[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 245 (Monday, December 22, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76319-76321]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29872]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP15-8-000]


Northwest Pipeline, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Kalama Lateral 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 the Kalama Lateral Project 
(Project), which would involve construction and operation of a new 
natural gas pipeline and associated facilities by Northwest Pipeline, 
LLC (Northwest) in Cowlitz County, Washington. The Commission will use 
this EA in its decision-making process to determine whether the Project 
is 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 Project. Your input will help the Commission staff 
determine what issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that 
the scoping period will close on January 10, 2015. You may submit 
comments as described in the Public Participation section of this 
notice.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for this project. State and local government 
representatives should notify their constituents of this proposed 
project 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 planned 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, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation 
proceedings where compensation would be determined in accordance with 
state law.
    Northwest 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 Project

    Northwest plans to construct and operate approximately 3.1 miles of 
24-inch- diameter natural gas pipeline to provide 320,000 Dekatherms 
per day (Dth/d) of natural gas to a proposed methanol production 
facility to be located within the north industrial area of the Port of 
Kalama, in Cowlitz County, Washington. The proposed methanol plant is 
not under the jurisdiction of the Commission and would not be 
constructed or operated by Northwest. However, the environmental impact 
of the plant would be part of the state of Washington's State 
Environmental Policy Act review process.
    The Kalama Lateral Project would transport natural gas to the 
methanol plant from Northwest's existing Ignacio/Sumas mainline in 
Cowlitz County, Washington. The project would require new appurtenances 
to tie the new pipeline into the existing mainline including a new tap 
and valve. Pig launcher facilities \1\ would be installed near the 
proposed interconnection with the mainline and at a new meter station 
facility constructed within the methanol plant. The new meter station 
facility would include standard appurtenances, piping, and buildings 
within an approximately 150-foot by 200-foot fenced area.
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    \1\ A ``pig'' is a tool that is inserted into and moves through 
the pipeline and is used for cleaning the pipeline, internal 
inspections, or other purposes.
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    The general location of the planned facilities is 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 page 5 of this notice.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the pipeline and aboveground facilities would 
disturb approximately 109.4 acres of land. Following construction, 
about 19.4 acres would be maintained within permanent easements for 
ongoing operation of the pipeline, aboveground facilities, and 
permanent access roads. The remaining acreage disturbed during 
construction would be restored and allowed to revert to former uses. 
These acreage estimates are based on Northwest's general intention to 
construct its pipeline using a 100-foot-wide right-of-way and to retain 
a 50-foot-wide permanent right-of-way.

Background

    Under Docket Nos. PF12-2-000 and CP13-18-000, FERC reviewed a 
pipeline route that was substantially similar to the one currently 
proposed by Northwest. A NOI was issued on June 22, 2012. On May 8, 
2013, Northwest formally withdrew its Application of Certificate of 
Public Convenience and Necessity for the Kalama Lateral Pipeline 
Project because the project proponent, Veresen U.S. Power Inc. 
terminated the Facilities Agreement with Northwest. Stakeholder 
comments on the previous docket, if applicable to the Project, should 
be resubmitted under Docket CP15-8.

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 (OEP).
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    In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the planned project under these 
general headings:
     geology and soils;
     water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;

[[Page 76320]]

     vegetation and wildlife;
     endangered and threatened species;
     cultural resources;
     land use;
     air quality and noise;
     public safety.
    We will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed 
project or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to 
lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas. We will present 
our independent analysis of the issues in the EA. 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 your 
comments, please carefully follow the instructions in the Public 
Participation section beginning on page 5 of this notice.
    With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law 
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues 
related to this project to formally cooperate with us in the 
preparation of the EA. 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.

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 Washington State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and to 
solicit the SHPO's 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 SHPO as the 
project develops. 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, and 
access roads). Our EA for this 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'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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Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the planned facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Northwest and public 
comments. This preliminary list of issues may change based on your 
comments and our analysis.
    These issues identified include impacts on geology and soils, land 
use, and public safety.
    This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your 
comments and our analysis.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. 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 they will be received in Washington, DC on or before January 9, 
2015.
    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 (CP15-8-000) 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 can file your comments electronically by using the eComment 
feature, which is located on the Commission's Web site at 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 can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling 
feature which is located on the Commission's Web site at 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 will be asked to 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 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 project. 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.
    When the EA is published, copies may 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 in 
the User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web 
site.

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 at www.ferc.gov using the ``eLibrary'' link. Click on the 
eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket number, 
excluding the

[[Page 76321]]

last three digits in the Docket Number field (i.e., CP15-8). 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.
    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: December 11, 2014.
 Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-29872 Filed 12-19-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P