[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 92 (Thursday, May 12, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29557-29558]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-11223]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP15-138-000]
Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC; Notice of
Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
Proposed Atlantic Sunrise Project
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS)
for the Atlantic Sunrise Project, proposed by Transcontinental Gas Pipe
Line Company, LLC (Transco) in the above-referenced docket. Transco
requests authorization to expand its existing pipeline system from the
Marcellus Shale production area in northern Pennsylvania to deliver an
incremental 1.7 million dekatherms per day of year-round firm
transportation capacity to its existing southeastern market areas.
The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the project in accordance with the
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. The FERC staff
concludes that approval of the 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 Transco's
proposed mitigation and the additional measures recommended in the
draft EIS.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers participated as a cooperating
agency 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 National
Environmental Policy Act analysis. Although the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers provided input to the conclusions and recommendations
presented in the draft EIS, the agency will present its own conclusions
and recommendations in its respective record of decision or
determination for the project.
The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of about 197.7 miles of pipeline composed of
the following facilities:
183.7 miles of new 30- and 42-inch-diameter natural gas
pipeline in Pennsylvania;
11.5 miles of new 36- and 42-inch-diameter pipeline
looping in Pennsylvania;
2.5 miles of 30-inch-diameter replacements in Virginia;
and
associated equipment and facilities.
The project's proposed aboveground facilities include two new
compressor stations in Pennsylvania; additional compression and related
modifications to three existing compressor stations in Pennsylvania and
Maryland; two new meter stations and three new regulator stations in
Pennsylvania; and minor modifications at existing aboveground
facilities at various locations in Pennsylvania, Virginia, North
Carolina, and South Carolina to allow for bi-directional flow and the
installation of supplemental odorization, odor detection, and/or odor
masking/deodorization equipment.
The FERC staff mailed copies of the draft EIS to federal, state,
and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest
[[Page 29558]]
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 June
27, 2016.
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 (CP15-138-000) 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 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.
(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 \1\ encourage interested groups and individuals to attend and
present oral comments on the draft EIS. We will begin our sign up of
speakers at 6:30 p.m. All meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. and are
scheduled as follows:
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\1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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Date Location
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June 13, 2016............................. Manheim Township High
School, 115 Blue Streak
Boulevard, Lancaster, PA
17601, (717) 560-3098.
June 14, 2016............................. Lebanon Valley College, Lutz
Auditorium, 101 N. College
Avenue, Annville, PA 17003,
(717) 867-6310.
June 15, 2016............................. Bloomsburg University, Haas
Center for the Arts--
Mitrani Hall, 400 E. Second
Street, Bloomsburg, PA
17815, (570) 389-4291.
June 16, 2016............................. Lake Lehmon High School,
1128 Old Route 115, Dallas,
PA 18612, (570) 255-2705.
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The Baltimore District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will
participate (jointly with FERC) in the public comment meetings to
gather information on this proposal to assist them in the review of the
permit application for the proposed activity.
The joint comment meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. with a
description of our environmental review process by Commission staff,
after which speakers will be called. The meetings will end once all
speakers have provided their comments or at 10:30 p.m., whichever comes
first. Please note that there may be a time limit of three minutes to
present comments, and speakers should structure their comments
accordingly. If time limits are implemented, they will be strictly
enforced to ensure that as many individuals as possible are given an
opportunity to comment. The meetings will be recorded by a court
reporter to ensure comments are accurately recorded. Transcripts will
be entered into the formal record of the Commission proceeding.
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 (Title 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 that 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, 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., CP15-
138). 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; 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 http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.
Dated: May 5, 2016.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-11223 Filed 5-11-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P