[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 183 (Friday, September 20, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77122-77123]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-21476]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP24-60-000]


Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the 
Proposed Northern Natural Gas Company Northern Lights 2025 Expansion 
Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the 
Northern Lights 2025 Expansion Project (Project), proposed by Northern 
Natural Gas Company (Northern) in the above-referenced docket. Northern 
requests authorization to construct and operate about 8.6 miles of 
pipeline extensions, and associated ancillary and auxiliary equipment 
in Freeborn, Houston, and Washington Counties, Minnesota and Monroe 
County, Wisconsin. Northern's stated purpose for this Project is to 
provide up to 46,064 dekatherms per day of firm, winter natural gas 
transportation capacity to Northern's Market Area.\1\
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    \1\ Northern's Market Area is north of the inlet to Northern's 
Clifton Compressor Station in Clay County, Kansas. The Market Area 
includes pipeline configured in a grid system, with gas flowing from 
Northern's transmission facilities and third-party interstate 
pipelines.
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    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Project in accordance with the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. FERC staff 
concludes that approval of the proposed Project would not constitute a 
major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human 
environment.
    The proposed Project includes the following facilities:
     3.0-mile-long extension of the 36-inch-diameter Lake Mills 
to Albert Lea E Line;
     2.43-mile-long extension of the 30-inch-diameter Elk River 
3rd Branch Line;
     a non-contiguous 1.91-mile-long extension of the 30-inch-
diameter Farmington to Hugo C-Line;
     1.28-mile-long extension of the 8-inch-diameter Tomah 
Branch Line Loop;
     one pig new launcher,\2\ valves, and piping inside the 
existing Hugo Compressor Station;
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    \2\ 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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     minor piping modifications within the existing La Crescent 
Compressor Station;
     relocation of one pig receiver facility along the Tomah 
Branch Line loop;
     removal of three existing tie-in valve settings along the 
Lake Mills to Albert Lea E-line, Elk River 3rd Branch line, and Tomah 
Branch Line loop;
     three new valve settings and associated valves and piping 
along the Lake Mills to Albert Lea E-line, Elk River 3rd Branch line, 
and Tomah Branch Line loop;
     and other appurtenant facilities; and
     abandonment and removal of 275 feet of its existing 30-
inch diameter Elk River 3rd Branch Line.
    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; local libraries; churches; and newspapers 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, excluding the last three digits (i.e., 
CP24-60). 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 October 15, 2024.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to file 
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 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 (CP24-
60-000) on your letter. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service 
must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, 
DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: 
Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

[[Page 77123]]

    Filing environmental comments will not give you intervenor status, 
but you do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered. 
Only 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/how-intervene.
    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.
    The Commission's Office of Public Participation (OPP) supports 
meaningful public engagement and participation in Commission 
proceedings. OPP can help members of the public, including landowners, 
environmental justice communities, Tribal members and others, access 
publicly available information and navigate Commission processes. For 
public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as 
interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, the public is 
encouraged to contact OPP at (202) 502-6595 or [email protected].
    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: September 13, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-21476 Filed 9-19-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P