[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 159 (Monday, August 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48817-48818]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-19538]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice: 8826]


Amended Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement (SEIS) and To Conduct Additional Scoping for the 
Proposed Enbridge Energy, Limited Partnership Line 67 Expansion Project

AGENCY: Department of State.

ACTION: Notice; solicitation of comments.

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SUMMARY: On March 15, 2013, the U.S. Department of State (the 
Department) issued a Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and To Conduct Scoping and To 
Initiate Consultation Consistent With the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act 
(NHPA) for the Proposed Enbridge Energy, Limited Partnership, Line 67 
Capacity Expansion Project (2013 NOI) in the Federal Register (78 FR 
16565-67). The 2013 NOI informed the public that the Department would 
be preparing an SEIS in support of its review of a November 2012 
application from Enbridge Energy, Limited Partnership (Enbridge) for a 
new Presidential Permit that would, if granted, authorize Enbridge to 
operate its existing Line 67 at the pipeline's full design capacity. A 
description of the proposed project is included in the 2013 NOI.
    Since that time, Enbridge has amended and supplemented its November 
2012 application. In June 2014, Enbridge informed the Department that 
Enbridge intends to increase pumping capacity outside of the Line 67 
``border segment'' (the portion of Line 67 from the Canadian border to 
the first main line shut-off valve, which is the segment that would be 
covered by a Presidential Permit), and to interconnect Line 67 with 
another Enbridge line (Line 3) on either side of the border segment. 
Enbridge is proceeding with certain elements of these plans. Enbridge 
submitted documents for public release in July 2014 which can be found 
at http://www.state.gov/e/enr/applicant/applicants/c55571.htm. In light 
of the changes in the project description, the Department is issuing 
this amended NOI and is conducting additional public scoping. In 
addition, a different third-party contractor is assisting the 
Department with the SEIS process than the firm that was named in the 
2013 NOI.

[[Page 48818]]


DATES: The Department invites U.S. agencies, organizations, tribal 
governments, and members of the public to submit comments to assist the 
Department in identifying environmental and other relevant issues, any 
measures that might be adopted to reduce the proposed Project's 
environmental impacts, and other information relevant to determining 
the scope of the SEIS. The 30-day public scoping period begins with the 
publication of this Notice on August 18, 2014 and ends on September 17, 
2014. Comments submitted electronically through www.regulations.gov as 
described below are strongly encouraged, but all comments will be given 
equal weight. The Department will consider comments received or 
postmarked by September 17, 2014. Comments received during the scoping 
period that followed the March 15, 2013 NOI will also be considered by 
the Department and do not need to be resubmitted. Comments received 
outside these scoping periods may be considered to the extent 
practicable.
    All comments received during the additional scoping period may be 
made public, no matter how initially submitted. Comments are not 
private and will not be edited to remove identifying or contact 
information. The Department cautions commenters against including any 
information that they would not want publicly disclosed. The Department 
further requests that any party soliciting or aggregating comments from 
other persons direct those persons not to include any identifying or 
contact information, or information they would not want publicly 
disclosed, in their comments.

ADDRESSES: Parties may submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal (http://www.regulations.gov) by entering the title of this 
Notice and following the prompts. Written comments should be addressed 
to: Ms. Mary D. Hassell, U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street NW., 
Room 2726, Washington, DC 20520. As described above, comments are not 
private.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project details on the Enbridge 
application for a new Presidential Permit for Line 67 (including the 
amendment thereto), as well as information on the Presidential Permit 
process, are available on the following Web site: http://www.state.gov/e/enr/applicant/applicants/. Please refer to this Web site or contact 
Ms. Mary D. Hassell at the address listed in the Addresses section of 
this notice.

    Dated: August 12, 2014.
Deborah Klepp
Director, Office of Environmental Quality and Transboundary Issues, 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2014-19538 Filed 8-15-14; 8:45 a.m.]
BILLING CODE 4710-09-P