[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 74 (Thursday, April 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21752-21754]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-08750]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP14-88-000; Docket No. CP14-100-000]
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, L.L.C.; National Fuel Gas Supply
Corporation; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment
for the Proposed Niagara Expansion Project and Northern Access 2015
Project, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of two related projects proposed by
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, L.L.C. (TGP) and National Fuel Gas
Supply Corporation (National Fuel). TGP's Niagara Expansion Project
would involve construction and operation of facilities in Chautaugua
and Erie Counties, New York and Mercer County, Pennsylvania. National
Fuel's Northern Access 2015 Project would involve construction and
operation of facilities
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in Cattaraugus and Erie Counties, New York. The Commission will use
this EA in its decision-making process to determine whether the
projects are 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 projects. Your input will help the Commission staff
determine what issues they need to evaluate in the EA. Please note that
the scoping period will close on May 12, 2014.
This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental
mailing list for these projects. State and local government
representatives are asked to notify their constituents of these planned
projects 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 proposed facilities. The company
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if
the Commission approves the projects, 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.
TGP and National Fuel provided landowners with a fact sheet
prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural Gas Facility On
My Land? What Do I Need To Know?''. 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. It is also
available for viewing on the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov).
Summary of the Proposed Projects
TGP proposes to construct and operate 3.1 miles of natural gas
pipeline loop \1\ and modifications at two existing compressor stations
and one existing meter station, and other appurtenant facilities. The
Niagara Expansion Project would provide TGP with 140,000 dekatherms per
day of leased capacity from National Fuel. According to TGP and
National Fuel, their projects would increase natural gas delivery
capacity in the northeast region of the U.S.
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\1\ A pipeline loop is constructed parallel to an existing
pipeline to increase capacity.
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TGP proposes to construct pipeline facilities and modify existing
compressor and meter station facilities to lease capacity from National
Fuel. The Niagara Expansion Project would consist of the following
facilities:
3.1 Miles of 30-inch-diameter natural gas looping pipeline
in Chautauqua County, New York;
modifications to piping at Compressor Station 219 in
Mercer County, Pennsylvania;
modifications to piping and installation of a new pig
launcher at existing Compressor Station 224 in Chautauqua County, New
York; and
modifications to the existing Hamburg Meter Station in
Erie County, New York.
National Fuel proposes to construct compression and metering
facilities to provide the proposed leased capacity to TGP. The Northern
Access 2015 Project would consist of the following facilities:
a new 15,400 horsepower compressor station in Cattaraugus
County, New York;
7,700 horsepower of additional compression ancillary
facilities at the existing Concord Compressor Station in Erie County,
New York; and
modifications to allow for bi-directional flow at the
existing East Eden Station in Erie County, New York.
The general locations of the projects' facilities are shown in
appendix 1.\2\
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\2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of 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
TGP's project would disturb approximately 86 acres of land for the
aboveground facilities and the pipeline. Following construction, about
18 acres would be maintained for permanent operation of the project's
facilities; the remaining acreage would be restored and allowed to
revert to former uses. The entire proposed pipeline route parallels
TGP's existing pipeline right-of-way.
National Fuel's project would disturb approximately 39 acres of
land for the aboveground facilities. Following construction, about 18
acres would be maintained for permanent operation of the project's
facilities; the remaining acreage would be restored and allowed to
revert to former uses. National Fuel's proposed facilities would be
constructed adjacent to existing aboveground facilities and/or pipeline
facilities.
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
\3\ 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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\3\ ``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 proposed projects under these
general headings:
Geology and soils;
land use;
water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
cultural resources;
vegetation and wildlife, including migratory birds;
air quality and noise;
endangered and threatened species; and
public safety.
We will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed
projects or portions of the projects, 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 beginning on page 5.
With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law
and/or special expertise with respect to environmental issues of these
projects to formally cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA.\4\
Agencies that
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would like to request cooperating agency status should follow the
instructions for filing comments provided under the Public
Participation section of this notice.
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\4\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 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 Offices (SHPO), and to
solicit their views and those of other government agencies, interested
Indian tribes, and the public on the projects' potential effects on
historic properties.\5\ We will define the project-specific Area of
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPOs as the projects
develop. 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 these projects will document
our findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize the
status of consultations under section 106.
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\5\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's regulations
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Historic
properties are defined in those regulations as any prehistoric or
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register for Historic
Places.
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Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the projects. 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 May
12, 2014.
For your convenience, there are three methods which you can use to
submit your comments to the Commission. In all instances please
reference the project docket number (CP14-88-000 and CP14-100-000) with
your submission. The Commission encourages electronic filing of
comments and has expert eFiling staff available to assist you at (202)
502-8258 or [email protected].
(1) You may file your comments electronically by 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 interested persons to
submit brief, text-only comments on a project;
(2) You may 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.'' 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 may 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 projects. 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 projects.
If we publish and distribute the EA, copies 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
In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, 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
included in the User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the
Commission's Web site.
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 at 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., CP14-
88 or CP14-100). 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 now 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/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.
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: April 11, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-08750 Filed 4-16-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P