[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 8 (Thursday, January 11, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1346-1347]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-00328]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP17-441-000 and CP17-441-001]


Northwest Pipeline LLC; Notice of Schedule for Environmental 
Review of the North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project

    On May 11, 2017, Northwest Pipeline LLC (Northwest) filed an 
application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission 
or FERC) in docket number CP17-441-000 requesting a Certificate of 
Public Convenience and Necessity pursuant to Sections 7(b) and 7(c) of 
the Natural Gas Act to construct and operate certain natural gas 
pipeline facilities. The proposed project is known as the North Seattle 
Lateral Upgrade Project (Project), and would replace an existing 8-
inch-diameter pipeline with a 20-inch-diameter pipeline, increasing the 
design capacity on Northwest's system to serve Puget Sound Energy.
    On October 23, 2017, Northwest filed an amendment to its 
application, and on November 2, 2017, the Commission the issued a 
Notice of Amendment to the Application for the revised Project. Among 
other things, that notice 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 Project. This instant notice 
identifies the FERC staff's planned schedule for the completion of the 
EA for the Project.

Schedule for Environmental Review

    Issuance of EA: February 12, 2018.
    90-day Federal Authorization Decision Deadline: May 13, 2018.
    If a schedule change becomes necessary, additional notice will be 
provided so that the relevant agencies are kept informed of the 
Project's progress.

Project Description

    Northwest proposes to remove approximately 5.8 miles of the 8-inch-
diameter North Seattle Lateral pipeline in Snohomish County, Washington 
and replace it with 20-inch-diameter pipeline, primarily in the same 
trench. The North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project would consist of the 
following facilities:
     Replace 5.8-miles of 8-inch-diameter pipeline with 20-
inch-diameter pipeline;
     rebuild the existing North Seattle/Everett meter station 
in order to accommodate the increased delivery capacity of the North 
Seattle Lateral;
     relocate an existing 8-inch pig launcher and a 20-inch pig 
receiver; \1\ and
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    \1\ A pig is a tool that the pipeline company inserts into and 
pushes through the pipeline for cleaning the pipeline, conducting 
internal inspections, or other purposes.
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     replace an existing 8-inch mainline valve with a 20-inch 
valve.

Background

    On June 21, 2017, the FERC issued a Notice of Intent to Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed North Seattle Lateral Upgrade 
Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of 
Public Scoping Session (NOI) in Docket No. CP17-441-000. The NOI was 
mailed to 409 parties, including affected landowners; federal, state, 
and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American tribes; other 
interested parties; and local libraries. We also held a public scoping 
comment session in the Project area on July 13, 2017.
    The primary issues raised by commenters were impacts on residences 
(including noise, dust, drainage, and vegetation clearing), biological 
and water resources impacts, alternative routings for crossing the 
Fritch Mill property, pipeline safety, and impacts on adjacent utility 
easements and infrastructure.
    On October 23, 2017 Northwest amended its application, reducing the 
Project's incremental firm capacity from 196,311 to 159,299 dekatherms 
per day; reducing the length of the replacement 20-inch-diameter 
pipeline by about 1 mile; locating the replacement pig launcher/
receiver at milepost 7.76; and changing the pipeline route between 
mileposts 2.1 and 2.2 so as to divert its pipeline system around the 
Fritch Mill. Accordingly, on November 21, 2017 we issued a Supplemental 
Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Amended 
North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project and Request for Comments on 
Environmental Issues (NOI) in Docket No. CP17-441-001. The Supplemental 
NOI was mailed to 312 parties, including affected landowners; 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 1347]]

    Comments on the Supplemental NOI concerned the need for relocating 
the pipeline off the existing right-of-way; impacts to springs, 
wetlands, and mature forest from the newly routed segment, and 
alternatives.

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 website (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., CP17-441), 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 website also 
provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the 
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rule makings.

    Dated: January 5, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-00328 Filed 1-10-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P