[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 199 (Monday, October 15, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62507-62509]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-25206]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF12-19-000]


Texas Eastern Transmission, LP; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Texas Eastern and Appalachia Market 
Expansion Project 2014 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 Texas Eastern and Appalachia 
Market Expansion Project 2014 (TEAM 2014) involving construction and 
operation, modification and abandonment of facilities proposed by Texas 
Eastern Transmission, LP (Texas Eastern) in Pennsylvania, West 
Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. 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 November 3, 2012. You may submit 
comments in written form. Further details on how to submit written 
comments are in the Public Participation section of this notice. This 
is not your only public input opportunity; please refer to the 
Environmental Review Process flow chart 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 
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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    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, a pipeline company 
representative may contact you 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 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.
    Texas Eastern may have 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 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

    TEAM 2014 involves constructing approximately 33.4 miles of 36-
inch-diameter natural gas transmission pipeline comprised of seven 
separate pipeline loops \2\ and associated pipeline facilities in 
Pennsylvania; upgrade the horsepower (hp) at four existing compressor 
stations in Pennsylvania, and modify existing pipeline facilities in 
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and 
Mississippi. According to Texas Eastern, the new pipeline would supply 
an additional 600,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas to markets 
along the Texas Eastern system in the Northeast, Midwest, and Gulf 
Coast areas, as well as to markets in the Southeast through Texas 
Eastern's interconnections with downstream pipelines. TEAM 2014 
modifications would also result in a bi-directional natural gas 
transmission system that would provide access to the new, emerging 
liquefied natural gas export and gas-to-liquids markets. The 33.4 miles 
of planned pipeline loops are, as follows:
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    \2\ A pipeline loop is constructed parallel to an existing 
pipeline to increase capacity.
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     The Holbrook Loop--a 6.6-mile pipeline in Fayette County, 
Pennsylvania, downstream of the existing Holbrook Compressor Station. A 
pig \3\ receiver assembly and crossover piping would be installed along 
this loop;
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    \3\ 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 Perulack West Loop--a 2.7-mile pipeline in Perry 
County, Pennsylvania, downstream of the existing Perulack Compressor 
Station;

[[Page 62508]]

     The Perulack East Loop--5.3-mile pipeline in Perry County, 
Pennsylvania, downstream of the existing Perulack Compressor Station. A 
pig receiver assembly and crossover piping would be installed along 
this loop;
     The Shermans Dale Loop--7.1-mile pipeline in Dauphin 
County, Pennsylvania, downstream of the existing Shermans Dale 
Compressor Station. A pig receiver assembly and crossover piping would 
be installed along this loop;
     The Grantville West Loop--a 2.4-mile pipeline in Lebanon 
County, Pennsylvania, downstream of the existing Grantville Compressor 
Station;
     The Grantville East Loop--a 3.8-mile pipeline in Lebanon 
County, Pennsylvania, downstream of the existing Grantville Compressor 
Station. A pig receiver assembly and crossover piping would be 
installed along this loop; and
     The Bernville Loop--a 5.5-mile pipeline in Berks County, 
Pennsylvania, downstream of the existing Bernville Compressor Station. 
A pig receiver assembly and crossover piping would be installed along 
this loop.
    In addition, as part of TEAM 2014, Texas Eastern plans to add 
approximately 80,060 hp of compression and aboveground facility 
modifications at four existing Texas Eastern compressor stations:
     Uniontown Compressor Station--a paper uprate (software 
update to meet maximum hp) of one existing electric unit and power 
uprate (replacing hardware to improve hp) of two existing gas turbine 
units;
     Delmont Compressor Station--installation of one new gas 
turbine compressor unit, one new electric unit, and abandonment of one 
gas turbine unit and six gas-reciprocating units;
     Armagh Compressor Station--installation of a new gas 
compressor unit; and
     Entriken Compressor Station--installation of a new gas 
compressor unit.
    TEAM 2014 would require modifications to numerous existing 
facilities to allow bi-directional flow/transmission of natural gas. 
These facilities include 18 existing compressor stations, 17 separate 
and existing pig launcher and receiver sites, and two existing meter 
and regulating facilities between Pennsylvania and Mississippi. These 
are described in Appendix 2. Although these modifications would occur 
at existing facilities, temporary workspaces may be needed outside of 
the existing/maintained facility footprints. The general location of 
the project facilities are shown in Appendix 3.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Texas Eastern is still in the planning phase of the project, and 
workspace requirements have not been finalized. However, TEAM 2014 
would disturb approximately 1191.5 acres and install or modify about 12 
miles of new access roads. The construction and operation of the 
pipeline loops would be mostly collocated adjacent to existing 
pipelines and would affect about 547.1 acres of land in Berks, Dauphin, 
Fayette, Lebanon, and Perry Counties, Pennsylvania. In addition, 48 new 
access roads would be required. Modifications at the compressor 
stations would be confined to the existing facility property and would 
temporarily affect 124 acres in Fayette, Westmoreland, Indiana and 
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Workspace for the bi-directional flow 
modifications is planned to temporarily impact about 520.4 acres within 
or adjacent to existing facilities in the following counties: Marshall 
County, West Virginia; Monroe, Noble, Athens, Meigs, and Scioto 
Counties, Ohio; Bath, Madison, Lincoln, Casey, and Monroe Counties, 
Kentucky; Trousdale, Wilson, Rutherford, Williamson, Giles, and 
Lawrence Counties, Tennessee; Colbert County, Alabama; and Itawamba, 
Monroe, Oktibbeha, Attala, Madison, Hinds, and Jefferson Counties, 
Mississippi.

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 
\4\ 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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    \4\ ``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;
     public safety; and
     cumulative impacts.
    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.
    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 
the FERC receives an application. As part of our pre-filing review, we 
have begun to contact some federal and state agencies to discuss their 
involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the EA.
    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.\5\ 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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    \5\ 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 the applicable State Historic Preservation

[[Page 62509]]

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.\6\ 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, 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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    \6\ 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 
that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before 
November 3, 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 (PF12-19-000) 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.
    When an 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 4).

Becoming an Intervenor

    Once Texas Eastern 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 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 the Commission 
receives a formal application for the project.

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., PF12-
19). 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, if scheduled, will be 
posted on the Commission's calendar located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

    Dated: October 4, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-25206 Filed 10-12-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P