[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 182 (Thursday, September 19, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57626-57629]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-22781]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF13-16-000]


Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare An 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Planned Algonquin Incremental 
Market Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and 
Notice of Public Scoping Meetings

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that 
will discuss the environmental impacts of the Algonquin Incremental 
Market Project (AIM Project or Project) involving construction and 
operation of facilities by Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC (Algonquin), 
an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Spectra Energy Corp, in New 
York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The Commission will 
use this EIS 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

[[Page 57627]]

evaluate in the EIS. Please note that the scoping period will close on 
October 14, 2013. However, this is not your only public input 
opportunity; please refer to the Review Process flow chart 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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    You may submit comments in written form or verbally. Further 
details on how to submit written comments are in the Public 
Participation section of this notice. In lieu of or in addition to 
sending written comments, the Commission invites you to attend the 
public scoping meeting(s) scheduled as follows:

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           Date and time \a\                         Location
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Monday, September 30, 2013, 7:00 PM      Muriel H. Morabito Community
 Eastern Time.                            Center, 29 Westbrook Drive,
                                          Cortlandt Manor, NY 10567.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013, 7:00 PM        Rogers Park Middle School, 21
 Eastern Time.                            Memorial Drive, Danbury, CT
                                          06810.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013, 7:00 PM      Kelly Middle School, 25 Mahan
 Eastern Time.                            Drive, Norwich, CT 06360.
Thursday, October 3, 2013, 7:00 PM       Holiday Inn Dedham, 55 Ariadne
 Eastern Time.                            Road, Dedham, MA 02026.
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\a\ Algonquin representatives will be present one hour before each
  meeting (starting at 6:00 PM) to describe the Project, present maps,
  and answer questions.

    The public meetings are designed to provide you with more detailed 
information and another opportunity to offer your comments on the AIM 
Project. Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend the 
meetings and present comments on the issues they believe should be 
addressed in the EIS. A transcript of each meeting will be made so that 
your comments will be accurately recorded.
    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 planned 
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 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.

Summary of the Planned Project

    Algonquin plans to construct, install, own, operate, and maintain 
the planned AIM Project, which will involve expansion of its existing 
pipeline and compressor station facilities located in New York, 
Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts along with the abandonment 
of approximately 0.5 mile of existing mainline pipeline as a related 
component of the Project. Implementation of the Project will create the 
additional capacity from the Ramapo, New York and Mahwah, New Jersey 
receipt points on Algonquin's systems to various Algonquin city gate 
delivery points in Connecticut, and Massachusetts. If completed, the 
Project would be capable of delivering up to 342,000 dekatherms per day 
of natural gas.
    The planned AIM Project includes approximately 37.0 miles of 
pipeline composed of the following facilities:
     Replacement of approximately 19.6 miles of existing 26-
inch-diameter mainline pipeline with a 42-inch-diameter pipeline as 
follows:
    [cir] 3.3 miles in Rockland County, New York (Ramapo to Stony Point 
Lift and Relay (L&R) \2\);
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    \2\ Lift and relay refers to a construction method by which an 
existing pipeline is removed and replaced with a new pipeline.
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    [cir] 11.9 miles in Rockland and Westchester counties, New York 
(Stony Point to Yorktown Heights L&R), which includes a new 1.2-mile-
long horizontal directional drill (HDD) crossing of the Hudson River; 
and
    [cir] 4.4 miles in Putnam County, New York and Fairfield County, 
Connecticut (Southeast to Mainline Valve (MLV) 19 L&R).
     Extension of an existing loop \3\ pipeline with 
approximately 2.1 miles of additional 36-inch-diameter pipeline along 
Algonquin's existing pipeline right-of-way in Middlesex and Hartford 
counties, Connecticut (Cromwell Loop Extension).
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    \3\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed parallel to 
an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
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     Replacement of approximately 9.1 miles of existing 6-inch-
diameter pipeline with a 16-inch diameter pipeline in New London 
County, Connecticut (E-1 System L&R).
     Installation of approximately 1.4 miles of new 12-inch-
diameter loop pipeline along Algonquin's existing pipeline right-of-way 
in New London County, Connecticut (E-1 System Loop).
     Installation of approximately 4.8 miles of new lateral 
pipeline off of Algonquin's existing I-4 System Lateral in Norfolk and 
Suffolk counties, Massachusetts (West Roxbury Lateral), which includes:
    [cir] approximately 4.2 miles of new 16-inch-diameter pipeline; and
    [cir] approximately 0.6 mile of new 24-inch-diameter pipeline.
    The majority of the pipeline facilities (approximately 28.7 miles 
or 78 percent of the total 37.0 miles) will replace existing Algonquin 
pipelines, while the remainder of the pipeline facilities 
(approximately 8.3 miles or 22 percent) will consist of new pipeline 
loops and one new lateral.
    In addition to the pipeline facilities, Algonquin will modify 5 
existing compressor stations and 25 existing metering and regulating 
(M&R) stations, and construct 2 new M&R stations. Modifications to the 
five existing compressor stations will add an additional 72,240 
horsepower to its pipeline system. The compressor stations to be 
modified are located in Rockland and Putnam counties, New York; 
Middlesex, and Windham counties, Connecticut; and Providence County, 
Rhode Island. The AIM Project will include modifications to 25 existing 
Algonquin M&R stations in New York,

