[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 101 (Thursday, May 24, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31001-31003]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-12604]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[ Docket No. CP12-112-000]


Southern Natural Gas Company, L.L.C.; Notice of Intent To Prepare 
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed North Main Loop Line 
Abandonment Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

    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 North Main Loop Line 
Abandonment Project (Project) involving abandonment, construction and 
operation of facilities by Southern Natural Gas Company, L.L.C. (SNG) 
in Calhoun and Cleburne Counties, Alabama. The Commission will use this 
EA 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 they need to evaluate in the EA. Please note that 
the scoping period will close on June 16, 2012. Further details on how 
to submit written comments are in the Public Participation section of 
this notice.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for this project. State and local government 
representatives should notify their constituents of this proposed 
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, and you are contacted 
by a representative of SNG about the acquisition of an easement to 
construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities, please note 
that the company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable 
agreement. However, if the Commission approves the project, 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.
    SNG provided landowners with a fact sheet prepared by the FERC 
entitled ``An Interstate Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I 
Need To Know?''. This fact sheet addresses a number of typically-asked 
questions, including the

[[Page 31002]]

use of eminent domain and how to participate in the Commission's 
proceedings. It is also available for viewing on the FERC Web site 
(www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    SNG proposes to abandon a portion of its approximately 70 year old 
North Main Loop Line in Calhoun and Cleburne Counties, Alabama. The 
pipeline developed wrinkle bends which caused a pipeline failure in 
2009. According to SNG, its project would eliminate a portion of the 
wrinkle bends on SNG's North Main Loop Line and enhance its integrity. 
The replacement section will continue to provide safe reliable natural 
gas supplies to the eastern Alabama region.
    The Project would consist of the following:
     Abandonment in-place of approximately 19.5 miles of 24-
inch-diameter natural gas pipeline, beginning at the DeArmanville 
Compressor Station milepost (MP) 380.7, continuing through the Heflin 
Gate and ending at the Rome-Calhoun Gate (MP 400.2);
     remove the existing pig launcher at the existing Chevron 
Road Launcher (MP 380.7) and install it at the existing Rome-Calhoun 
Gate site; \1\
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    \1\ A ``pig'' is a tool that the pipeline company inserts into 
and pushes through the pipeline for cleaning the pipeline, 
conducting internal inspections, or other purposes.
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     abandon in-place the following:
    [cir] a side valve assembly connecting the North Main Loop Line to 
SNG's White Plains Line at approximate MP 385.6; and
    [cir] a 24-inch main line valve assembly at SNG's Heflin gate.
     Cut and cap the 24-inch-diameter North Main Loop Line at 
13 road crossings;
     Install 2.2 miles of 3-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline 
between MP 389.8 and MP 392.0 (B-Line);
     Repair or remove two exposed segments of 24-inch-diameter 
North Main Loop Line at MPs 392.2 and 393.3; and
     Remove a pipeline drip assembly at approximate MP 382.5 
and relocate a launcher currently located at the DeArmanville 
Compressor Station (approximate MP 380.7) to SNG's Rome-Calhoun Gate 
(approximate MP 400.2).
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in Appendix 
1.\2\
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    \2\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in 
the Federal Register. Copies of appendices were sent to all those 
receiving this notice in the mail and are available at 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 and abandonment activities 
would disturb about 36.1 acres of land. Following construction, SNG 
would maintain about 10 acres for permanent operation of the Project's 
B-Line facilities; the remaining acreage would be restored and revert 
to former uses. Following completion of the project, SNG will continue 
to operate the other pipelines in the right-of-way of the abandoned 
19.5 miles of pipeline. Therefore, SNG will not relinquish its rights 
under its existing easement agreements.

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 
\3\ 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. We will 
consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EA.
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    \3\ ``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;
     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.
    The EA will present our independent analysis of the issues. The EA 
will be available in the public record through eLibrary. Depending on 
the comments received during the scoping process, we may also publish 
and distribute the EA to the public for an allotted comment period. We 
will consider all comments on the EA before making our recommendations 
to the Commission. To ensure we have the opportunity to consider and 
address your comments, please carefully follow the instructions in the 
Public Participation section of this notice.
    With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law 
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues of 
this project to formally cooperate with us in the preparation of the 
EA.\4\ 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.
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    \4\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing 
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations, Sec.  1501.6.
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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 (SHPO), 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.\5\ We will define the project-specific Area of 
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO as the project 
develops. 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, pig launcher 
removal and installation, 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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    \5\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's regulations 
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Those 
regulations define historic properties 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

[[Page 31003]]

that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before June 
16, 2012.
    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 (CP12-112-000) with your 
submission. The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and 
has expert staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or 
[email protected].
    (1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment 
feature on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link to 
Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for interested persons to 
submit brief, text-only comments on a project;
    (2) You can file your comments electronically using the eFiling 
feature on the Commission's Web site (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 must select the type of filing you are making. If 
you are filing a comment on a particular project, please select 
``Comment on a Filing''; or
    (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to 
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 
available on the Commission's Web site at: http://www.ferc.gov/help/how-to/intervene.asp.

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 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., CP12-
112). 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 www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the 
Commission's calendar located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

    Dated: May 17, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-12604 Filed 5-23-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P