[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 178 (Friday, September 13, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56687-56690]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-22317]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP13-485-000]
Texas Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Texas Gas Abandonment Project
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
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 Texas Gas Abandonment Project
involving abandonment of facilities by Texas Gas Transmission, LLC
(Texas Gas) located in numerous counties in Kentucky, Tennessee,
Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana. The Commission will use this EA
in its decision-making process to determine whether the project is in
the public convenience and necessity.
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 October 9, 2013.
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 proposed
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
Texas Gas provided landowners with a fact sheet prepared by the
FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do
I Need To Know?''. 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. It is also available for
viewing on the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov).
Summary of the Proposed Project
Texas Gas proposes to abandon in-place and ultimately transfer to a
corporate affiliate, Bluegrass Pipeline Company, LLC (Bluegrass),
portions of its existing looped \1\ Mainline System (MLS) 26-2 and MLS
26-1 pipelines and its Bastrop-Eunice System (BAE) 26-1 pipeline,
including auxiliary and associated facilities in numerous counties in
Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Texas Gas
clarified that the pipeline proposed for abandonment consists mostly of
a contiguous pipeline designated as either MLS 26-2, MLS 26-1, or BAE
26-1, depending on what additional Texas Gas pipelines are located in
the same right-of-way, and that certain segments along the pipeline
were selected for abandonment based upon the suitability for future
transportation of natural gas liquids. Texas Gas states it has
experienced a decline in its customer base and throughput volumes over
the last few years as a direct result of the emergence of gas supplies
nearer its market areas and the construction of new pipeline
infrastructure in the Midwest. Consequently, Texas Gas states, it has
attempted to solicit interest in customers acquiring new or additional
capacity on its system. However, Texas Gas received no requests for
long-term firm service. Due to this lack of market demand for firm
services, Texas Gas concluded that the facilities proposed for
abandonment are no longer needed.
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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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The Texas Gas Abandonment Project would abandon by transfer about
567.8 miles of 26-inch-diameter pipeline consisting of:
246.5 miles of the MLS 26-2 Pipeline from the Hardinsburg
Compressor Station at milepost (MP) 530.4 in Breckenridge County,
Kentucky
[[Page 56688]]
to MP 283.9 in Tipton County, Tennessee;
2.6 miles of the MLS 26-1 Pipeline from MP 242.0 in DeSoto
County, Mississippi to the Southaven Header at MP 239.4;
124.1 miles of the MLS 26-2 Pipeline from MP 228.4 in
DeSoto County, Mississippi to the east header of the Mississippi River
crossing at MP 104.3 in Washington County, Mississippi;
2.9 miles of the MLS 26-1 Pipeline from the east header of
the Mississippi River crossing at MP 104.3 in Washington County,
Mississippi to the west header of the crossing at MP 101.5 in Chicot
County, Arkansas;
45.8 miles of the MLS 26-2 Pipeline from the west header
of the Mississippi River crossing at MP 101.5 in Chicot County,
Arkansas to the discharge end of the Bastrop Compressor Station at MP
55.7 in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana;
45.8 miles of the BAE 26-1 Pipeline from the suction end
of the Bastrop Compressor Station at MP 0.0 in Morehouse Parish,
Louisiana to a block valve at the end of the 36-inch-diameter pipeline
loop at MP 45.8 in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana;
48.5 miles of the BAE 26-1 Pipeline from a block valve at
the end of the 36-inch-diameter pipeline loop at MP 78.1 in La Salle
Parish, Louisiana to the north header of the Red River crossing at MP
126.6 in Rapides Parish, Louisiana; and
54.1 miles of the BAE 26-1 Pipeline from the south header
of the Red River crossing at MP 129.1 in Rapides Parish, Louisiana to
the discharge header of the Eunice Compressor Station at MP 183.2 in
Acadia Parish, Louisiana.
Texas Gas would also abandon by transfer all ancillary and
associated facilities such as valves, catholic protection, pig
launchers/receivers, and control equipment; and abandon minor
facilities at 140 sites across the systems, all of which would require
ground disturbing activities.
Texas Gas states that following abandonment authority it would
continue to provide natural gas transportation service on its remaining
30- and 26-inch-diameter loop line facilities and that Bluegrass would
convert the abandoned facilities to natural gas liquids (NGL)
transportation service.
