[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
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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
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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