[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 6 (Monday, January 11, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1954-1955]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00258]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP20-487-000]


Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Availability of the 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed South Sioux City to Sioux 
Falls A-Line Replacement Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the South 
Sioux City to Sioux Falls A-line Replacement Project, proposed by 
Northern Natural Gas Company (Northern) in the above-referenced docket. 
Northern requests authorization to abandon a portion of its existing 
pipeline in-place and to construct, operate, and maintain new natural 
gas facilities in Dakota and Dixon Counties, Nebraska, and Lincoln and 
Union Counties, South Dakota.
    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the South Sioux City to Sioux Falls A-
line Replacement Project in accordance with the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that 
approval of the proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures, 
would not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the 
quality of the human environment.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers participated as a cooperating 
agency in the preparation of the EA. Cooperating agencies have 
jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to resources 
potentially affected by the proposal and participate in the NEPA 
analysis.
    The proposed Project includes the following:
     Construction of 82.2 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline in 
Nebraska and South Dakota (A-line);
     construction of 3.2 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline in 
South Dakota (SDM97701 Tie-Over);
     construction of 1.9 miles of 3-inch-diameter pipeline in 
Nebraska (Ponca Branch Line);
     abandonment in-place of 79.2 miles of 14- and 16-inch-
diameter pipeline in Nebraska and South Dakota (A-line);
     abandonment in-place of 0.2 mile of 2-inch-diameter 
pipeline in Nebraska (Ponca Branch Line);
     abandonment in-place of 0.1 mile of 2-inch-diameter 
pipeline in Nebraska (Jackson Branch Line); and
     construction and modification of aboveground facilities, 
including valves, regulators, metering facilities, pig launchers and 
receivers,\1\ an odorizer, and town border station sites.
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    \1\ A pipeline ``pig'' is a device used to clean or inspect the 
pipeline. A pig launcher/receiver is an aboveground facility where 
pigs are inserted or retrieved from the pipeline.
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    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability to 
federal, state, and local government representatives and agencies; 
elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native 
American tribes; potentially affected landowners and other interested 
individuals and groups; and newspapers and libraries in the project 
area. The EA is only available in electronic format. It may be viewed 
and downloaded from the FERC's website (www.ferc.gov), on the natural 
gas environmental documents page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents). In addition, the EA 
may be accessed by using the eLibrary link on the FERC's website. Click 
on the eLibrary link (https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search), 
select ``General Search'' and enter the docket number in the ``Docket 
Number'' field (i.e. CP20-487). Be sure you have selected an 
appropriate date range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online 
Support at [email protected] or toll free at (866) 208-3676, 
or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659.
    The EA is not a decision document. It presents Commission staff's 
independent analysis of the environmental issues for the Commission to 
consider when addressing the merits of all issues in this proceeding. 
Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. Your comments should 
focus on the EA's disclosure and discussion of potential environmental 
effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen 
environmental impacts. The more specific your comments, the more useful 
they will be. To ensure that the Commission has the opportunity to 
consider your comments prior to making its decision on this project, it 
is important that we receive your comments in Washington, DC on or 
before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on February 4, 2021.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to file 
your comments with 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 on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to 
FERC Online. This is an easy method for submitting brief, text-only 
comments on a project;
    (2) You can also file your comments electronically using the 
eFiling feature 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 must select the type of filing you are making. If 
you are filing a comment on a particular project, please select 
``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 (CP20-
487-000) 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.
    Filing environmental comments will not give you intervenor status, 
but you do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered. 
Only

[[Page 1955]]

intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or judicial review of the 
Commission's decision. At this point in this proceeding, the timeframe 
for filing timely intervention requests has expired. Any person seeking 
to become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene 
out-of-time pursuant to Rule 214(b)(3) and (d) of the Commission's 
Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214(b)(3) and (d)) and 
show good cause why the time limitation should be waived. Motions to 
intervene are more fully described at https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/ferc-online/how-guides.
    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the 
FERC website (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. The eLibrary link 
also provides access to the texts of all formal documents issued by the 
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
    In addition, the Commission offers a free service called 
eSubscription which allows you to keep track of all formal issuances 
and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time 
you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with 
notification of these filings, document summaries, and direct links to 
the documents. Go to https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to 
register for eSubscription.

    Dated: January 5, 2021.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-00258 Filed 1-8-21; 8:45 am]
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