[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 159 (Monday, August 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48739-48740]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-19468]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP13-551-000]


Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC; Notice of 
Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Leidy 
Southeast Expansion Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the Leidy 
Southeast Expansion Project, proposed by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line 
Company, LLC (Transco) in the above-referenced docket. Transco requests 
authorization to construct and operate certain natural gas pipeline 
facilities in various counties in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, 
Virginia, and North Carolina to expand the natural gas delivery 
capacity to the northeast region of the United States by up to 525,000 
dekatherms per day.
    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Leidy Southeast Expansion Project in 
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that approval of the proposed 
project, with appropriate mitigating measures, would not constitute a 
major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human 
environment.
    On June 12, 2014, FERC issued a Notice of Schedule for 
Environmental Review of the Leidy Southeast Expansion Project. That 
notice identified the EA issuance date as August 8, 2014, with a 90-day 
Federal Authorization Decision Deadline of November 6, 2014 (now 
November 9, 2014).
    The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous 
Materials Safety Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
(COE) participated as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the 
EA. Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by law or special expertise 
with respect to resources potentially affected by the proposal and 
participate in the NEPA analysis. The COE will use the EA as part of 
its review to consider the issuance of a Section 404 Clean Water Act 
permit.
    The proposed Leidy Southeast Expansion Project includes the 
following facilities:
     About 29.8 miles of new 42-inch-diameter pipeline loop\1\ 
in four separate segments in Mercer, Somerset, and Hunterdon Counties, 
New Jersey, and Monroe and Luzerne Counties, Pennsylvania;
     Additional compression and modification of existing 
Compressor Stations 205, 515, 517, and 520 in Mercer County, New 
Jersey, and Luzerne, Columbia, and Lycoming Counties, Pennsylvania, 
respectively;
     Modification of existing compressor stations in North 
Carolina (1 facility), Virginia (5 facilities), and Maryland (1 
facility); and
     Modification of existing meter and regulating stations, 
mainline valves, and pig launchers and receivers in North Carolina, 
Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland.
    The FERC staff mailed copies of the EA 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. In addition, the EA is available for public viewing on 
the FERC's Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. A limited 
number of copies of the EA 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 EA may do so. 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 the Commission has the opportunity to consider your 
comments prior to making its decision on this project, it is important 
that we receive your comments in Washington, DC on or before September 
10, 2014.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to file 
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the 
project docket number (CP13-551-000) 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 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;

[[Page 48740]]

    (2) You can also file your comments electronically 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 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.
    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 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-
551). 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 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 11, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-19468 Filed 8-15-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P