[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 143 (Friday, July 24, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44873-44875]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16087]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP20-484-000 and CP20-485-000]


ANR Pipeline Company; Great Lakes Transmission Limited 
Partnership; Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environment Assessment for 
the Proposed Alberta Xpress and Lease Capacity Abandonment Projects 
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 Alberta Xpress Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities by ANR Pipeline 
Company (ANR) in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, and the Lease Capacity 
Abandonment Project proposed by Great Lakes Transmission Limited 
Partnership (GLTLP), which is associated with the Alberta Xpress 
Project. 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

[[Page 44874]]

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 5:00pm Eastern Time on August 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 June 22, 2020, you will need to file those 
comments in Docket No. CP20-484-000 and/or CP20-485-000 to ensure they 
are considered as part of this proceeding.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for these projects. State and local government 
representatives should notify their constituents of the proposed 
projects 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 projects, 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.
    ANR 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) under the natural gas Landowner Topics 
link.

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. Go to https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to register for eSubscription.
    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 on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under the 
link to FERC Online. 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 also on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under 
the link to FERC Online. 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 using the U.S. Postal Service. Be sure to 
reference the project docket number (CP20-484-000 and/or CP20-485-000) 
with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 
20426. Submissions sent through carriers other than the U.S. Postal 
Service must be sent to 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852 
for processing.

Summary of the Proposed Project

CP20-484-000

    ANR proposes to construct and operate one new greenfield compressor 
station (designated as the Turkey Creek Compressor Station) in 
Evangaline Parish, Louisiana and acquire a lease between ANR and GLTLP. 
ANR has executed binding precedent agreements with two shippers to 
provide 165,000 Dekatherms per day.
    The Alberta Xpress Project would consist of one new compressor 
station, which would include the following facilities:
     One 15,900 ISO horsepower gas-fired turbine compressor;
     three inlet filter separators;
     three discharge gas cooling bays;
     36-inch-diameter suction and discharge piping;
     16-inch-diameter cold recycle valves and piping;
     16-inch-diameter unit control valve and bypass piping; and
     related appurtenant facilities.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
1.\1\
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    \1\ 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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CP20-485-000

    GTLP proposes to abandon firm capacity by a lease agreement with 
ANR. No new construction is proposed as part of the Lease Capacity 
Abandonment Project; however, this is related to the application filed 
by ANR to construct and operate the Alberta Xpress Project.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed ANR facilities would require the use 
of 23.7 acres of land during construction, resulting in both temporary 
and permanent impacts. Following construction, ANR would maintain about 
12.3 acres associated with the installation of the proposed aboveground 
facilities, including foundation or impervious surfaces within the 
footprint of the proposed Turkey Creek Compressor Station. ANR would 
restore the remaining acreage following construction and allow it to 
revert to former uses.

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;
     socioeconomics;
     air quality and noise;

[[Page 44875]]

     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 \2\ and the Commission's natural gas 
environmental documents web page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents). 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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    \2\ 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 these projects to formally cooperate in the 
preparation of the EA.\3\ 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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    \3\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing 
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations, Sec.  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 projects' potential 
effects on historic properties.\4\ 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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    \4\ 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). 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).

Additional Information

    Additional information about the projects 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., 
CP20-484 or CP20-485). 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 https://www.ferc.gov/news-events/events along with 
other related information.

    Dated: July 20, 2020.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-16087 Filed 7-23-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P