[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 217 (Wednesday, November 9, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78800-78801]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-26989]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP15-88-000]
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, L.L.C.; Notice of Availability of
the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Abandonment and Capacity
Restoration Project
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the
Abandonment and Capacity Restoration Project (ACRP or Project),
proposed by Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, L.L.C. (TGP) in the above-
referenced docket. Tennessee requests authorization and a Certificate
of Public Convenience and Necessity pursuant to sections 7(b) and 7(c)
of the Natural Gas Act to abandon, construct, modify, and operate
natural gas pipeline facilities in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi,
Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio. The purpose of the Project is to
disconnect and abandon pipeline segments from interstate natural gas
service and construct and operate new natural gas infrastructure as a
replacement to maintain service to existing customers. Following
abandonment, TGP intends to sell the pipeline to Utica Marcellus Texas
Pipeline LLC, an affiliate of TGP, for transportation of natural gas
liquids.
The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the ACRP in accordance with the
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. 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 EA addresses the potential environmental effects of the
construction, modification, and operation of the following facilities
associated with the Project:
Abandonment in place of about 964 miles of pipeline
between Columbiana County, Ohio, and Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana;
disconnects of the abandoned pipeline and directly
associated equipment at 14 existing compressor stations; abandonment in
place of 82 existing mainline valves; and 125 sites where taps or
crossover/connector lines would be disconnected, abandoned, relocated,
or removed;
construction of 12 short segments of new pipeline to
reconnect customer taps to TGP's other existing pipelines totaling 5.3
miles of new pipeline (between 2 and 16 inches in diameter) in Ohio,
Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi;
construction of four new compressor stations in Jackson,
Morgan, Tuscarawas, and Mahoning Counties, Ohio;
modification of existing Compressor Station 110 in Rowan
County, Kentucky and additional modification of Compressor Station 875
(approved as part of the Broad Run Expansion Project, CP15-77) in
Madison County, Kentucky;
construction of 7.7 miles of new 36-inch-diameter pipeline
in Carter and Lewis Counties, Kentucky; and
construction of about 1.0 mile of 30-inch-diameter
pipeline replacement in Washington County, Mississippi, and 1.5 miles
of 30-inch-diameter pipeline replacements in six sections in Madison
County, Kentucky.
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. Paper copy
versions of the EA were mailed to those specifically requesting them;
all others received a CD version. 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 your comments are properly recorded and considered prior to
a Commission decision on the proposal, it is important that the FERC
receives your comments on or before December 2, 2016.
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 (CP15-88-000) 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 (Title 18 Code of Federal Regulations Part
385.214).\1\ 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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\1\ 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., CP15-
88). 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.
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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/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.
Dated: November 2, 2016.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-26989 Filed 11-8-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P