[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 137 (Monday, July 18, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46666-46667]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-16900]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP16-3-000 and CP16-3-001]


Texas Eastern Transmission, LP; Notice of Schedule for 
Environmental Review of the Access South, Adair Southwest, and Lebanon 
Extension Projects

    On October 8, 2015, Texas Eastern Transmission, LP (Texas Eastern) 
filed an application requesting a Certificate of Public Convenience and 
Necessity pursuant to Section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act to construct, 
operate, and maintain pipeline loops, install additional compression, 
and allow for reverse flow capabilities. The proposed projects, known 
as Access South, Adair Southwest, and the Lebanon Extension Projects 
would enable Texas Eastern to transport up to an additional 622,000 
dekatherms per day of natural gas on its mainline system from 
Uniontown, Pennsylvania to points in Ohio, Kentucky, and Mississippi.
    On October 22, 2015, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(Commission or FERC) issued its Notice of Application for the projects. 
Among

[[Page 46667]]

other things, the Notice of Application alerted agencies issuing 
federal authorizations of the requirement to complete all necessary 
reviews and to reach a final decision on a request for a federal 
authorization within 90 days of the date of issuance of the Commission 
staff's Environmental Assessment (EA) for the projects. This instant 
notice identifies the FERC staff's planned schedule for the completion 
of the EA for the projects.

Schedule for Environmental Review

    Issuance of EA--August 8, 2016
    90-day Federal Authorization Decision Deadline--November 6, 2016

    If a schedule change becomes necessary, additional notice will be 
provided so that the relevant agencies are kept informed of the 
projects' progress.

Project Description

    The projects would include (1) construction and maintenance of 
approximately 15.8 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline at three 
locations in Meigs and Monroe Counties, Ohio and 0.5 mile of 16-inch-
diameter replacement pipeline within its existing right-of-way in 
Attala County, Mississippi; (2) installation of a new 16,875 horsepower 
compressor unit at an existing compressor station in Tompkinsville, 
Kentucky; and (3) modification of 12 existing compressor stations to 
allow for reverse flow capabilities in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, 
Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi.

Background

    On August 11, 2015, the Commission issued a Notice of Intent to 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Planned Access South, Adair 
Southwest, and the Lebanon Extension Projects and Request for Comments 
on Environmental Issues (NOI). The NOI was issued during the pre-filing 
review of the projects in Docket No. PF15-17-000 and was sent to 
affected landowners; federal, state, and local government agencies; 
elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native 
American tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries and 
newspapers.
    In response to the NOI, the Commission received environmental 
comments from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a landowner, 
and combined comments from the Allegheny Defense Project, Buckeye 
Forest Council, Center for Biological Diversity, Freshwater 
Accountability Project, Heartwood, Kentucky Heartwood, and the Ohio 
Valley Environmental Coalition. The primary issues raised by the 
commentors included location of pipeline on an affected landowner's 
property; federally-listed threatened and endangered species; state-
listed endangered species; migratory birds; permitting requirements; 
minimization and avoidance of impacts on streams and wetlands; direct, 
indirect and cumulative project impacts; connected actions; forest 
fragmentation; and noise.
    On May 17, 2016, the Commission issued a Supplemental Notice of 
Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Access 
South, Adair Southwest, and the Lebanon Extension Projects and Request 
for Comments on Environmental Issues (Supplemental NOI). The 
Supplemental NOI was sent to landowners within one half mile of the 
compressor stations who had not been included in Texas Eastern's 
original landowner list. In response to the Supplemental NOI, we 
received one comment from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stating 
that it had no comments on the projects.

Additional Information

    In order to receive notification of the issuance of the EA and to 
keep track of all formal issuances and submittals in specific dockets, 
the Commission offers a free service called eSubscription. 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.
    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, select 
``General Search'' from the eLibrary menu, enter the selected date 
range and ``Docket Number'' excluding the last three digits (i.e., 
CP16-3), and follow the instructions. For assistance with access to 
eLibrary, the helpline can be reached at (866) 208-3676, TTY (202) 502-
8659, or at [email protected]. The eLibrary link on the FERC 
Web site also provides access to the texts of formal documents issued 
by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rule makings.

    Dated: July 12, 2016.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-16900 Filed 7-15-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P