[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 140 (Monday, July 22, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35111-35113]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-15483]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP19-479-000]


Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for The Proposed Bushton to Clifton A-Line 
Replacement Project

    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 Bushton to Clifton A-line 
Abandonment Project (Project) involving construction and operation of 
facilities by Northern Natural Gas Company (Northern) in Clay, Cloud, 
Ellsworth, Lincoln, Ottawa, and Rice counties in Kansas. 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 about issues regarding the project. 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 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 August 
15, 2019.
    You can make a difference by submitting 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. 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 June 7, 2019, you will

[[Page 35112]]

need to file those comments in Docket No. CP19-479-000 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 easement agreement. You 
are not required to enter into an agreement. However, if the Commission 
approves the project, 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.
    Northern 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) 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 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 
(CP19-479-000) 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

    Northern is proposing to abandon in-place the A-line facilities 
consisting of approximately 92.76 miles of 26-inch-diameter pipeline on 
Northern's M640A and M630A and 15.74 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline 
on its M640J pipeline systems and other appurtenant facilities. The 
Project would consist of the following pipelines and facilities:

 The M640A and M630A-Lines

    The M640 A-line in Kansas consists of approximately 45.64 miles of 
26-inch-diameter pipeline beginning at Northern's Bushton compressor 
station located in Ellsworth County, Kansas, and ending near the 
Tescott compressor station in Ottawa County, Kansas. The M630 A-line in 
Kansas consists of approximately 47.12 miles of 26-inch-diameter 
pipeline beginning at the Tescott compressor station in, Ottawa County, 
Kansas, and ending at Northern's Clifton compressor station located in 
Clay County, Kansas.

 The M640 J-Line

    The M640 J-line in Kansas consists of approximately 15.74 miles of 
24-inch-diameter pipeline beginning at Block Valve JBJ04 located in 
Ellsworth County, Kansas, and ending near Block Valve JXA07 located in 
Ottawa County, Kansas.

 Tescott Compressor Station

    Northern proposes to construct and operate an additional natural 
gas-driven ISO rated 11,152 horsepower Solar Mars turbine unit (Unit 
No. 6) at the existing Tescott compressor station located in Ottawa 
County, Kansas. The unit will tie into station piping that is connected 
to Northern's existing mainlines. Approximately 85 feet of 24-inch-
diameter station piping, approximately 40 feet of 36-inch-diameter 
station piping, and approximately 80 feet of 8-inch-diameter station 
piping will be removed to accommodate tie-ins.
    After abandonment, Northern will continue to operate the other 
pipelines in its right-of-way and maintain its pipeline easements with 
the exception of a segment of J-line that will be abandoned in place. 
The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed pipeline replacement and compressor 
station facilities would disturb about 55.4 acres, including 54.5 acres 
of land for temporary work space and about 0.9 acre for access roads. 
The two pipeline disconnect locations are located inside existing 
compressor station facilities which is owned by Northern, and the A-
line is collocated with other Northern pipelines. No new land would be 
obtained or required for the Project.

The EA Process

    The EA 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;
     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 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 Commission staffs' independent analysis of the 
issues. The EA will be available in electronic format in the public 
record through eLibrary \1\ 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

[[Page 35113]]

comments on the EA before making recommendations to the Commission.
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    \1\ For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the 
last page 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.\2\ 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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    \2\ 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, 
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.\3\ 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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    \3\ 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, or who own homes within 
certain distances of aboveground facilities, 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 project. 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).

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 in 
the Docket Number field, excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP19-
479-000. 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: July 16, 2019.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-15483 Filed 7-19-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P