[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 195 (Tuesday, October 8, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61955-61958]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-24393]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[ Docket No PF13-7-000]


Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Additional Public 
Scoping Meetings for the Planned East Side Expansion Project and 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will hold additional public scoping meetings in Chester 
County, Pennsylvania and Gloucester County, New Jersey to receive 
comments on the alternative pipeline routes under consideration for the 
Line 1278 Loop and Line 10345 Loop of the Columbia Gas Transmission, 
LLC's (Columbia) planned East Side Expansion Project (Project). The 
dates, times, and locations of the meetings are detailed in the table 
below.

 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Public Scoping Meetings East Side
                            Expansion Project
                      [FERC Docket No. PF13-7-000]
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October 15, 2013, 7:00 PM *.......  Woolwich Township Hall, 120 Village
                                     Green Drive, Swedesboro, NJ 08085.
October 16, 2013, 7:00 PM *.......  Wyndham Garden Exton Valley Forge,
                                     815 North Pottstown Pike, Exton,
                                     PA. 19341
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 * Columbia representatives will be available starting at 6:30 to answer
  questions interested parties may have about the project.


[[Page 61956]]

    On March 8, 2013 the Commission's staff began a pre-filing 
environmental review of Columbia's East Side Expansion Project. On June 
6, 2013 the Commission issued a Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 
and Notice of Public Scoping Meetings. Scoping meetings were held on 
June 18, 2013 in Chester County, Pennsylvania and on June 19, 2013 in 
Gloucester County, New Jersey. The pre-filing environmental review is 
ongoing and to date, Columbia has completed surveys of potentially 
affected lands and has prepared information required for the 
Commission's environmental review of the project. Based on its review 
of the project, comments provided by staff, and public concerns 
expressed about the project, Columbia is considering numerous project 
alternatives including pipeline route variations in Pennsylvania and an 
alternative pipeline route in New Jersey. Implementing an alternative 
could affect the environment, affect new landowners, and/or affect 
landowners differently than previously expected. To ensure that the 
public has an opportunity to comment on the alternatives being 
considered, staff has determined that additional public scoping 
meetings are necessary.
    You have been identified as a landowner or an interested party that 
may be affected by the alternatives being considered. Information in 
this notice was prepared to familiarize you with Columbia's project, 
the Commission's environmental review process, how you can comment on 
the project, and stay informed about project developments.
    In addition to commenting at a public scoping meeting, you may 
submit comments in writing. Further details on how to submit written 
comments are provided in the Public Participation section of this 
notice. Ultimately, your comments will help the Commission's staff with 
its environmental review of the project. The Commission will consider 
all comments submitted on or before October 31, 2013.
    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 and encourage them to 
comment on their areas of concern.
    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a Columbia 
representative may have already contacted you or may contact you in the 
near future about the acquisition of an easement to construct, operate, 
and maintain the planned facilities or request permission to perform 
environmental surveys on your property. Some landowners may not be 
contacted if the alternative across their property is found to be 
either not feasible or not environmentally preferable to other 
alternatives being considered. 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.

Summary of the Planned Project

    Columbia plans to expand and improve its existing natural gas 
transmission pipeline system to increase operational flexibility and 
efficiency, provide bi-directional flow capabilities, and an additional 
310,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas service to mid-Atlantic 
markets. Specifically, Columbia plans to construct, modify, install or 
abandon and replace, and operate certain natural gas transmission 
pipeline facilities. The general location of the project facilities is 
shown in Appendix 1.\1\ This notice addresses alternative pipeline 
routes for two of the proposed facilities: the Line 1278 Loop in 
Chester County, Pennsylvania and the Line 10345 Loop in Gloucester 
County, New Jersey.
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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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    The Line 1278 Loop would involve constructing and operating 
approximately 8.9 miles of 26-inch-diameter natural gas transmission 
pipeline, generally running parallel to the existing Line 1278 pipeline 
in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
    The Line 10345 Loop would involve constructing and operating 
approximately 7.4 miles of 20-inch-diameter natural gas transmission 
pipeline, generally running parallel to the existing 10345 pipeline in 
Gloucester County, New Jersey.

