[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 222 (Tuesday, November 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68676-68679]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-27243]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF14-14-000]


Rover Pipeline LLC, Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Planned Rover Pipeline Project, Request for 
Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public Scoping Meetings

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that 
will discuss the environmental impacts of the planned Rover Pipeline 
Project (Project) involving construction and operation of facilities by 
Rover Pipeline LLC (Rover) in multiple counties in Michigan, Ohio, West 
Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The Commission will use this EIS in its 
decision-making process to determine whether the Project is in the 
public convenience and necessity.
    This notice, which is being sent to the Commission's current 
environmental mailing list for the Project, announces the opening of 
the scoping process that will be used to gather input about the Project 
from the public and other interested stakeholders. State and local 
government representatives should notify their constituents about this 
process and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern. 
Scoping comments will help the Commission staff determine what issues 
will need to be evaluated in the EIS. Please note that the scoping 
period will close on December 18, 2014.
    Comments about the Project may be submitted in written form or 
verbally. The Public Participation section of this notice describes how 
to submit written comments. Verbal comments can be given at the public 
scoping meetings to be held in the Project area as scheduled below.

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           Date and time                      Meeting location
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Monday, November 17, 2014, 6:00     Toronto High School Cafetorium, 1305
 p.m. EST.                           Dennis Way, Toronto, OH 43964.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014, 6:00    Matt Barker Building, 217 North 4th
 p.m. EST.                           Avenue, Paden City, WV 26159.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014, 6:00  Harrison Central High School
 p.m. EST.                           Auditorium, 440 East Market Street,
                                     Cadiz, OH 43907.
Thursday, November 20, 2014, 6:00   George Prinzing Auditorium, 500
 p.m. EST.                           Washington Street, Chelsea, MI
                                     48118.
Monday, December 1, 2014, 6:00      Adrian High School Auditorium, 785
 p.m. EST.                           Riverside Ave., Adrian, MI 49221.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014, 6:00     Defiance College--Schomburg
 p.m. EST.                           Auditorium, 701 North Clinton
                                     Street, Defiance, OH 43512.

[[Page 68677]]

 
Wednesday, December 3, 2014, 6:00   Buckeye Central High School
 p.m. EST.                           Auditorium, 938 South Kibler
                                     Street, New Washington, OH 44854.
Thursday, December 4, 2014, 6:00    Fairless High School Auditorium,
 p.m. EST.                           11885 Navarre Road SW., Navarre, OH
                                     44662.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014, 6:00  Holiday Inn Gateway Center, 5353
 p.m. EST.                           Gateway Centre, Flint, MI 48507.
Thursday, December 11, 2014, 6:00   Maniaci Banquet, 69227 North Main
 p.m. EST.                           Street, Richmond, MI 48062.
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    The purpose of these scoping meetings is to provide the public an 
opportunity to learn more about the Commission's environmental review 
process, and to verbally comment on the Project. Each scoping meeting 
will start at 6:00 p.m. and representatives from Rover will be present 
one hour prior to each scoping meeting to answer questions about the 
Project. Affected landowners and other interested parties are 
encouraged to attend the scoping meetings and to give their comments on 
the issues they believe should be addressed in the EIS. A transcript of 
each meeting will be added to the Commission's administrative record to 
ensure that your comments are accurately recorded.
    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 planned pipeline facilities. The 
company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. 
However, if the Commission approves the Project, that approval conveys 
with it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement 
negotiations fail to produce an agreement, a condemnation proceeding 
could be initiated where compensation would be determined in accordance 
with state law.
    The ``For Citizens'' section of the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov) 
provides more information about the FERC and the environmental review 
process. This section also includes information about getting involved 
in FERC jurisdictional projects, and a citizens' guide entitled ``An 
Interstate Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need to Know?'' 
This guide addresses a number of frequently asked questions, including 
the use of eminent domain and how to participate in the Commission's 
proceedings.

