[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 93 (Friday, May 13, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28020-28022]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-11737]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF10-20-000]


Sawgrass Storage LLC; Supplemental Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Planned Sawgrass Storage Project and 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

    As previously noticed on August 6, 2010, and supplemented herein, 
the staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) is preparing an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the environmental impacts that could result from the 
construction and operation of the Sawgrass Storage Project. The project 
is planned by Sawgrass Storage LLC (Sawgrass) to provide flexible 
storage services on various interstate and intrastate pipeline systems, 
and provide supplemental natural gas supply during periods of peak 
natural gas usage. The project would be located in Lincoln and Union 
Parishes, Louisiana. 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 Supplemental Notice of Intent (NOI) announces the opening of 
an additional scoping period the Commission will use to gather input 
from the public and interested agencies on the revised project. 
Specifically, Sawgrass has revised its project to eliminate 
approximately 20.5 miles of pipeline, a second compressor station, 8 
pipeline interconnects, and 3 mainline valves, which were included in 
its original project design. Your input on the revised project will 
help determine what issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note 
that this additional scoping period will close on June 6, 2011.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for this project. The mailing list includes landowners who 
would be affected by Sawgrass' revised project and those that would no 
longer be affected by the reduced project facilities. State and local 
government representatives are asked to notify their constituents of 
the new 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 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

    Sawgrass plans to request authorization to construct and operate an 
underground natural gas storage facility with a working gas capacity of 
30 billion cubic feet.
    The Sawgrass Storage Project would now consist of the following 
facilities:
     A storage reservoir in a depleted gas production field;
     5 wellpads with up to 16 horizontally drilled wells;
     5 observation wells;
     Approximately 5.5 miles of 20- and 24-inch-diameter 
gathering pipeline;
     A compressor station with approximately 19,000 horsepower 
of compression;
     Approximately 13.8 miles of 30-inch-diameter mainline 
pipeline;
     2 mainline valves;
     An interconnect with the existing Midcontinent Express 
Pipeline interstate pipeline system; and
     Appurtenant facilities.
    Sawgrass' proposed storage field would essentially remain the same 
as originally proposed, along with the first approximately 10 miles of 
30-inch-diameter mainline pipeline. There is approximately 3.8 miles of 
additional 30-inch-diameter pipeline that was re-routed from the 
original alignment and would affect new landowners. Sawgrass has 
eliminated approximately 13.7 miles of 30-inch-diameter mainline 
pipeline, both 24-inch-diameter header pipelines, and the second 
compressor station located along the 24-inch-diameter header pipeline.
    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 planned facilities would disturb about 409.4 
acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipelines. 
Following construction, about 156.1 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.

[[Page 28021]]

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 supplemental NOI, the Commission requests 
public comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA 
regarding the revised project. 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
     Public 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 have contacted federal and state agencies to discuss their 
involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the EA. 
Representatives from the FERC also participated in public open houses 
sponsored by Sawgrass in the project area in July 2010, to explain the 
environmental review process to interested stakeholders.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the EA. 
The EA will be published and mailed to the entities on our mailing list 
(see discussion on how to remain on our list under Environmental 
Mailing List below). A 30-day comment period will be allotted for 
review of the EA. 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 used our original notice, issued August 6, 2010, 
to initiate consultation with the Louisiana State Historic Preservation 
Office (SHPO), and to solicit its 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 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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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. If you previously 
submitted comments in response to the original notice, you do not need 
to re-submit those comments. Your comments will be considered in our 
environmental analysis. 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 June 6, 2011.
    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 (PF10-20-000) 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; local libraries and newspapers; and anyone who 
submits comments on the project. 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, who own homes within certain distances of 
aboveground facilities, and those that would no longer be affected by 
the revised pipeline route and second compressor station. We will

[[Page 28022]]

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 
you previously returned an Information Request from the initial notice 
or submitted a comment on the project, you are and will remain on our 
mailing list.
    Copies of the EA 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 Sawgrass 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., PF10-20). 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 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.
    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.
    Finally, to request additional information on the project or to 
provide comments directly to the project sponsor, you can contact 
Sawgrass directly by calling toll free at 877-309-8624. Also, Sawgrass 
has established a Web site at http://www.sawgrassgas.com. The Web site 
includes a description of the project, an overview map of the planned 
facilities, and links to related documents. Sawgrass will update the 
Web site as the environmental review of the project proceeds.

    Dated: May 6, 2011.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011-11737 Filed 5-12-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P