Project Alternatives

    The following alternatives are being considered by Columbia. Staff 
is also considering these alternatives in its pre-filing environmental 
review of Columbia's project. Illustrations of these alternatives are 
provided in Appendix 1A.
     Blakely Road-Rock Raymond Alternatives for the Line 1278 
Loop: These alternatives (5C and 5D) are variations of the Route 10A 
Alternative considered in the Sparrows Point LNG Terminal and Pipeline 
Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (CP07-63-000).
    Alternative 5C would depart from the planned Line 1278 pipeline 
route in a wooded area behind the residences at the end of Helm Way, 
progressing southeast through a wooded area approximately 0.2 mile to 
the back side of the residential lots at the end of Blakely Road, then 
turning south for approximately 0.2 mile. The route would then turn 
westward passsing behind two residential subdivisions for approximately 
0.6 mile, and then rejoin the Line 1278 pipeline route.
    Alternative 5D would follow the planned route 0.1 mile further 
south than Alternative 5C before deviating southeastward to the 
property lines behind the residences at the end of Blakely Road. 
Alternative 5D would then follow a route similar to Alternative 5C 
until deviating to the southeast to Highway 282, then parallel the west 
side of Highway 282. This route would cross Highway 30 parallel to 
Highway 282. The route would then turn west paralleling Highway 30 to 
Rock Raymond Road where it would turn south to rejoin the Line 1278 
pipeline route.
     Lloyd Avenue Alternative for the Line 1278 Loop: Beginning 
at the intersection of Rock Raymond Road and Highway 30, this route 
alternative would follow Rock Raymond Road, use a horizontal 
directional drill to cross lands east and west of Lloyd Avenue, and 
then follow Veteran's Drive before rejoining the Line 1278 pipeline 
route.
     Oldman's Creek Road Alternative for the Line 10345 Loop: 
This alternative would follow the Center Square Road route until the 
intersection of Center Square Road and Pedricktown Road. At this point, 
the alternative route would parallel the north side of Pedricktown Road 
in a southwesterly direction for about 0.7 mile to its intersection 
with Highway 602 (variously called Harrisonville Road, Pedricktown-
Harrisonville Road, and Oldmans Creek Road). At this intersection, the 
route would generally parallel Highway 602 for about 3.5 miles where it 
would turn cross country through farmland for about 2.0 miles, where it 
would turn to parallel the north side of the New Jersey Turnpike. The 
Oldmans Creek Road route would then parallel the New Jersey Turnpike 
for the last 1.5 miles to its terminus at the Swedesboro Station.
     High Hill Road Alternative for the Line 10345 Loop: This 
alternative would follow the Center Square Road route

[[Page 61957]]

until the intersection of Center Square Road and Pedricktown Road. At 
this point, the alternative route would turn northwest and parallel 
Pedricktown Road approximately 0.7 mile to its intersection with High 
Hill Road. The alternative would then parallel High Hill Road in a 
southeasterly direction for approximately 3.4 miles to its intersection 
with Auburn Avenue where it would turn southwest, paralleling Auburn 
Avenue for 0.5 mile before rejoining the Center Square Road route.
    In its application, Columbia will propose a preferred pipeline 
route. The preferred route and alternatives considered will be reviewed 
by the Commission's staff. As described in the following section, the 
findings of the staff's review will be reported in an Environmental 
Assessment (EA) which will be issued for public review.

The EA Process

    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 alternative pipeline routes currently under 
consideration. We will consider all filed comments including any 
additional alternatives that are suggested 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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    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 contacted federal and state agencies to discuss their involvement 
in the scoping process and the preparation of the EA.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the EA. 
The EA will be placed in the public record, published and distributed 
to the public for comments. We will consider all comments on the EA 
before we make our recommendations to the Commission. To ensure your 
comments are considered, please carefully follow the instructions in 
the Public Participation section of this notice.

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 31, 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 (PF13-7-000) 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 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 2).

Becoming an Intervenor

    Once Columbia 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-
7). 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

[[Page 61958]]

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 1, 2013.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-24393 Filed 10-7-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P