[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 219 (Wednesday, November 13, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61611-61613]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-24629]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP19-479-000]


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

    On July 15, 2019, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) issued in Docket No. CP19-479-000 a Notice of Intent to 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Bushton to Clifton 
A-line Abandonment Project (NOI). In its application, Northern Natural 
Gas Company (Northern) filed a proposal to abandon in-place Northern's 
A-line facilities consisting of approximately 92.76 miles of 26-inch-
diameter pipeline, 15.74 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline, and other 
appurtenant facilities in Clay, Cloud, Ellsworth, Lincoln, Ottowa and 
Rice Counties, Kansas. The proposed Bushton to Clifton A-line 
Abandonment Project (Project) also involves construction and operation 
of compression facilities by Northern in Ottawa County, Kansas. 
Following Northern's proposed abandonment activities, including the 
restoration of disturbed land, Northern indicates that the abandoned 
pipeline will be purchased and removed by a third-party salvage 
company.
    As indicated in the previous NOI, the FERC staff will prepare an 
environmental assessment (EA) to address the environmental impacts of 
the Project. The Commission will use the EA in its decision-making 
process to determine whether to authorize the Project. We prepared this 
supplemental NOI to notify property owners along the proposed A-line 
abandonment whose land could be involved in the planned salvage 
operation who were inadvertently excluded from the July 15, 2019 NOI 
environmental mailing list. This Supplemental NOI opens a new 30-day 
scoping period for interested parties to file comments on environmental 
issues specific to the proposed action. 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 5:00pm Eastern Time on December 6, 2019.
    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. 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.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for the Project. State and local government 
representatives should notify their constituents of this proposed 
Project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
    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 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

[[Page 61612]]

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 abandonment 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 abandonment 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 abandonment 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 states that the abandoned pipeline will 
be purchased and removed by a third-party salvage company. 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 disturbance associated with discrete locations to 
disconnect the abandoned pipelines and at the proposed compressor 
station upgrade would disturb about 55.4 acres, including 54.5 acres of 
land for temporary work space and about 0.9 acre for access roads. Two 
of the pipeline disconnect locations are located inside existing 
compressor station facilities which is owned by Northern, and the 
remaining disconnect locations are located along the A-line which 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 
abandonment, 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 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 along Northern's 
existing pipeline system, 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

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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: November 6, 2019.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-24629 Filed 11-12-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P