[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 198 (Friday, October 11, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62012-62014]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-24441]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP13-36-000; CP13-132-000]


Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company; Notice of Availability of 
the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Rockaway 
Delivery Lateral and Northeast Connector Projects and Notice of Public 
Comment Meetings

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared this draft environmental impact statement 
(EIS) for the Rockaway Delivery Lateral Project and Northeast Connector 
Project

[[Page 62013]]

(collectively referred to as the Projects) as proposed by 
Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company (Transco) in the above-referenced 
dockets. For the Rockaway Project, Transco requests authorization to 
expand its natural gas pipeline system in New York to provide firm 
delivery lateral service of 647 thousand dekatherms per day (Mdth/d) of 
natural gas to National Grid's distribution system in New York City. 
For the Northeast Connector Project, Transco proposes to modify 
existing compressor station facilities along its existing pipeline 
system in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to provide 100 Mdth/d of new 
incremental natural gas supply to National Grid, as part of the 647 
Mdth/d to be provided by the Rockaway Project. The Northeast Connector 
Project would be operationally dependent on the Rockaway Project with 
similar construction and in-service schedules.
    The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of 
construction and operation of the Projects in accordance with the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). 
The FERC staff concludes that approval of the Projects would have some 
adverse environmental impacts, but these impacts would be reduced to 
less-than-significant levels with the implementation of Transco's 
proposed mitigation and the additional measures recommended in the 
draft EIS.
    The National Park Service; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District; National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service; and City 
of New York participated as cooperating agencies in the preparation of 
the draft EIS. Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by law or special 
expertise with respect to resources potentially affected by a proposal 
and participate in NEPA analysis. While the conclusions and 
recommendations presented in the draft EIS were developed with input 
from the cooperating agencies, the federal cooperating agencies will 
present their own conclusions and recommendations in their respective 
Records of Decision for the Projects.
    The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of 
construction and operation of the facilities proposed by Transco for 
the Projects. For the Rockaway Project, these facilities include:
     Approximately 3.2 miles of new 26-inch-diameter pipeline 
to deliver natural gas from Transco's existing Lower New York Bay 
Lateral (LNYBL) in the Atlantic Ocean to an onshore tie-in with the 
National Grid system on the Rockaway Peninsula in the Borough of 
Queens, Queens County, New York; and
     an onshore meter and regulating (M&R) facility to be built 
in the Borough of Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.
    Approximately 2.6 miles of the proposed pipeline would be 
constructed offshore on submerged lands owned by New York State. About 
0.6 mile of the pipeline would be built on federal lands, both onshore 
and offshore, within the Gateway National Recreation Area, which is 
administered by the National Park Service. Less than 0.1 mile of the 
pipeline would be built on land owned by the Triborough Bridge and 
Tunnel Authority.
    The M&R facility would be constructed within a historic airplane 
hangar complex on Floyd Bennett Field, which is part of the Gateway 
National Recreation Area. Floyd Bennett Field is listed in the National 
Register of Historic Places as a historic district, and the hangar 
complex is considered a contributing element to the significance of the 
site. Transco is proposing to adaptively reuse and restore the hangar 
complex to an exterior appearance that would enhance the visual 
characteristics of Floyd Bennett Field Historic District.
    For the Northeast Connector Project, Transco proposes to:
     Add an incremental 6,540 horsepower of compression at its 
existing Compressor Station 195 in York County, Pennsylvania by 
replacing three existing natural gas-fired reciprocating engines and 
appurtenant facilities with two new electric motor drives;
     add an incremental 5,000 horsepower of compression at its 
existing Compressor Station 205 in Mercer County, New Jersey by 
uprating two existing electric motor drives; and
     add an incremental 5,400 horsepower of compression at its 
existing Compressor Station 207 in Middlesex County, New Jersey by 
uprating two existing electric motor drives.
    These modifications would occur on lands owned by Transco within 
the existing compressor station sites.
    The FERC staff mailed copies of the draft EIS to federal, state, 
and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American tribes; 
potentially affected landowners and other interested individuals and 
groups; newspapers and libraries in the project area; and parties to 
this proceeding. Paper copy versions of this EIS were mailed to those 
specifically requesting them; all others received a CD version. In 
addition, the draft EIS is available for public viewing on the FERC's 
Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. A limited number of 
copies are available for distribution and public inspection at: Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First Street 
NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.

