[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 87 (Monday, May 6, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26352-26354]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-10612]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP13-96-000]


Gulf South Pipeline Company, LP; Supplemental Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Southeast Market 
Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

    As previously noticed on November 19, 2012, and supplemented 
herein, the staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the environmental impact of the Southeast Market Expansion 
Project (SEME Project or Project) involving the construction and 
operation of facilities by Gulf South Pipeline Company, LP (Gulf South) 
in Jasper, Forrest, Perry, Greene, George, and Jackson Counties, 
Mississippi and Mobile County, Alabama. The Commission will use this EA 
in its decision-making process to determine whether the Project is in 
the public convenience and necessity. The Commission staff began its 
review of the Project on September 17, 2012, during the pre-filing 
process under Docket No. PF12-21-000. The initial scoping period closed 
on December 19, 2012.
    This notice announces the opening of a supplemental scoping period 
that the Commission will use to gather input from the public and newly 
affected landowners due to Gulf South's proposed pipeline right-of-way 
route modifications and change in location of the Moss Point Compressor 
Station made after the initial scoping period. This notice is being 
sent as a supplement to the Notice of Intent to Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Planned Southeast Market Expansion 
Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of 
Public Scoping Meetings (original NOI) issued November 19, 2012 to 
ensure that all stakeholders on the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list have been notified and provide the opportunity for newly 
affected landowners to comment on the Project. Your input will help the 
Commission staff determine what issues they need to evaluate in the EA. 
Please note that this supplemental scoping period will close on May 28, 
2013. Further details on how to submit written comments are in the 
Public Participation section of this notice.
    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 planned 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.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is available for 
viewing on the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov). 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.

[[Page 26353]]

Summary of the Proposed Project (as supplemented)

    As indicated in the original NOI, Gulf South plans to construct 
70.1 miles of new 30-inch-diameter and 24-inch-diameter pipeline 
(approximately 42.3 miles and 27.8 miles, respectively), which would 
begin near the southern terminus of Petal Gas Storage, L.L.C.'s 
transmission facilities in Forrest County, Mississippi and end at Gulf 
South's existing Index 311 pipeline tie-in, approximately 4.5 miles 
west of Semmes, Alabama. In addition, Gulf South would construct 3 new 
compressor stations located in Forrest County, Jasper County, and 
Jackson County, Mississippi. The SEME Project would provide about 450 
million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day to the Florida and 
Southeast markets via an interconnect with Florida Gas Transmission 
Company and a new high pressure interconnect with Gulf South's existing 
Index 311 pipeline. According to Gulf South, the Project is necessary 
to provide new natural gas transportation capacity to meet an increased 
level of gas supply in the region.
    The proposed modifications consist of the following:
     A 4.5-mile-long variation in Perry County, Mississippi 
(MPs 18.7 to 23.2) that moved the pipeline alignment about 2,000 feet 
to the southwest;
     A 1.7-mile-long variation in Green County, Mississippi 
(MPs 27.9 to 29.6) that moved the pipeline alignment about 1,000 feet 
to the northeast;
     A 5.6-mile-long variation in George County, Mississippi 
(MPs 47.3 to 52.9) that moved the pipeline alignment more than 14,000 
feet to the east;
     A 3.1-mile-long variation, also in George County (MPs 58.0 
to 61.1), that moved the alignment about 2,000 feet to the south; and
     A change in location of the Moss Point Compressor Station 
site from the east to the west side of Highway 63 in Jackson County, 
Mississippi.
    The general locations of the proposed modifications are shown in 
Appendix 1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in 
the Federal Register. Copies of the 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 would disturb about 1,167 
acres of land for the aboveground facilities, pipeline, and access 
roads. Following construction, Gulf South would maintain about 455 
acres for permanent operation of the Project's facilities; the 
remaining acreage would be restored and revert to former uses. About 79 
percent of the pipeline route would parallel existing pipeline, 
utility, or road rights-of-way.

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 
\2\ 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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    \2\ ``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 planned 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;
     Socioeconomics; and
     Public safety.
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the planned 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 we make 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.
    On December 20, 2012 Gulf South filed its draft resource reports 
for the Project. The FERC reviewed these draft reports and provided 
comments to Gulf South on February 15, 2013. Gulf South submitted its 
formal application, including the final resource reports, on March 8, 
2013. We are now in the process of reviewing Gulf South's filed 
application and developing the EA in cooperation with the U.S. 
Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers. A diagram illustrating the environmental review 
process is found in Appendix 2.

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 (SHPOs), 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.\3\ 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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    \3\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation 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. Landowners or other 
stakeholders who already submitted comments during pre-filing need not 
resubmit those comments. To ensure that your comments are timely and 
properly recorded, please send your comments so that the Commission

[[Page 26354]]

receives them in Washington, DC on or before May 28, 2013.
    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 (CP13-96-000) 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 located 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 located 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.
    Copies of the EA 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 3).

Becoming an Intervenor

    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.

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 (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., CP13-
96). 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. More information 
about the Project may also be found on Gulf South's Web site http://www.gulfsouthpl.com/ExpansionProjects.aspx?id=1589.

    Dated: April 26, 2013.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-10612 Filed 5-3-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P