[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 212 (Friday, November 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65637-65639]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-26030]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP13-73-000; CP13-74-000]


Sierrita Gas Pipeline LLC; Notice of Availability of the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Sierrita Pipeline 
Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for the Sierrita Pipeline Project (Project), proposed by Sierrita Gas 
Pipeline LLC (Sierrita) in the above-referenced docket. Sierrita 
requests authorization to link El Paso Natural Gas Company's existing 
South Mainline System near Tucson to an interconnect with the 
S[aacute]sabe-Guaymas Pipeline at the U.S.-Mexico border near the town 
of Sasabe, Arizona.
    The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the

[[Page 65638]]

construction and operation of the Project in accordance with the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC 
staff concludes that approval of the Project would have some adverse 
environmental impacts; however, these impacts would be reduced to less-
than-significant levels with the implementation of Sierrita's proposed 
mitigation and the additional measures recommended in the draft EIS.
    The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)--Arizona Ecological Services 
Office; the FWS--Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge; the Arizona 
Game and Fish Department; and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection 
participated as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EIS. 
Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by law or special expertise with 
respect to resources potentially affected by the proposal and 
participate in the NEPA analysis. Although the cooperating agencies 
provided input to the conclusions and recommendations presented in the 
draft EIS, the agencies will present their own conclusions and 
recommendations in their respective Records of Decision for the 
Project.
    The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following Project facilities:
     Approximately 60.5 miles of 36-inch-diameter natural gas 
pipeline in Pima County, Arizona;
     two meter stations;
     two pig launchers and two pig receivers; \1\ and
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    \1\ A pig is an internal tool that can be used to clean and dry 
a pipeline and/or to inspect it for damage or corrosion.
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     six mainline valves.
    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.
    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 December 16, 
2013.
    For your convenience, there are four methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the 
Project docket numbers (CP13-73-000 and CP13-74-000) 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]. Please carefully follow these instructions so that 
your comments are properly recorded.
    (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 submitting brief, 
text-only comments on a project;
    (2) You can file your comments electronically by 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.'' If you are filing a comment on a particular project, 
please select ``Comment on a Filing'' as the filing type; 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.
    (4) In lieu of sending written or electronic comments, the 
Commission invites you to attend one of the public comment meetings its 
staff will conduct in the Project area to receive comments on the draft 
EIS. We encourage interested groups and individuals to attend and 
present oral comments on the draft EIS. Transcripts of the meetings 
will be available for review in eLibrary under the Project docket 
number. The meetings are scheduled as follows:

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             Date and time                           Location
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Thursday, December 12, 2013, 6:00 pm     Robles Elementary School
 local time.                              Cafeteria, 9875 South Sasabe
                                          Road, Tucson, AZ 85735.
Saturday, December 14, 2013, 10:00 am    San Fernando Elementary School,
 local time \2\.                          1 Schoolhouse Drive, Sasabe,
                                          AZ 85633.
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    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 Part 385.214).\3\ 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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    \2\ A Spanish-English translator will be provided at this 
meeting.
    \3\ See the previous discussion on the methods for filing 
comments.
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Questions?

    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-
73 and CP13-74). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. 
For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at FercOnline 
[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

[[Page 65639]]

by automatically providing you with notification of these filings, 
document summaries, and direct links to the documents. Go to 
www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.

    Dated: October 25, 2013.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-26030 Filed 10-31-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P