materials. 
Following construction, about 236 acres would be maintained for 
permanent operation of the project's facilities; the remaining acreage 
would be restored and allowed to revert to former uses. About 4 percent 
of the proposed pipeline route parallels existing pipeline, utility, or 
road rights-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 proposed project under these 
general headings:
     Geology and soils;
     land use;

[[Page 63464]]

     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 beginning on page 6.
    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. 
Currently, no agencies have expressed their intention to participate as 
a cooperating agency in the preparation of the EA to satisfy their NEPA 
responsibilities related to this project.

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 for Historic 
Places.
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Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by CNYOG. This preliminary list 
of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis:
     Impacts on present and future land use;
     impacts on vegetation and wildlife;
     impacts on federally listed threatened and endangered 
species;
     impacts on water resources;
     impacts on cultural resources;
     erosion and sediment control;
     impacts on traffic caused by construction equipment;
     impacts due to construction and operation;
     pipeline route alternatives or variations;
     alternative access roads; and
     safety during construction and operation.

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 October 25, 
2010.
    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 (CP10-480-000) with your 
submission. 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 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 agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other 
interested parties; and local 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

[[Page 63465]]

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., CP10-480-000). 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. 2010-25966 Filed 10-14-10; 8:45 am]
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