Summary of the Planned Project

    Rover plans to use about 621 miles of operational right-of-way to 
construct and operate about 820 miles of interstate natural gas 
transmission pipeline and associated facilities in Michigan, Ohio, 
Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The Project would originate near Cadiz 
in Harrison County, Ohio; would extend about 210 miles west to an 
interconnection with the Mid-west Hub; and then head northeast for 
about 209 miles to the Canadian/United States Border. The remaining 199 
miles would be associated with eight supply laterals to service areas 
in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Specifically, the Project 
would consist of the following components:

 Eight 24-, 30-, 36-, and 42-inch-diameter pipeline supply 
laterals (199.3 miles), in Washington County, Pennsylvania; Doddridge, 
Hancock, Tyler, and Wetzel Counties, West Virginia; and Belmont, 
Carroll, Harrison, Jefferson, Marshall, Monroe, and Noble Counties, 
Ohio;
 two collocated 42-inch-diameter pipelines, Mainline A (209.5 
miles) and Mainline B (202.1 miles), in Ashland, Carroll, Crawford, 
Defiance, Hancock, Harrison, Henry, Richland, Seneca, Stark, 
Tuscarawas, Wayne, and Wood Counties, Ohio;
 one 42-inch-diameter pipeline, Market Segment (209.4 miles), 
in Defiance, Fulton, and Henry Counties, Ohio; and Genesee, Lapeer, 
Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, Shiawassee, St. Clair, and 
Washtenaw Counties, Michigan;
 ten new compressor stations (CS):
    [cir] Cadiz CS in Harrison County, Ohio;
    [cir] Clarington CS in Monroe County, Ohio;
    [cir] Seneca CS in Noble County, Ohio;
    [cir] Burgettstown CS in Washington County, Pennsylvania;
    [cir] Majorsville CS in Marshall County, West Virginia;
    [cir] Sherwood CS in Doddridge County, West Virginia;
    [cir] Defiance CS in Defiance County, Ohio;
    [cir] Mainline CS 1 in Carroll County, Ohio;
    [cir] Mainline CS 2 in Wayne County, Ohio;
    [cir] Mainline CS 3 in Crawford County, Ohio; and
 four new metering and regulating stations in Doddridge County, 
West Virginia; Monroe County, Ohio; and Washtenaw and Shiawassee 
Counties, Michigan.

    The general location of the Project facilities is shown in appendix 
1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in 
the Federal Register. Copies of the 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 Additional Information section 
at the end of this notice.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the planned Project facilities would disturb about 
12,147 acres of land. The typical construction right-of-way for 
pipeline facilities would vary between 125- and 150-feet-wide in 
uplands and 75- and 95-feet-wide in wetlands, with additional workspace 
needed in some locations due to site-specific conditions and 
activities. Following construction, approximately 4,567 acres of land 
would be retained for permanent operation of the facilities. Land 
affected by construction but not required for operation would generally 
be allowed to revert to former uses.

The EIS 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 under Section 7 of the 
Natural Gas Act. NEPA also requires us \2\ to discover and address 
concerns the public may have about proposals. This discovery process is 
commonly referred to as ``scoping.'' The main goal of the scoping 
process is to focus the analysis in the EIS on the important 
environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public 
comments on the scope of the issues to be addressed in the EIS. All 
comments received will be considered during the preparation of the EIS, 
and addressed as appropriate.
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    \2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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    In the EIS we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the planned Project under these 
general headings:


[[Page 68678]]


 Geology and soils;
 water resources, including surface waters and groundwater;
 wetlands;
 vegetation, fisheries, and wildlife;
 threatened and endangered species;
 land use;
 socioeconomics;
 cultural resources;
 air quality and noise;
 public safety and reliability; and
 cumulative impacts.

