[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 155 (Tuesday, August 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47100-47102]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-19036]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP14-96-000]


Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Availability of the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Algonquin 
Incremental Market Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for the Algonquin Incremental Market Project (AIM Project), proposed by 
Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC (Algonquin) in the above-referenced 
docket. Algonquin requests authorization to expand its existing 
pipeline system from an interconnection at Ramapo, New York to deliver 
up to 342,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas transportation service 
to the Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts markets.
    The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the AIM Project in accordance with the 
requirements of the National

[[Page 47101]]

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that approval 
of the proposed project would result in some adverse environmental 
impacts; however, most of these impacts would be reduced to less-than-
significant levels with the implementation of Algonquin's proposed 
mitigation and the additional measures recommended in the draft EIS.
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, and the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and 
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration 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 or determinations for the AIM 
Project.
    The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of about 37.6 miles of pipeline composed of 
the following facilities:
     Replacement of 26.3 miles of existing pipeline with a 16- 
and 42-inch-diameter pipeline;
     extension of an existing loop \1\ pipeline with about 3.3 
miles of additional 12- and 36-inch-diameter pipeline within 
Algonquin's existing right-of-way; and
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    \1\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed parallel to 
an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
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     installation of about 8.0 miles of new 16-, 24-, and 42-
inch-diameter pipeline.
    The AIM Project's proposed aboveground facilities consist of 
modifications to six existing compressor stations, to add a total 
81,620 horsepower, in New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. 
Algonquin also proposes to abandon four existing compressor units for a 
total of 10,800 horsepower at one compressor station in New York.
    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 on or before 
September 29, 2014.
    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 number (CP14-96-000) 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. All meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. and are scheduled as 
follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Date                               Location
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Monday, September 8, 2014..............  Holiday Inn Dedham, 55 Ariadne
                                          Road, Dedham, MA 02026, (781)
                                          329-1000.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014.............  Holiday Inn Norwich, 10 Laura
                                          Blvd., Norwich, CT 06360,
                                          (860) 889-5201.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014..........  Danbury City Hall, City Council
                                          Chambers, 155 Deer Hill Ave,
                                          Danbury, CT 06810, (203) 797-
                                          4514.
Thursday, September 11, 2014...........  Muriel H. Morabito Community
                                          Center, 29 Westbrook Drive,
                                          Cortlandt Manor, NY 10567,
                                          (914) 739-5845
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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 Code of Federal Regulations Part 
385.214).\2\ 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\ 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,

[[Page 47102]]

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., CP14-96). 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 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.

    Dated: August 6, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-19036 Filed 8-11-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P