[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 149 (Friday, August 4, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 36393]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-16475]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. AD15-10-000]


Notice of Availability of the Final Guidelines for Reporting on 
Cultural Resources Investigations for Natural Gas Projects

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC or 
Commission) Office of Energy Projects has finalized its revised 
Guidelines for Reporting on Cultural Resources Investigations for 
Natural Gas Projects (Guidelines), which was issued in draft form on 
January 25, 2017, for comment. The Guidelines have been revised to 
provide updated guidance on communicating with federally recognized 
tribes; clarifications regarding off-the-record communications; 
documentation for Blanket Certificate Programs; and to address 
substantive comments received on the draft Guidelines.
    The Guidelines can be found in Docket Number AD15-10-000. The full 
text of the Guidelines can be viewed on the Commission's Web site at 
http://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/enviro/guidelines.asp.
    The Guidelines are intended to provide guidance to the industry. 
This manual does not substitute for, amend, or supersede the 
Commission's regulations under the Natural Gas Act of 1938 or the 
Commission's and Council on Environmental Quality's regulations under 
the National Environmental Policy Act. It imposes no new legal 
obligations and grants no additional rights.
    In response to the draft Guidelines, Commission staff received 
comments from federally recognized Indian tribes, industry 
representatives, federal and state agencies, and non-governmental 
organizations. Staff reviewed and considered each comment and modified 
several portions of the document in response. Staff declined to modify 
the document where comments either were too project- or location-
specific to be included in general guidance, were already adequately/
accurately addressed as written, or regarded topics that were not 
relevant to the Guidelines.
    All of the information related to the proposed updates to the 
Guidelines and submitted comments can be found on the FERC Web site 
(www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on the eLibrary link, 
click on Docket Search and in the Docket Number field enter the docket 
number AD15-10, excluding the last three digits. 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 formal documents issued by the Commission, 
such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.

    Dated: July 31, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-16475 Filed 8-3-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P