[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 46 (Friday, March 10, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13327-13328]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-04720]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP17-40-000]
Spire STL Pipeline Company, LLC; Supplemental Notice of Intent To
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Spire STL Pipeline
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 Spire STL Pipeline Project
(Project) involving construction and operation of facilities by Spire
STL Pipeline Company, LLC (Spire) in Scott, Greene, and Jersey
Counties, Illinois and St. Charles and St. Louis Counties, Missouri.
The Commission will use this EA in its decision-making process to
determine whether the Project is in the public convenience and
necessity.
On October 26, 2016, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC
or Commission) issued in Docket No. PF16-9-000 a Notice of Intent to
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Planned Spire STL Pipeline
Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of
Public Scoping Sessions (NOI). Spire has subsequently filed a potential
pipeline route alternative in St. Louis County, Missouri.
This supplemental notice announces the opening of the scoping
process the Commission will use to gather input from the public and
interested agencies regarding the pipeline route alternative. You can
make a difference by providing us with your specific comments or
concerns about the new route under consideration. Your comments should
focus on the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives,
and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. Your input will
help the Commission staff determine what issues to evaluate in the EA.
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 April 3, 2017.
This notice is being sent to a subset of the Commission's current
environmental mailing list for this Project, relevant to the new
alternative in St. Louis County. State and local government
representatives should also notify their constituents and encourage
them to comment on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a pipeline company
representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the planned facilities. The company
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if
the Commission approves the Project, that approval conveys with it the
right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to
produce an agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation
proceedings where compensation would be determined in accordance with
state law.
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need
[[Page 13328]]
To Know?'' is available for viewing on the FERC Web site
(www.ferc.gov). 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.
Public Participation
For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. 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. Be sure to reference the Project docket number
(CP17-40-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A,
Washington, DC 20426.
Summary of the Route Alternative
Spire has identified a new pipeline route alternative due to
uncertainty associated with the purchase and conversion, from local
distribution to interstate transport, of existing Line 880. The route
alternative would consist of 6.5 miles of new (``greenfield'') 24-inch-
diameter pipeline, and would have similar start and end points as the
existing Line 880; however, the alternative would follow a slightly
different route. The alternative would extend south from the proposed
Leclede/Lange Delivery Station for 1 mile, then turn southeast
(crossing Line 880 near MP 1.75) for about 3.5 miles before turning
south again for about 1.8 miles, where it then turns east for the
terminus at the proposed MRT Bi-directional Station. The general
location of the proposed and alternative Project facilities is shown in
appendix 1.\1\
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\1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in
the Federal Register. Copies of the 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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Spire indicates that it intends to use Line 880, as currently
proposed, if that system is available. However, if Line 880 does not
become available for use by Spire, and the route alternative were to be
incorporated, the proposed modifications to the existing Line 880 and
to the exiting Redman Delivery Station would not be necessary.
Land Requirements for Construction
The route alternative would be collocated for about 1.7 miles (26
percent) of the route. The land use types crossed by the alternative
would be similar to those impacted by the proposed route; however,
since the alternative would be a new, greenfield route, the total
impacts would be greater: 71.4 acres during construction (as compared
to 8.0 acres for the proposed use of existing Line 880) and 39.6 acres
during operation (as compared to 0.4 acre).
The EA Process
The FERC process used for implementing the National Environmental
Policy Act and for evaluating environmental impacts is described in
more detail in the original NOI issued for the Project. That NOI can be
viewed on the FERC Web site at http://www.ferc.gov. Using the
``eLibrary'' link, select ``Advanced Search'' from the eLibrary menu
and enter 20161026-3066 in the ``Numbers: Accession Number'' field.
As noted in the original NOI, copies of the EA 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 ``Document-less Intervention Guide'' under the ``e-filing'' link on
the Commission's Web site. Motions to intervene are more fully
described at http://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp.
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 (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., CP17-
40). 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/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.
Finally, public sessions 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: March 3, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-04720 Filed 3-9-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P