[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 140 (Friday, July 20, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42719-42720]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-17653]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP12-50-000]


Alliance Pipeline, L.P.; Notice of Availability of the 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Tioga Lateral Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the Tioga 
Lateral Project, proposed by Alliance Pipeline L.P. (Alliance) in the 
above-referenced docket. Alliance requests authorization to construct 
and operate approximately 79.3 miles of new 12-inch-diameter natural 
gas pipeline lateral and appurtenant facilities in Williams, Mountrail, 
Burke, and Renville Counties, North Dakota. The Tioga Lateral Project 
would be designed and constructed to provide about 106.5 million cubic 
feet per day of new transportation capacity to the Chicago market area.
    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Tioga Lateral Project in accordance 
with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (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. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers (COE) 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 proposed Tioga Lateral Project includes the following 
facilities:
     Approximately 79.3 miles of 12-inch-diameter natural gas 
pipeline crossing portions of Williams, Mountrail, Burke, Ward, and 
Renville Counties, North Dakota;
     A 6,000 horsepower compressor station (Tioga Compressor 
Station) containing three natural gas-driven engines/compressors in 
Williams County;
     One meter station within the proposed compressor station 
site in Williams County;
     One pressure regulating station adjacent to the existing 
Alliance mainline in Renville County;
     One pig \1\ launcher at the proposed compressor station 
site and one pig receiver at the pressure regulating station site; and
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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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     Five mainline block valves.

[[Page 42720]]

    The FERC staff mailed copies of the EA 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; newspapers and libraries in the project area; and parties to 
this proceeding. In addition, the EA is available for public viewing on 
the FERC's Web site (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.
    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 the Commission has the opportunity to consider your 
comments prior to making its decision on this project, it is important 
that we receive your comments in Washington, DC on or before August 13, 
2012.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to file 
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the 
project docket number (CP12-50-000) 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 submitting brief, 
text-only comments on a project;
    (2) You can also 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.
    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. The Commission 
grants affected landowners and others with environmental concerns 
intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they have a 
clear and direct interest in this proceeding which no other party can 
adequately represent. Simply filing environmental comments will not 
give you intervenor status, but you do not need intervenor status to 
have your comments considered.
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    \2\ See the previous discussion on the methods for filing 
comments.
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    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 (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-
50). 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 www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.

    Dated: July 13, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-17653 Filed 7-19-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P