[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 231 (Friday, November 30, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61626-61628]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-26005]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP19-17-000]


Midship Pipeline Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for a Proposed Amendment of the Midcontinent 
Supply Header Interstate Pipeline Project and Request for Comments on 
Environmental Issues

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the environmental impacts of a proposed amendment (0.8-mile 
reroute) of Midship Pipeline Company, LLC's (Midship Pipeline) 
Midcontinent Supply Header Interstate Pipeline Project (MIDSHIP 
Project) in Bryan County, Oklahoma.\1\ The Commission will use this EA 
in its decision-making process to determine whether the amendment is in 
the public convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ On August 13, 2018, the Commission issued a Certificate of 
Public Convenience and Necessity for the 234.1-mile-long MIDSHIP 
Project under Docket No. CP17-458-000.
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    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the 
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested 
agencies about issues regarding the amendment/reroute. The National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to take into 
account the environmental impacts that could result from its action 
whenever it considers the issuance of a Certificate of Public 
Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires the Commission to 
discover 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. To ensure that your comments are 
timely and properly recorded, please submit your comments so that the 
Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before 5:00 p.m. 
Eastern Time on December 24, 2018.
    You can make a difference by submitting your specific comments or 
concerns about the reroute. 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. Commission 
staff will consider all filed comments during the preparation of the 
EA.
    If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the 
opening of this docket on November 14, 2018, you will need to file 
those comments in Docket No. CP19-17-000 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 amendment. State and local government 
representatives should notify their constituents of this proposed 
amendment 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 easement agreement. You 
are not required to enter into an agreement. However, if the Commission 
approves the amendment, that approval conveys with it the right of 
eminent domain. Therefore, if you and the company do not reach an 
easement agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation 
proceedings in court. In such instances, compensation would be 
determined by a judge in accordance with state law.
    Midship Pipeline provided landowners with a fact sheet prepared by 
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) at https://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/gas/gas.pdf.

Public Participation

    The Commission offers a free service called eSubscription which 
makes it easy to stay informed of all issuances and submittals 
regarding the dockets/projects to which you subscribe. These instant 
email notifications are the fastest

[[Page 61627]]

way to receive notification and provide a link to the document files 
which can reduce the amount of time you spend researching proceedings. 
To sign up go to www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic 
filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-
3676 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, which is located on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) 
under the link to Documents and Filings. Using eComment 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, which is located 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.'' You will be asked to select the type of filing you 
are making; a comment on a particular project is considered a ``Comment 
on a Filing''; or
    (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 
(CP19-17-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, 
Washington, DC 20426.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Midship Pipeline proposes a 0.8-mile reroute between mileposts 
195.2 to 195.9 of the MIDSHIP Project in Bryan County, Oklahoma. This 
reroute would shift the pipeline about 400 feet west and south of the 
certificated pipeline route. The general location of the reroute is 
shown in appendix 1.\2\
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    \2\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in 
the Federal Register. Copies of 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.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed reroute would disturb about 12.5 acres 
of land. Following construction, Midship Pipeline would maintain about 
5.3 acres for permanent operation of the project; the remaining acreage 
would be restored and revert to former uses. This represents an 
increase from the certificated route of about 1.2 acres during 
construction and 0.5 acre during operation.

The EA Process

    The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the 
proposed amendment under these general headings:
     Geology and soils;
     water resources and wetlands;
     vegetation and wildlife;
     threatened and endangered species;
     cultural resources;
     land use;
     air quality and noise;
     public safety; and
     cumulative impacts.
    Commission staff will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the 
proposed amendment, and make recommendations on how to lessen or avoid 
impacts on the various resource areas as applicable.
    The EA will present Commission staffs' independent analysis of the 
issues. The EA will be available in electronic format in the public 
record through eLibrary \3\ and the Commission's website (https://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/enviro/eis.asp). If eSubscribed, you will 
receive instant email notification when the EA is issued. The EA may be 
issued for an allotted public comment period. Commission staff will 
consider all comments on the EA before making recommendations to the 
Commission. To ensure Commission staff have the opportunity to address 
your comments, please carefully follow the instructions in the Public 
Participation section, beginning on page 2.
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    \3\ For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to page 5 
of this notice.
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    With this notice, the Commission is asking agencies with 
jurisdiction by law and/or special expertise with respect to the 
environmental issues of this project to formally cooperate in the 
preparation of the EA.\4\ 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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    \4\ 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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Consultation 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, the Commission is using this notice to initiate 
consultation with the applicable State Historic Preservation Office 
(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.\5\ Commission staff will 
define the project-specific Area of Potential Effects (APE) in 
consultation with the SHPO 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). 
The EA for this project will document findings on the impacts on 
historic properties and summarize the status of consultations under 
section 106.
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    \5\ 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 and newspapers. 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, and anyone who submits 
comments on the project. Commission staff will update the environmental 
mailing list as the analysis proceeds to ensure that Commission notices 
related to this environmental review are sent to all individuals, 
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially 
affected by the proposed amendment.
    If the Commission issues the EA for an allotted public comment 
period, a Notice of Availability of the EA will be sent to the 
environmental mailing list and will provide instructions to access the 
electronic document on the FERC's website (www.ferc.gov). If you need 
to make changes to your name/address, or if you would like to remove 
your name from the mailing list, please return the attached ``Mailing 
List Update Form'' (appendix 2).

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Additional Information

    Additional information about the amendment/reroute 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 in the ``Docket Number'' field, excluding the last three digits 
(i.e., CP19-17). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. 
For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or (866) 208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 
502-8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the texts of all 
formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and 
rulemakings.

    Dated: November 23, 2018.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-26005 Filed 11-29-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P