[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 215 (Tuesday, November 6, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66603-66605]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-27015]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP12-491-000]


Trunkline Gas Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Trunkline Mainline 
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 Trunkline Mainline Abandonment 
Project involving abandonment of facilities by Trunkline Gas Company, 
LLC (Trunkline) located in numerous counties in Illinois, Kentucky, 
Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. 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 26, 2012.
    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.
    Trunkline 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

    Trunkline proposes to abandon by transfer to a corporate affiliate 
portions of its existing 100-1 and 100-2 looped \1\ pipeline systems 
and portions of compressor stations (CS) located in numerous counties 
in Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and 
Texas, so that they may be converted to the transmission of crude oil. 
Trunkline also proposes to abandon in-place 12 compressor units 
totaling 15,850 horsepower (hp) that are no longer needed. Trunkline 
states that the abandonment would result in the reduction of its 
certificated winter mainline capacity through the Independence CS from 
1,555 thousand dekatherms per day (MDt/d) to 958 MDt/d, and the 
certificated capacity out of its Texas portion of its system through 
the Longville CS would be reduced from 1,109 MDt/d to 920 MDt/d. After 
abandonment, these gas volumes would continue to be transported using 
the 100-2 pipeline between the Kountze CS and Longville CS, and the 
100-3 pipeline between the Longville CS and the Tuscola CS.
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    \1\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed parallel to 
an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
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    The Trunkline Mainline Abandonment Project would consist of the 
following:
     Abandonment by transfer of 45.02 miles of the 24-inch-
diameter 100-1 Loopline extending from Main Line Valve (MLV) 43-1 near 
Buna, Texas to the Longville CS near Longville, Louisiana;
     Abandonment by transfer of 725.46 miles of the 30-inch-
diameter 100-2 Loopline pipeline extending from the Longville CS to the 
Tuscola CS near Tuscola, Illinois;
     Abandonment in-place of a 3,000-hp compressor unit from 
the Pollock CS (Louisiana); a 1,050-hp compressor unit from the Epps CS 
(Louisiana); four compressor units totaling 4,200 hp from the Shaw CS 
(Mississippi); five compressor units totaling 5,250 hp from the 
Independence CS (Mississippi); and a 2,350-hp compressor unit from the 
Joppa CS (Illinois); and
     Abandonment of minor facilities at 163 sites across the 
systems, 80 of which would require ground disturbing activities.
    Trunkline states that upon the grant of abandonment authority for 
the above facilities, its Mainline pipeline and existing compressor 
stations would continue to operate in interstate transportation 
service.
    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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Non-Jurisdictional Facilities

    Following transfer of the facilities, the future operator of the 
abandoned pipeline would perform activities that are not under the 
jurisdiction of the FERC (non-jurisdictional) including modification of 
the facilities to transport crude oil. The future operator would modify 
the facilities proposed for abandonment at 95 sites. These activities 
would include:
     Removal and/or change out of mostly MLVs at 84 sites that 
overlap the abandonment work sites;
     Construction of four new MLVs;
     Construction of three new relays totaling 4,400 feet to 
make the pipeline diameter consistent, in order to enable inline 
inspection tools to be run through the crude oil pipeline; and
     Construction of replacement pipelines across the Sabine, 
Red, Mississippi, and Ouachita Rivers using the horizontal directional 
drilling method.
    The scope of the non-jurisdictional pipeline construction 
activities is still being developed. However, the current scope 
includes:
     Construction of about 33.6 miles of 30-inch-diameter 
pipeline from the vicinity of the tank farms in Patoka, Illinois to 
Trunkline's existing Johnsonville CS; and
     Construction of about 154 miles of 30-inch-diameter 
pipeline from about milepost 62.7 near Alexandria, Louisiana to a 
possible delivery point in St. James, Louisiana.
    These related non-jurisdictional facilities are not subject to the 
FERC's environmental review procedures. In the EA, we \3\ will provide 
available descriptions of the non-jurisdictional facilities and include 
them under our analysis of cumulative impacts.
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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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Land Requirements for Construction

    Trunkline's abandonment activities would require ground disturbance 
of approximately 10.1 acres at 80 sites and would involve the 
following: excavation of cross-over pipeline segments for isolation of 
tap valve meter and regulators, installation of hot taps on the 
Mainline pipeline, excavation and removal of two drip lines on Loopline 
100-2, removal of a small segment of pipeline from Loopline 100-1 
downstream of Mainline Valve 43-1, and capping the ends of the pipe. 
Upon conclusion of the abandonment activities, the disturbed acreage 
would be restored. In addition, Trunkline would use other areas at 
existing mainline valve and compressor stations to disconnect above 
ground piping, welding caps on the pipeline ends, or

[[Page 66604]]

installing blind flanges. These activities would involve no ground 
disturbance.

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 
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.
    In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the abandonment 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.
    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 below.
    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, Part 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 Offices (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 SHPOs 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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    \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 
that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before 
November 26, 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 CP12-491-000 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; and 
local libraries and newspapers. This list also includes all affected 
landowners (as defined in the Commission's regulations) who are 
existing 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 we publish and distribute the EA, 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

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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.

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-
491-000. 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: October 26, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-27015 Filed 11-5-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P