[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 228 (Wednesday, November 25, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75313-75315]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26077]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP21-1-000]


Golden Pass Pipeline LLC; Notice of Scoping Period Requesting 
Comments on Environmental Issues for the Proposed Compression 
Relocation and Modification Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental document, that will discuss 
the environmental impacts of the Compression Relocation and 
Modification Project involving construction and operation of facilities 
by Golden Pass Pipeline LLC (Golden Pass) in Calcasieu Parish, 
Louisiana. The Commission will use this environmental document 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 regarding the project. As part of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) review process, the Commission takes into account 
concerns the public may have about proposals and the environmental 
impacts that could result from its action whenever it considers 
amending a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. This 
gathering of public input is referred to as ``scoping.'' The main goal 
of the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the environmental 
document on the important environmental issues. Additional information 
about the Commission's NEPA process is described below in the NEPA 
Process and Environmental Document section of this notice.
    By this notice, the Commission requests public comments on the 
scope of issues to address in the environmental document. 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 December 19, 2020. Comments may be 
submitted in written form. Further details on how to submit comments 
are provided in the Public Participation section of this notice.
    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

[[Page 75314]]

staff determine what issues they need to evaluate in the environmental 
document. Commission staff will consider all written comments during 
the preparation of the environmental document.
    If you submitted comments on this project to the Commission before 
the opening of this docket on October 2, 2020 you will need to file 
those comments in Docket No. CP21-1-000 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, the Natural Gas Act conveys the right of eminent 
domain to the company. 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. The Commission does 
not subsequently grant, exercise, or oversee the exercise of that 
eminent domain authority. The courts have exclusive authority to handle 
eminent domain cases; the Commission has no jurisdiction over these 
matters.
    Golden Pass 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? which addresses typically asked questions, including the 
use of eminent domain and how to participate in the Commission's 
proceedings. This fact sheet along with other landowner topics of 
interest are available for viewing on the FERC website (www.ferc.gov) 
under the Natural Gas Questions or Landowner Topics link.

Public Participation

    There are three methods you can use to submit your comments to the 
Commission. Please carefully follow these instructions so that your 
comments are properly recorded. The Commission encourages electronic 
filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-
3676 or [email protected].
    (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 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 located 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 Commission. Be sure to reference the project docket number (CP21-1-
000) on your letter. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must 
be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. 
Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Kimberly 
D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins 
Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
    Additionally, 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.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Specifically, Golden Pass seeks to modify previously authorized 
facilities, including:
     Relocate the approved compressor Station at Milepost (MP) 
66 approximately three miles, to MP 69, and increase the amount of 
compression at the relocated facility;
     Add a meter station near MP 69 to support a new 
interconnection with a proposed interstate pipeline to be constructed 
an operated by Enable Gulf Run Transmission, LLC;
     Remove any bi-directional piping modification to the 
interconnect;
     Minor modifications to existing interconnects at MP 66 and 
MP 68.
    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 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. For instructions on 
connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice. At 
this time, the Commission has suspended access to the Commission's 
Public Reference Room due to the proclamation declaring a National 
Emergency concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), 
issued by the President on March 13, 2020. For assistance, contact 
FERC at [email protected] or call toll free, (886) 208-3676 
or TTY (202) 502-8659.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Land requirements for the proposed modifications total 
approximately 44 acres, with construction and operation of the MP 69 
compressor station requiring 35 acres.

NEPA Process and the Environmental Document

    Any environmental document issued by the Commission will discuss 
impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation 
of the proposed project under the relevant general resource areas:
     Geology and soils;
     water resources and wetlands;
     vegetation and wildlife;
     threatened and endangered species;
     cultural resources;
     land use;
     air quality and noise; and
     reliability and safety.
    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. Your 
comments will help Commission staff identify and focus on the issues 
that might have an effect on the human environment and potentially 
eliminate others from further study and discussion in the environmental 
document.
    Following this scoping period, Commission staff will determine 
whether to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS). The EA or the EIS will present Commission 
staff's independent analysis of the issues. If Commission staff 
prepares an EA, a Notice of Schedule for the Preparation of an 
Environmental Assessment will be issued. The EA may be issued for an 
allotted public comment period. The Commission would consider timely 
comments on the EA before making its decision regarding the proposed 
project. If Commission staff prepares an EIS, a Notice of Intent to 
Prepare an EIS/

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Notice of Schedule will be issued, which will open up an additional 
comment period. Staff will then prepare a draft EIS which will be 
issued for public comment. Commission staff will consider all timely 
comments received during the comment period on the draft EIS and revise 
the document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS. Any EA or draft 
and final EIS 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 environmental document 
is issued.
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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 this project to formally cooperate in the 
preparation of the environmental document.\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, Section 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(s), 
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.\4\ The environmental document 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 and includes a mailing address with their 
comments. 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 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 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. 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: November 19, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-26077 Filed 11-24-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P