Comment Procedures and Public Meetings

    Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. To ensure 
consideration of your comments on the proposal in the final EIS, it is 
important that the Commission receive your comments before November 25, 
2013.
    For your convenience, there are four methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the 
appropriate docket number (CP13-36-000 for the Rockaway Project and 
CP13-132-000 for the Northeast Connector Project) with your submission. 
The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has 
dedicated eFiling expert staff available to assist you at (202) 502-
8258 or [email protected]. Please carefully follow these instructions so 
that your comments are properly recorded.
    (1) You may file your comments electronically by using the eComment 
feature, which is located on the Commission's Web site at www.ferc.gov 
under the link to Documents and Filings. An eComment is an easy method 
for interested persons to submit brief, text-only comments on a 
project.
    (2) You may file your comments electronically by using the eFiling 
feature, which is located on the Commission's Web site at 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 will be asked to select the type of filing you 
are making. A comment on a particular project is considered a ``Comment 
on a Filing.''
    (3) You may file a paper copy of your comments at the following 
address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
    (4) In addition to or in lieu of sending electronic or written 
comments, the Commission invites you to attend one of the public 
comment meetings its staff will conduct in the Rockaway Project area to 
receive comments on the draft EIS. Interested groups and individuals 
are encouraged to attend and present oral comments on the draft EIS.

[[Page 62014]]

Transcripts of the meetings will be available for review in eLibrary 
under the project docket numbers. All meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m., 
and are scheduled as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Date                               Location
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October 22, 2013.......................  Knights of Columbus Rockaway
                                          Council 2672, 333 Beach 90th
                                          Street, Rockaway Beach, NY
                                          11693.
October 23, 2013.......................  Aviator Sports & Events
                                          Center,3159 Flatbush Avenue,
                                          Brooklyn, NY 11234.
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    After the comments are reviewed, any significant new issues will be 
investigated, and a final EIS will be published and distributed to 
stakeholders. The final EIS will contain the FERC staff's responses to 
timely comments received on the draft EIS.
    Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a 
motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of 
Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214).\1\ Only intervenors have the 
right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision. The Commission 
grants affected landowners and others with environmental concerns 
intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they have a 
clear and direct interest in this proceeding which no other party can 
adequately represent. Simply filing environmental comments will not 
give you intervenor status, but you do not need intervenor status to 
have your comments considered.
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    \1\ See the previous discussion on the methods for filing 
comments.
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Additional Information

    Additional information about the Projects 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 appropriate 
docket number, excluding the last three digits, in the Docket Number 
field (i.e., CP13-36 for the Rockaway Project or CP13-132 for the 
Northeast Connector Project). 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; 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.

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act

    In addition to NEPA, FERC and the other federal cooperating 
agencies are required to comply with Section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act. Section 106 requires federal agencies to 
take into account the effects of agency actions on properties that are 
listed in, or eligible for listing in, the National Register of 
Historic Places, and to afford the Advisory Council on Historic 
Preservation an opportunity to comment. As part of this process, FERC 
staff and the National Park Service will prepare a Determination of 
Effect for Transco's proposed reuse and rehabilitation of the hangar 
complex for the M&R facility on Floyd Bennett Field. Design documents 
for rehabilitation of the hangars may be viewed on the FERC Web site 
(www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link as described above. Paper copies 
of the documents may be viewed in person 7 days a week, October 4 to 
November 25, 2013, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the following 
address: William Fitts Ryan Visitor Center, Lobby, Floyd Bennett Field, 
50 Aviation Road, Brooklyn, New York 11234.
    Comments on the design documents may be filed with the Commission 
or made in person at the public comment meetings as described above.

    Dated: October 4, 2013.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-24441 Filed 10-10-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P