[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 195 (Friday, October 7, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62397-62398]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-25962]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP11-46-000]


Kern River Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Availability of 
the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Mountain Pass Lateral 
Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the 
Mountain Pass Lateral Project proposed by Kern River Gas Transmission 
Company (Kern River) in the above-referenced docket. Kern River 
requests authorization to construct and operate a natural gas pipeline 
to provide service to a Molycorp Minerals, LLC facility in California.
    The proposed Mountain Pass Lateral Project includes approximately 
8.6 miles of 8-inch-diameter lateral pipeline, a pig \1\ launcher and 
receiver, and a tap and meter station. The project would be located in 
eastern San Bernardino County, California.
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    \1\ A ``pig'' is a tool that is inserted into and moves through 
the pipeline, and is used for cleaning the pipeline, internal 
inspections, or other purposes.
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    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Mountain Pass Lateral Project in 
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that approval of the 
proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures, would not 
constitute a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality 
of the human environment.
    The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM) and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) participated as cooperating 
agencies in the preparation of the EA. Cooperating agencies have 
jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to resources 
potentially affected by the proposal and participate in the NEPA 
analysis. The BLM will adopt and use the EA to consider the issuance of 
a right-of-way grant for the portion of the project on Federal lands. 
The FWS will use the Biological Assessment, included with the EA as 
Appendix D, for formal consultation with FERC under Section 7 of the 
Endangered Species Act.
    The EA has been placed in the public files of the FERC and is 
available for public viewing on the FERC's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using the eLibrary link. A limited number of copies of the 
EA are available for distribution and public inspection at:

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First 
Street, NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.

    Copies of the EA have been mailed to Federal, State, and local 
government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; 
potentially affected landowners and other interested individuals and 
groups;

[[Page 62398]]

newspapers and libraries in the project area; and parties to this 
proceeding.
    Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. 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 properly recorded and considered prior to 
a Commission decision on the proposal, it is important that the FERC 
receives your comments in Washington, DC on or before October 31, 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 (CP11-46-000) with your submission. The 
Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has dedicated 
eFiling expert 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.

    Although your comments will be considered by the Commission, simply 
filing comments will not serve to make the commenter a party to the 
proceeding. Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must 
file a motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's 
Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214). \2\ Only intervenors 
have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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    \2\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the 
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing 
comments electronically.
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    Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be 
granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they 
have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which would not be 
adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor 
status to have your comments considered.
    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., CP11-46). 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.

    Dated: September 30, 2011.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011-25962 Filed 10-6-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P