[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 140 (Friday, July 20, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42719-42720]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-17653]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP12-50-000]
Alliance Pipeline, L.P.; Notice of Availability of the
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Tioga Lateral Project
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the Tioga
Lateral Project, proposed by Alliance Pipeline L.P. (Alliance) in the
above-referenced docket. Alliance requests authorization to construct
and operate approximately 79.3 miles of new 12-inch-diameter natural
gas pipeline lateral and appurtenant facilities in Williams, Mountrail,
Burke, and Renville Counties, North Dakota. The Tioga Lateral Project
would be designed and constructed to provide about 106.5 million cubic
feet per day of new transportation capacity to the Chicago market area.
The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the Tioga Lateral 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. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (COE) participated as cooperating agencies 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 Tioga Lateral Project includes the following
facilities:
Approximately 79.3 miles of 12-inch-diameter natural gas
pipeline crossing portions of Williams, Mountrail, Burke, Ward, and
Renville Counties, North Dakota;
A 6,000 horsepower compressor station (Tioga Compressor
Station) containing three natural gas-driven engines/compressors in
Williams County;
One meter station within the proposed compressor station
site in Williams County;
One pressure regulating station adjacent to the existing
Alliance mainline in Renville County;
One pig \1\ launcher at the proposed compressor station
site and one pig receiver at the pressure regulating station site; and
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\1\ A ``pig'' is a tool that is inserted into and moves through
the pipeline, and is used for cleaning the pipeline, internal
inspections, or other purposes.
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Five mainline block valves.
[[Page 42720]]
The FERC staff mailed copies of the EA 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; newspapers and libraries in the project area; and parties to
this proceeding. In addition, the EA is available for public viewing on
the FERC's Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. A limited
number of copies of the EA are available for distribution and public
inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference
Room, 888 First Street NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-
8371.
Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. Your comments
should focus on the 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 August 13,
2012.
For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to file
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the
project docket number (CP12-50-000) with your submission. The
Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert
staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or [email protected].
(1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment
feature on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link to
Documents and Filings. 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 Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the
link to Documents and Filings. 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 following address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC
20426.
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 385.214).\2\ Only intervenors have the
right to seek rehearing 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.
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\2\ See the previous discussion on the methods for filing
comments.
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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., CP12-
50). 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 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 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 www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
Dated: July 13, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-17653 Filed 7-19-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P