[[Page 57628]]

Connecticut, and Massachusetts to accept the new gas flows associated 
with the proposed Project. The two new M&R stations to be constructed 
are located in Suffolk and Bristol counties, Massachusetts. Algonquin 
will also need to construct a number of pig \4\ launcher and receiver 
facilities, one new MLV, and potentially modify five existing MLV 
sites.
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    \4\ A pig is an internal tool that can be used to clean and dry 
a pipeline and/or to inspect the pipeline for damage. A pig launcher 
is the launching stations from which the pig is launched.
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    The general location of the Project facilities is shown in Appendix 
2.
    Pending Project approvals, the projected in-service date of the AIM 
Project is November 2016. The work is scheduled to start in the 1st 
Quarter of 2015 and be completed by October 2016.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the planned facilities would disturb about 608 
acres of land for the pipeline and aboveground facilities. Of the 608 
acres, 255 acres would consist of Algonquin's existing pipeline right-
of-way or property associated with its existing aboveground facility 
sites. The remaining 353 acres would consist of land outside of 
Algonquin's existing pipeline right-of-way or aboveground facility 
sites. Following construction, Algonquin would maintain an additional 
12 acres for permanent operation of the Project's facilities. 
Approximately 98 percent of the 37.0 miles of AIM Project pipeline 
facilities will be within or adjacent to existing rights-of-way, 
consisting of Algonquin pipeline rights-of-ways, public roadways, 
railways, and/or other utility rights-of-ways.

The EIS 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 
\5\ 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 EIS on the important 
environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public 
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EIS. We will 
consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EIS.
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    \5\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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    In the EIS we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation and maintenance of the planned Project 
under these general headings:
     geology and soils;
     land use, including prime farmland;
     water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
     cultural resources;
     vegetation and wildlife;
     air quality and noise;
     endangered and threatened species;
     traffic and transportation;
     public safety; and
     cumulative impacts.
    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.
    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 EIS.
    The EIS will present our independent analysis of the issues. We 
will publish and distribute the draft EIS for public comment. After the 
comment period, we will consider all timely comments and revise the 
document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS. 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 
related to this Project to formally cooperate with us in the 
preparation of the EIS.\6\ 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. Currently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have expressed their intention to 
participate as a cooperating agency in the preparation of the EIS to 
satisfy their NEPA responsibilities related to this Project.
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    \6\ 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(s) (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.\7\ We will define the Project-specific Area of 
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO(s) 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 EIS 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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    \7\ 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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Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the planned facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Algonquin. This preliminary 
list of issues may change based on your comments and our analysis.
     Geology--Effects as a result of blasting to remove 
existing surface and bedrock during Project construction.
     Biological Resources--Effects on threatened and endangered 
species and sensitive habitats potentially occurring within or adjacent 
to the Project right-of-way.
     Water Resources--Effects on waterbodies and wetlands 
including the crossing of the Hudson River using the HDD construction 
method; and the potential inadvertent release of drilling fluids 
associated with the HDD method.
     Land Use--Effects on residential and commercial areas, 
traffic and transportation corridors, and agricultural lands from 
construction of Project facilities.

[[Page 57629]]

     Cultural Resources--Effects on archaeological sites and 
historic resources.
     Air Quality and Noise--Effects on the local air quality 
and noise environment from construction and operation and maintenance 
of planned Project facilities.
     Reliability and Safety--The assessment of hazards 
associated with natural gas pipelines and aboveground facilities; the 
potential for Project-related fires during construction and operation 
and maintenance activities; and the development of an evacuation 
strategy/plan in case of a fire or natural disaster.

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 
October 14, 2013. However, this is not your only public input 
opportunity; please refer to the Review Process flow chart in Appendix 
1.
    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 (PF13-16-000) 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 
planned Project.
    Copies of the completed draft EIS 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

    Once Algonquin 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 (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., PF13-
16). 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 that 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: September 13, 2013.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-22781 Filed 9-18-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P