The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
1.\2\
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\2\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in
the Federal Register. Copies of 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
Texas Gas' abandonment activities would require ground disturbance
of approximately 20.8 acres at 140 sites and would involve the
following: Disconnection of the 26-inch-diameter pipeline from the
suction and discharge piping at 10 compressor stations; reconfiguration
of the compressor stations' piping to maintain station function and
reconnection of the 26-inch-diameter pipeline; isolation of mainline
valves, mainline valves with cross-over pipeline segments, and headers
by removing short segments of 26-inch-diameter pipeline containing
these facilities and reconnecting the 26-inch-diameter pipeline;
replacement of 74 customer and interconnecting taps by their removal
from the 26-inch-diameter pipeline and installing new taps at adjacent
existing Texas Gas-owned pipelines; and abandonment by removal of 9
other unused taps. The area of ground disturbance at each of the 140
sites would average about 0.148 acre. Upon conclusion of the
abandonment activities, the disturbed acreage would be restored.
Facilities To Be Constructed Following Abandonment
Texas Gas indicates that following transfer of the facilities,
Bluegrass would perform activities that are not under the jurisdiction
of the FERC. Although FERC doesn't have the regulatory authority to
modify or deny the construction of these facilities, we will disclose
available information regarding the construction impacts in our EA.
These activities would include:
Northeast Connector Project--Bluegrass would construct facilities
to undertake the transportation of NGL between producing areas in West
Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio and Texas Gas' existing Hardinsburg
Compressor Station in Breckenridge County, Kentucky. The facilities
would include:
About 217 miles of 20-inch-diameter pipeline in
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio;
one new pump station in Highland County, Ohio; and
about 394 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline in Ohio and
Kentucky.
Conversion Project--Bluegrass would construct facilities related to
the conversion of the facilities abandoned by Texas Gas including:
About 2 miles of 26-inch-diameter pipeline near Texas Gas'
existing Greenville Compressor Station in Washington County,
Mississippi;
about 32 miles of 26-inch-diameter pipeline adjacent to
Texas Gas' existing facilities in Ouachita, Caldwell, and LaSalle
Parishes, Louisiana;
about 2.5 miles of 26-inch-diameter pipeline adjacent to
Texas Gas' existing facilities in Rapides Parish, Louisiana;
about 91 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline in Tipton
County, Tennessee; Mississippi and Crittenden Counties, Arkansas; and
DeSoto County, Mississippi;
three NGL pump stations near Texas Gas' existing
Slaughters, Covington, and Columbia compressor stations in Webster
County, Kentucky; Tipton County, Tennessee; and Caldwell Parish,
Louisiana, respectively; and
pipeline replacements at numerous sites along the pipeline
segments proposed for abandonment by Texas Gas.
Louisiana Extension Project--Bluegrass would construct a pipeline
for the transportation of NGL in Louisiana, consisting of 59 miles of
24-inch-diameter pipeline between Texas Gas' Eunice Compressor Station
in Acadia Parish and existing fractionation and underground storage
facilities in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana.
Louisiana Fractionation and Storage Facilities--A separate, as yet
unidentified, joint venture entity is also contemplating increasing
both fractionation and underground storage capability in Calcasieu
Parish, Louisiana.
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 abandonment of the proposed project under these general headings:
Geology and soils;
Land use;
Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
[[Page 56689]]
Cultural resources;
Vegetation and wildlife;
Air quality and noise;
Endangered and threatened species;
Public safety; and
Cumulative impacts.
We will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed
project or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to
lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
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 making 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 below.
With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues of
this project to formally cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA
\3\. 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.
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\3\ 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 Offices (SHPO), 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.\4\ We will define the project-specific Area of
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPOs 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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\4\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's 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 of Historic
Places.
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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, 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 the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before
October 9, 2013.
For your convenience, there are three methods which you can use to
submit your comments to the Commission. In all instances please
reference the project docket number CP13-485-000 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 interested persons to
submit brief, text-only comments on a project;
(2) You can 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.
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; and
local libraries and newspapers. This list also includes all affected
landowners (as defined in the Commission's regulations) who are
existing 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.
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 proposed 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
In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, 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.
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 at 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., CP13-
485-000). 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 now 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
[[Page 56690]]
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: September 6, 2013.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-22317 Filed 9-12-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P