    We will also evaluate alternatives to the Project, Project 
components, pipeline routes, and aboveground facility locations; and 
make recommendations on how to avoid or minimize impacts on the various 
resource areas.
    Although no formal application has been filed, we have already 
initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing process. 
The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early involvement 
of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before 
the FERC receives an application. As part of our pre-filing review, we 
have begun to contact federal and state agencies to discuss their 
involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the EIS.
    The EIS will present our independent analysis of the issues. We 
will publish and distribute a draft EIS for public comment. After the 
comment period, we will consider all timely comments and revise the 
document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS. To ensure we have 
the opportunity to consider and address your comments, please carefully 
follow the instructions in the Public Participation section below.
    With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law 
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues 
related to the Project to formally cooperate with us in the preparation 
of the EIS.\3\ Agencies that would like to request cooperating agency 
status should follow the instructions for filing comments provided 
under the Public Participation section of this notice. Currently, the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
(COE), and Ohio EPA have expressed their intent to participate as 
cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EIS to satisfy their 
NEPA responsibilities related to this Project. The COE has 
jurisdictional authority pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water 
Act, which governs the discharge of dredged or fill material into 
waters of the United States, and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors 
Act, which regulates any work or structures that potentially affect the 
navigability of a waterway.
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    \3\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing 
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations, Sec.  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 the Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia State Historic 
Preservation Offices (SHPOs), and to solicit their views and those of 
other government agencies, interested Indian tribes, and the public on 
the Project's potential effects on historic properties.\4\ We will 
define the Project-specific Area of Potential Effects (APE) in 
consultation with the SHPOs as the Project develops. On natural gas 
facility projects, the APE at a minimum encompasses all areas subject 
to ground disturbance (examples include the construction right-of-way, 
contractor/pipe storage yards, compressor stations, meter stations, and 
access roads). Our EIS for the Project will document our findings on 
the impacts on historic properties and summarize the status of 
consultations under Section 106.
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    \4\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation regulations 
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Those 
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or 
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in 
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic 
Places.
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Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    Based on our preliminary review of the Project; information 
provided by Rover; and public comments filed in the Commission's 
administrative record and submitted to staff at the applicant-sponsored 
open houses; we have identified numerous issues that we think deserve 
attention. This preliminary list of issues may change based on your 
comments and our ongoing environmental analysis. These issues are:

 Purpose and need for the Project;
 impacts of clearing forested areas and other vegetation;
 impacts on water resources including sensitive springs, 
groundwater, and wetlands;
 impacts on land use including agricultural lands and 
associated drainage systems;
 the use of eminent domain to obtain Project easements;
 impacts on property values and recreational resources;
 impacts from construction noise;
 pipeline integrity and public safety;
 alternatives; and
 cumulative impacts.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your comments about 
the Project. Your comments should focus on the potential environmental 
impacts of the Project, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid 
or lessen these environmental impacts. The more specific your comments, 
the more useful they will be. To ensure that your comments are 
considered in a timely manner and properly recorded, please send your 
comments so that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or 
before December 18, 2014.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please refer to the 
Project docket number (PF14-14-000) 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 located on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the 
Documents and Filings heading. This is an easy method for interested 
persons to submit brief, text-only comments on a Project;
    (2) You can also file your comments electronically using the 
eFiling feature located on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) 
under the Documents and Filings heading. 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.

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

[[Page 68679]]

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 has submitted comments on the Project in the 
Commission's administrative record. 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 planned Project.
    Copies of the draft EIS will be sent to the environmental mailing 
list for review and comment. If you would prefer to receive a paper 
copy of the EIS instead of the compact disc version or if you would 
like to remove your name from the mailing list, please return the 
attached Information Request (appendix 2).

Becoming an Intervenor

    Once Rover files an application with the Commission, 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 can be 
found under the ``Getting Involved'' heading of the ``For Citizens'' 
section on the FERC Web site. Please note that the Commission will not 
accept requests for intervenor status at this time. You must wait until 
the Commission receives a formal application for the Project.

Additional Information

    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 (http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp). Click on the eLibrary link, 
click on ``General Search,'' and enter the docket number, excluding the 
last three digits (PF14-14). 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 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. 
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: November 4, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-27243 Filed 11-17-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P