[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 202 (Thursday, October 20, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63771-63772]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-22776]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP22-138-000]


Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Availability of the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Northern Lights 2023 
Expansion Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
for the Northern Lights 2023 Expansion Project (Project), proposed by 
Northern Natural Gas Company (Northern) in the above-referenced docket. 
Northern requests a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity and 
authorization to abandon, construct, operate, and maintain certain 
natural gas transmission pipeline facilities in Freeborn, Washington, 
Scott, Sherburne, and Stearns Counties, Minnesota and Monroe County, 
Wisconsin. The Project purpose is to provide incremental winter firm 
service of 44,222 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) to Northern's residential, 
commercial, and industrial customer market and 6,667 Dth/d of 
additional firm service that will allow a shipper enhanced reliability 
and flexibility in natural gas transportation capacity for electric 
generation.
    The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Project in accordance with the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). FERC 
staff concludes that approval of the proposed Project, with the 
mitigation measures recommended in the EIS, would result in some 
adverse environmental impacts; however, with the exception of potential 
impacts on climate change, we conclude that impacts would be reduced to 
less than significant levels. Regarding climate change impacts, the EIS 
is not characterizing the Project's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as 
significant or not significant because the Commission is conducting a 
generic proceeding to determine whether and how the Commission will 
conduct significance determinations going forward.\1\
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    \1\ Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Natural Gas 
Infrastructure Project Reviews, 178 FERC ] 61,108 (2022); 178 FERC ] 
61,197 (2022).
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    Special construction methods in proximity to residences are shown 
on Northern's Site-Specific Residential Construction Plans (see 
appendix N of the draft EIS), which we have reviewed and found 
acceptable; however, we encourage affected landowners to review these 
site-specific drawings and provide comments, as warranted. The draft 
EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the construction, 
abandonment, and operation of the following Project facilities:

     Ventura North E-line Extension (Ventura Extension)--2.8 
miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline extension of the Ventura North E-
Line in Freeborn County, Minnesota;
     Elk River 3rd Branch Line Loop \2\ (Elk River Loop)--1.1 
miles of 30-inch-diameter pipeline loop in Washington County, 
Minnesota;
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    \2\ A loop is a segment of pipeline parallel to a mainline that 
connects to it at both ends and allows more gas to flow through that 
segment.
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     Willmar D Branch Line Extension (Willmar Extension)--1.1 
miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline extension in Scott County, 
Minnesota;
     Princeton Tie-Over Loop Extension (Princeton Extension)--
2.5 miles of 8-inch-diameter pipeline loop extension in Sherburne 
County, Minnesota;
     Paynesville 2nd Branch Line Loop (Paynesville Loop)--2.0 
miles of 4-inch-diameter pipeline loop in Stearns County, Minnesota; 
and
     Tomah Branch Line Loop Extension (Tomah Extension)--0.3 
mile of 8-inch-diameter pipeline extension in Monroe County, Wisconsin.
     The aboveground facilities proposed for this Project would 
include one new pig \3\ launcher, four new valve settings, replacement 
of valves and piping inside four facilities, and installation of two 
rupture-mitigation valves (RMV), associated piping, and buildings.
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    \3\ A ``pig'' is a tool that the pipeline company inserts into 
and pushes through the pipeline for cleaning the pipeline, 
conducting internal inspections, or other purposes.
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     Abandonment and removal of two valve settings and 
associated piping.

[[Page 63772]]

    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability of the 
draft EIS 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 draft EIS 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 draft EIS 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, excluding the last 
three digits (i.e., CP22-138). 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 draft EIS 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 draft EIS may do so. 
Your comments should focus on draft EIS's disclosure and discussion of 
potential environmental effects, measures to avoid or lessen 
environmental impacts, and the completeness of the submitted 
alternatives, information and analyses. To ensure consideration of your 
comments on the proposal in the final EIS, it is important that the 
Commission receive your comments on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on 
December 5, 2022.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission will provide equal 
consideration to all comments received, whether filed in written form 
or provided verbally. 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 file your comments electronically by 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.'' If you 
are filing a comment on a particular project, please select ``Comment 
on a Filing'' as the filing type; 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 (CP22-
138-000) 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.
    Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a 
motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of 
Practice and Procedures (18 CFR part 385.214). Motions to intervene are 
more fully described at https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/ferc-online/how-guides. Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or 
judicial review of the Commission's decision. The Commission grants 
affected landowners and others with environmental concerns intervenor 
status upon showing good cause by stating that they have a clear and 
direct interest in this proceeding which no other party can adequately 
represent. Simply filing environmental comments will not give you 
intervenor status, but you do not need intervenor status to have your 
comments considered.

Questions?

    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 that 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: October 14, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-22776 Filed 10-19-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P