[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 8, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20802-20804]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-09719]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP18-46-000]


Adelphia Gateway, LLC; Notice of Intent to Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Adelphia Gateway Project, 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public 
Scoping Sessions

    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 Adelphia Gateway Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities by Adelphia Gateway, 
LLC (Adelphia) in Delaware, Bucks, Chester, Montgomery, and Northampton 
Counties, Pennsylvania, and New Castle County, Delaware. 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. 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. 
Your input will help the Commission staff determine what issues they 
need to evaluate in the EA. To ensure that your comments are timely and 
properly recorded, please send your comments so that the Commission 
receives them in Washington, DC on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on 
June 1, 2018.
    If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the 
opening of this docket on January 11, 2018, you will need to file those 
comments in Docket No. CP18-46-000 to ensure they are considered as 
part of this proceeding.
    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 proposed 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.
    Adelphia 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 website (www.ferc.gov).

Public Participation

    For your convenience, there are four methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission will provide equal 
consideration to all comments received, whether filed in written form 
or provided verbally. The Commission encourages electronic filing of 
comments and has expert staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 
or [email protected]. Please carefully follow these 
instructions so that your comments are properly recorded.
    (1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment 
feature on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to 
Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for submitting brief, 
text-only comments on a project;
    (2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling 
feature on the Commission's website (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. If you are filing a comment on a particular project, please 
select ``Comment on a Filing'' as the filing type;
    (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to 
the following address. Be sure to reference the project docket number 
(CP18-46-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, 
Washington, DC 20426.
    (4) In lieu of sending written or electronic comments, the 
Commission invites you to attend one of the public scoping sessions its 
staff will conduct in the project area, scheduled as follows:

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             Date and time                           Location
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Wednesday, May 30, 2018, 5:00-9:00 p.m.  Homewood Suites by Hilton,
                                          Allentown Bethlehem Center
                                          Valley, 3350 Center Valley
                                          Parkway, Center Valley, PA
                                          18034, (610) 351-6400.
Thursday, May 31, 2018, 5:00-9:00 p.m..  Clarion Hotel Philadelphia
                                          Airport, 76 Industrial
                                          Highway, Route 291, Essington,
                                          PA 19029, (610) 521-9600.
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    The primary goal of these scoping sessions is to have you identify 
the specific environmental issues and concerns that should be 
considered in the EA to be prepared for this project. Individual verbal 
comments will be taken on a one-on-one basis with a court reporter. 
This format is designed to receive the maximum amount of verbal 
comments, in a convenient way during the timeframe allotted.
    Each scoping session is scheduled from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. 
Eastern Time. You may arrive at any time after 5:00 p.m. There will not 
be a formal presentation by Commission staff when the session opens. If 
you wish to speak, the Commission staff will hand out numbers in the 
order of your arrival. Comments will be taken until 9:00 p.m. However, 
if no additional numbers have been handed out and all individuals who 
wish to provide comments have had an opportunity to do so, staff may 
conclude the session at 8:00 p.m. Please see appendix 1 for additional 
information on the session format and conduct.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in 
the Federal Register. Copies of the 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 the last page of this notice. Public Reference 
Room, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 502-
8371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last 
page of this notice.

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    Your scoping comments will be recorded by the court reporter (with 
FERC staff or representative present) and become part of the public 
record for this proceeding. Transcripts will be publicly available on 
FERC's eLibrary system (see below for instructions on using eLibrary). 
If a significant number of people are interested in providing verbal 
comments in the one-on-one settings, a time limit of 5 minutes may be 
implemented for each commenter.
    It is important to note that verbal comments hold the same weight 
as written or electronically submitted comments. Although there will 
not be a formal presentation, Commission staff will be available 
throughout the comment session to answer your questions about the 
environmental review process.
    Please note this is not your only public input opportunity; please 
refer to the review process flow chart in appendix 2.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Adelphia proposes to acquire and convert an existing oil pipeline 
and an existing dual-phase oil and natural gas pipeline to natural gas 
only, and construct and operate new natural gas pipelines, compressor 
stations, meter stations, and appurtenant facilities in Delaware, 
Bucks, Chester, Montgomery, and Northampton Counties, Pennsylvania, and 
New Castle County, Delaware. The Adelphia Gateway Project would provide 
about 175 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day to the 
greater Philadelphia industrial region with potential to serve 
additional markets in the northeast.
    Specifically, the Adelphia Gateway Project would consist of the 
construction of the following facilities:
     One new 5,625 horsepower (hp) compressor station in 
Delaware County, Pennsylvania (Marcus Hook Compressor Station);
     one new 5,625 hp compressor station in Bucks County, 
Pennsylvania (Quakertown Compressor Station);
     0.25 mile of new 16-inch-diameter pipeline lateral in 
Delaware County, Pennsylvania and New Castle County, Delaware (Parkway 
Lateral);
     4.5 miles of new 16-inch-diameter pipeline lateral in 
Delaware County, Pennsylvania (Tilghman Lateral);
     one new interconnect each in Montgomery County and Bucks 
County, Pennsylvania;
     three new interconnects in New Castle County, Delaware;
     three new interconnects in Delaware County, Pennsylvania;
     eight new blowdown assemblies (one in Delaware County, two 
in Montgomery County, and five in Chester County, Pennsylvania);
     one new mainline valve in Delaware County, Pennsylvania; 
and
     one temporary wareyard in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
    Additionally, the Adelphia Gateway Project would require the 
acquisition and use of the following existing facilities:
     4.4 miles of existing 20-inch-diameter natural gas 
pipeline in Northampton County, Pennsylvania;
     84 miles of existing 18-inch-diameter pipeline (the 
northern 34-mile segment was used to transport oil and natural gas, and 
the southern 50-mile segment was used to transport fuel oil); and
     four existing meter stations in Bucks, Delaware, and 
Northampton Counties, Pennsylvania.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
3.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities would disturb about 42 
acres of land for the proposed aboveground facilities and the 
pipelines. Following construction, Adelphia would maintain about 9 
acres for permanent operation of the project's facilities; the 
remaining acreage would be restored and would revert to former uses. 
The majority of the proposed right-of-way for the pipelines are 
collocated with existing roads, power lines, and other pipeline rights-
of-way.

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 
\2\ 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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    \2\ We, us, and our refer to the environmental staff of the 
Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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    In the EA, we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the proposed project under these 
general headings:
     Geology and soils;
     water resources and wetlands;
     fisheries, vegetation, and wildlife;
     endangered and threatened species;
     cultural resources;
     socioeconomics;
     land use;
     air quality and noise;
     public safety; and
     cumulative impacts
    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.
    The EA will present our independent analysis of the issues. The EA 
will be available in the public record through eLibrary. We will 
publish and distribute the EA to the public for an allotted comment 
period. We will consider all comments on the EA before making our 
recommendations to the Commission. To ensure we have the opportunity to 
consider and address your comments, please carefully follow the 
instructions in the Public Participation section, beginning on page 2.
    With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law 
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues of 
this project to formally cooperate with us in the preparation of the 
EA.\3\ 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.
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    \3\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing 
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
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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 applicable State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPO), and to 
solicit their 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

[[Page 20804]]

define the project-specific Area of Potential Effects (APE) in 
consultation with the SHPOs 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, compressor stations, 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. Those 
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or 
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in 
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic 
Places.
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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. 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 
proposed project.
    Copies of the EA will 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 4).

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 ``Document-less Intervention Guide'' under the ``e-filing'' link on 
the Commission's website. Motions to intervene are more fully described 
at http://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp.

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 website at 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., CP18-
46). 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 sessions 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: May 1, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-09719 Filed 5-7-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P