[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 78 (Monday, April 23, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24193-24195]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-9657]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PF12-6-000]
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Planned Line MB Loop Extension
Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of
Public Scoping Meeting
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 Line MB Loop \1\ Extension
(Line MB) involving construction and operation of facilities by
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC (Columbia) in Baltimore and Harford
Counties, Maryland. This EA will be used by the Commission in its
decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the
public convenience and necessity.
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\1\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed parallel to
an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
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This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested
agencies on the project. Your input will help the Commission staff
determine what issues they need to evaluate in the EA. Please note that
the scoping period will close on May 16, 2012.
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 planned
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
Comments may be submitted in written form or verbally. Further
details on how to submit written comments are provided in the Public
Participation section of this notice. In lieu of or in addition to
sending written comments, we \2\ invite you to attend the public
scoping meetings scheduled as follows:
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\2\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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Date and Time Location
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May 8, 2012, 7 p.m. EDT........... Oregon Ridge Lodge, 13401 Beaver Dam
Road, Cockeysville, MD 21030.
May 9, 2012, 7 p.m. EDT........... Youth's Benefit Elementary School
Cafeteria, 1901 Fallston Road,
Fallston, MD 21047.
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The public meetings are designed to provide you with more detailed
information and another opportunity to offer your comments on the
proposed project. Columbia representatives will be present one hour
before each meeting to describe their proposal, present maps, and
answer questions. Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to
attend the meetings and to present comments on the issues they believe
should be addressed in the EA. A transcript of each meeting will be
made so that your comments will be accurately recorded.
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted
by a pipeline company representative about the acquisition of an
easement to construct, operate, and maintain the planned facilities.
The pipeline company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable
agreement. However, if Line MB is approved by the Commission, that
approval conveys with it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if
easement negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the pipeline
company could initiate condemnation proceedings where compensation
would be determined in accordance with state law.
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is available for
viewing on the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov). 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.
Summary of the Planned Project
Columbia plans to construct about 21.3 miles of 26-inch-diameter
pipeline
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in Baltimore and Harford Counties, Maryland to expand its existing
natural gas transmission system. The new pipeline loop would primarily
be installed within or adjacent to Columbia's existing rights-of-way.
The Line MB would consist of the following facilities:
21.3 miles of 26-inch-diameter pipeline;
Install pipeline pig \3\ receivers at the Owing Mills
Meter Station and the Rutledge Compressor Station; and
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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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Install two mainline valves on its existing Line MA.
The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
1.\4\
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\4\ 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'' 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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Land Requirements for Construction
The Applicant is still in the planning phase for the project, and
workspace requirements have not been finalized. However, construction
of the planned facilities would disturb about 297.6 acres of land for
the aboveground facilities and the pipeline. Following construction,
Columbia would maintain about 129.6 acres of land for permanent
operation of the project's facilities; the remaining areas would be
restored and revert to former uses. Most of the planned pipeline route
parallels existing pipeline, utility, or road rights-of-way.
The EA Process
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could
result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of a
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us
to discover and address concerns the public may have about proposals.
This process is referred to as scoping. The main goal of the 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 the issues to address in the EA. We will
consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EA.
In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of
the construction and operation of the planned project under these
general headings:
Geology and soils;
Land use;
Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
Cultural resources;
Vegetation and wildlife;
Air quality and noise;
Endangered and threatened species;
Public safety; and
Alternatives.
We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the planned project
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas. Alternatives are being
considered along the proposed route between Garrison Forest Road and
Shawan Road (Milepost 1.4 to 8.2) and between Mansel Drive and Joel
Court (Milepost 5.0 to 6.0).
Although no formal application has been filed, we have already
initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's Pre-filing process.
The purpose of the Pre-filing process is to encourage early involvement
of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before
the FERC receives an application. As part of our Pre-filing review, we
have begun to contact some federal and state agencies to discuss their
involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the EA. In
addition, representatives from the FERC participated in public Open
House meetings sponsored by Columbia in the project area in March 2012,
to explain the environmental review process to interested stakeholders.
The EA will present our independent analysis of the issues. The EA
will be available in the public record through eLibrary. Depending on
the comments received during the scoping process, we may also publish
and distribute the EA to the public for an allotted comment period. We
will consider all comments on the EA before we make our recommendations
to the Commission. To ensure we have the opportunity to consider and
address your comments, please carefully follow the instructions in the
Public Participation section.
With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction and/or
special expertise with respect to the environmental issues to formally
cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA \5\. These agencies may
choose to participate once they have evaluated the proposal relative to
their responsibilities. 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.
Currently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has expressed its intention
to participate as a cooperating agency in the preparation of the EA to
satisfy its NEPA responsibilities related to this project.
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\5\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
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Consultations 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, we are using this notice to initiate consultation
with 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.\6\ We will define the project-specific Area of Potential
Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO(s) as the project develops.
On natural gas facility projects, the APE at a minimum encompasses all
areas subject to ground disturbance (examples include construction
right-of-way, contractor/pipe storage yards, compressor stations, and
access roads). Our EA for this project will document our findings on
the impacts on historic properties and summarize the status of
consultations under section 106.
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\6\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation 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 for Historic
Places.
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Currently Identified Environmental Issues
We have already identified several issues and alternatives that we
think deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed
facilities, comments made to us at the Applicant's open houses,
preliminary consultations with other agencies, and the environmental
information provided by Columbia. This preliminary list of issues may
change based on your comments and our analysis.
Construction constraints;
Impacts on residential communities; and
Route alternatives.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. Your comments should focus on
the potential environmental effects,
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reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental
impacts. The more specific your comments, the more useful they will be.
To ensure that your comments are timely and properly recorded, please
send your comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on
or before May 16, 2012.
For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the
project docket number (PF12-6-000) with your submission. The Commission
encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert eFiling staff
available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or efiling@ferc.gov.
(1) You may file your comments electronically by using the Quick
Comment feature, which is located at www.ferc.gov under the link called
``Documents and Filings.'' A Quick Comment is an easy method for
interested persons to submit text-only comments on a project;
(2) You may file your comments electronically by using the
``eFiling'' feature that is listed under the ``Documents and Filings''
link. eFiling involves preparing your submission in the same manner as
you would if filing on paper, and then saving the file on your
computer's hard drive. You will attach that file to your submission.
New eFiling users must first create an account by clicking on the link
called ``Sign up'' or ``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 may file a paper copy of your comments at the following
address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
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. In addition, this list includes those that may
be affected by a proposed alternative. We will update the environmental
mailing list as the analysis proceeds to ensure that we send the
information related to this environmental review to all individuals,
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially
affected by the planned project.
If we publish and distribute the EA, copies will be sent to the
environmental mailing list for public review and comment. If you would
prefer to receive a paper copy of the document instead of the CD
version or would like to remove your name from the mailing list, please
return the attached Information Request (Appendix 2).
Becoming an Intervenor
Once Columbia files its application with the Commission, you may
want to become an ``intervenor'' which is an official party to the
Commission's proceeding. Intervenors play a more formal role in the
process and are able to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be heard
by the courts if they choose to appeal the Commission's final ruling.
An intervenor formally participates in the proceeding by filing a
request to intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are in
the User's Guide under the ``e-Filing'' link on the Commission's Web
site. Please note that the Commission will not accept requests for
intervenor status at this time. You must wait until the Commission
receives a formal application for the project.
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 Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on the
eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket number,
excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field (i.e., PF12-
6). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY,
contact (202) 502-8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the
texts of 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 www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the
Commission's calendar located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.
Dated: April 16, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-9657 Filed 4-20-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P