[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 155 (Tuesday, August 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47100-47102]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-19036]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP14-96-000]
Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Availability of the
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Algonquin
Incremental Market Project
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS)
for the Algonquin Incremental Market Project (AIM Project), proposed by
Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC (Algonquin) in the above-referenced
docket. Algonquin requests authorization to expand its existing
pipeline system from an interconnection at Ramapo, New York to deliver
up to 342,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas transportation service
to the Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts markets.
The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the AIM Project in accordance with the
requirements of the National
[[Page 47101]]
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that approval
of the proposed project would result in some adverse environmental
impacts; however, most of these impacts would be reduced to less-than-
significant levels with the implementation of Algonquin's proposed
mitigation and the additional measures recommended in the draft EIS.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, and the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration participated as cooperating
agencies in the preparation of the EIS. Cooperating agencies have
jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to resources
potentially affected by the proposal and participate in the NEPA
analysis. Although the cooperating agencies provided input to the
conclusions and recommendations presented in the draft EIS, the
agencies will present their own conclusions and recommendations in
their respective records of decision or determinations for the AIM
Project.
The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of about 37.6 miles of pipeline composed of
the following facilities:
Replacement of 26.3 miles of existing pipeline with a 16-
and 42-inch-diameter pipeline;
extension of an existing loop \1\ pipeline with about 3.3
miles of additional 12- and 36-inch-diameter pipeline within
Algonquin's existing right-of-way; and
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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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installation of about 8.0 miles of new 16-, 24-, and 42-
inch-diameter pipeline.
The AIM Project's proposed aboveground facilities consist of
modifications to six existing compressor stations, to add a total
81,620 horsepower, in New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
Algonquin also proposes to abandon four existing compressor units for a
total of 10,800 horsepower at one compressor station in New York.
The FERC staff mailed copies 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; newspapers and libraries in the project area; and parties to
this proceeding. Paper copy versions of this EIS were mailed to those
specifically requesting them; all others received a CD version. In
addition, the draft EIS is available for public viewing on the FERC's
Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. A limited number of
copies 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 draft EIS may do so. 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
September 29, 2014.
For your convenience, there are four methods you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the
project docket number (CP14-96-000) 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].
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 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 file your comments electronically by 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.'' 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 following address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC
20426.
(4) In lieu of sending written or electronic comments, the
Commission invites you to attend one of the public comment meetings its
staff will conduct in the project area to receive comments on the draft
EIS. We encourage interested groups and individuals to attend and
present oral comments on the draft EIS. Transcripts of the meetings
will be available for review in eLibrary under the project docket
number. All meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. and are scheduled as
follows:
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Date Location
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Monday, September 8, 2014.............. Holiday Inn Dedham, 55 Ariadne
Road, Dedham, MA 02026, (781)
329-1000.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014............. Holiday Inn Norwich, 10 Laura
Blvd., Norwich, CT 06360,
(860) 889-5201.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014.......... Danbury City Hall, City Council
Chambers, 155 Deer Hill Ave,
Danbury, CT 06810, (203) 797-
4514.
Thursday, September 11, 2014........... Muriel H. Morabito Community
Center, 29 Westbrook Drive,
Cortlandt Manor, NY 10567,
(914) 739-5845
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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 Code of Federal Regulations Part
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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Questions
Additional information about the project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs,
[[Page 47102]]
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., CP14-96). Be sure you have selected an
appropriate date range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online
Support at FercOnline [email protected] or toll free at (866) 208-3676;
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/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.
Dated: August 6, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-19036 Filed 8-11-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P