[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 59 (Thursday, March 26, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17050-17053]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06333]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP20-50-000; CP20-51-000]


Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, LLC, Southern Natural Gas 
Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment 
for the Proposed Evangeline Pass Expansion 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 the Evangeline Pass Expansion 
Project involving construction and operation of facilities by Tennessee 
Gas Pipeline Company, LLC (Tennessee) and Southern Natural Gas Company, 
LLC (SNG) in Clarke and Smith Counties, Mississippi and St. Bernard and 
Plaquemines Parishes, Louisiana.\1\ The Commission will use this EA in 
its decision-making process to determine

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whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ In addition, Southern is proposing to make modification to 
auxiliary facilities pursuant to Section 2.55(a) of the Commission's 
regulations in Jasper, Simpson, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, and 
Walthall Counties, Mississippi and Washington, St. Tammany, and 
Orleans Parishes, Louisiana.
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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 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 April 20, 
2020.
    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 February 7, 2020, you will need to file those 
comments in Docket No. CP20-50-000 or CP20-51-000 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.
    Tennessee and SNG 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 
(CP20-50-000 or CP20-51-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426
    Please note this is not your only public input opportunity; please 
refer to the review process flow chart in appendix 1.\2\
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    \2\ 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.
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Summary of the Proposed Project

    Tennessee proposes to construct and operate approximately 13 miles 
total of looping \3\ pipeline and a new compressor station in St. 
Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes Louisiana. SNG proposes to construct a 
new compressor station and three new meter stations in Clarke and Smith 
Counties, Mississippi and St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.
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    \3\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed parallel to 
an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
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    Tennessee has entered into an agreement with SNG to acquire leased 
capacity on SNG's system to enable Tennessee to provide firm 
transportation service up to 1,100 million standard cubic feet of 
natural gas per day to the recently approved Venture Global Gator 
Express Pipeline interconnect for feed gas for the Plaquemines LNG 
Terminal in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.
    The Evangeline Pass Expansion Project would consist of the 
following facilities:

Tennessee

     Construction of about 9 miles of 36-inch-diameter looping 
pipeline in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana (Yscloskey Toca Lateral 
Loop);
     construction of about 4 miles of 36-inch-diameter looping 
pipeline in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana (Grand Bayou Loop);
     construction of a new 23,470 horsepower (hp) compressor 
station along Tennessee's existing 500 line in St. Bernard Parish, 
Louisiana (Compressor Station 529);
     replacement of two 10,410 hp units (like-for-like) under 
section 2.55(b) at existing Compressor Station 527 in Plaquemines 
Parish, Louisiana;

SNG

     Construction of a new 22,220 hp compressor station in 
Clarke County, Mississippi (Rose Hill Compressor Station);
     construction of three new meter stations in Clarke and 
Smith Counties,

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Mississippi and St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana (Rose Hill and 
Midcontinent Express Pipeline Receipt Meter Stations, and Toca Delivery 
Meter Station); and
     construction and/or modification of certain system 
auxiliary and appurtenant facilities under section 2.55(a) at existing 
compressor stations and along the pipeline corridor in Clarke, Smith, 
Jasper, Simpson, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, and Walthall Counties, 
Mississippi and St. Bernard, Washington, St. Tammany, and Orleans 
Parishes, Louisiana.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
2.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities would disturb a total of 
about 535 acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the 
pipelines (including activities proposed to be conducted under section 
2.55). Following construction, a total of about 133 acres of new 
permanent right-of-way would be maintained for permanent operation of 
the project's facilities; the remaining acreage would be restored and 
revert to former uses. The proposed looping pipeline routes would 
parallel existing pipelines, and to the extent that it is practicable, 
would be located within and adjacent to the existing rights-of-way. The 
new Compressor Station 529 would be located at an existing abandoned 
compressor station site owned by Tennessee, while SNG's new Rose Hill 
Compressor Station would be located within a forested timber property. 
Tennessee would use four contractor yards (about 27 acres total) to 
facilitate construction (Toca Yard, Bayou Road Yard, State Road LA-46 
Yard, and Yscloskey Yard).

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;
     socioeconomics;
     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 \4\ 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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    \4\ 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.\5\ 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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    \5\ 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 Offices, 
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.\6\ 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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    \6\ 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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Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    Commission staff have already identified several issues that 
deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed 
facilities and the environmental information provided by Tennessee and 
SNG. This preliminary list of issues may change based on your comments 
and our analysis.
     Wetlands and waterbodies;
     fisheries and aquatic species;
     hunting and fishing;
     property values; and
     air and noise.

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). 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 3).

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., CP20-50 
or CP20-51). 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.
    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.


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    Dated: March 20, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-06333 Filed 3-25-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P