[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 20 (Friday, January 30, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5104-5105]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-01730]


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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 
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Algonquin 
Incremental Market Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a final 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 final EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the AIM Project in accordance with the 
requirements of the National 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 final 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 final EIS, the 
agencies will present their own conclusions and recommendations in 
their respective records of decision or determinations for the AIM 
Project.
    The final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of about 37.4 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 7.8 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 final 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 area of the project; and 
parties to this proceeding. Paper copy versions of this final EIS were 
mailed to those specifically requesting them; all others received a CD 
version. However, we note that due to its voluminous size, the comment 
responses are provided as an electronic-only volume (Volume II) on a CD 
that was mailed to the entire mailing list. In addition, the final 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.
    In accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) 
regulations implementing the NEPA, no agency decision on a proposed 
action may be made until 30 days after the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency publishes a notice of availability of a final EIS. 
However, the CEQ regulations provide an exception to this rule when an 
agency decision is subject to a formal internal appeal process that 
allows other agencies or the public to make their views known. In such 
cases, an agency decision may be made at the same time the notice of 
the final EIS is published, allowing both periods to run concurrently. 
The Commission decision for this proposed action is subject to a 30-day 
rehearing period.
    Additional information about the proposed 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., CP14-
96). 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; for TTY, 
contact (202) 502-8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the 
texts of formal documents issued by the Commission,

[[Page 5105]]

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: January 23, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-01730 Filed 1-29-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P