[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 8 (Thursday, January 11, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1346-1347]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-00328]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket Nos. CP17-441-000 and CP17-441-001]
Northwest Pipeline LLC; Notice of Schedule for Environmental
Review of the North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project
On May 11, 2017, Northwest Pipeline LLC (Northwest) filed an
application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission
or FERC) in docket number CP17-441-000 requesting a Certificate of
Public Convenience and Necessity pursuant to Sections 7(b) and 7(c) of
the Natural Gas Act to construct and operate certain natural gas
pipeline facilities. The proposed project is known as the North Seattle
Lateral Upgrade Project (Project), and would replace an existing 8-
inch-diameter pipeline with a 20-inch-diameter pipeline, increasing the
design capacity on Northwest's system to serve Puget Sound Energy.
On October 23, 2017, Northwest filed an amendment to its
application, and on November 2, 2017, the Commission the issued a
Notice of Amendment to the Application for the revised Project. Among
other things, that notice alerted agencies issuing federal
authorizations of the requirement to complete all necessary reviews and
to reach a final decision on a request for a federal authorization
within 90 days of the date of issuance of the Commission staff's
Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Project. This instant notice
identifies the FERC staff's planned schedule for the completion of the
EA for the Project.
Schedule for Environmental Review
Issuance of EA: February 12, 2018.
90-day Federal Authorization Decision Deadline: May 13, 2018.
If a schedule change becomes necessary, additional notice will be
provided so that the relevant agencies are kept informed of the
Project's progress.
Project Description
Northwest proposes to remove approximately 5.8 miles of the 8-inch-
diameter North Seattle Lateral pipeline in Snohomish County, Washington
and replace it with 20-inch-diameter pipeline, primarily in the same
trench. The North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project would consist of the
following facilities:
Replace 5.8-miles of 8-inch-diameter pipeline with 20-
inch-diameter pipeline;
rebuild the existing North Seattle/Everett meter station
in order to accommodate the increased delivery capacity of the North
Seattle Lateral;
relocate an existing 8-inch pig launcher and a 20-inch pig
receiver; \1\ and
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\1\ A pig is a tool that the pipeline company inserts into and
pushes through the pipeline for cleaning the pipeline, conducting
internal inspections, or other purposes.
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replace an existing 8-inch mainline valve with a 20-inch
valve.
Background
On June 21, 2017, the FERC issued a Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed North Seattle Lateral Upgrade
Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of
Public Scoping Session (NOI) in Docket No. CP17-441-000. The NOI was
mailed to 409 parties, including affected landowners; federal, state,
and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest groups; Native American tribes; other
interested parties; and local libraries. We also held a public scoping
comment session in the Project area on July 13, 2017.
The primary issues raised by commenters were impacts on residences
(including noise, dust, drainage, and vegetation clearing), biological
and water resources impacts, alternative routings for crossing the
Fritch Mill property, pipeline safety, and impacts on adjacent utility
easements and infrastructure.
On October 23, 2017 Northwest amended its application, reducing the
Project's incremental firm capacity from 196,311 to 159,299 dekatherms
per day; reducing the length of the replacement 20-inch-diameter
pipeline by about 1 mile; locating the replacement pig launcher/
receiver at milepost 7.76; and changing the pipeline route between
mileposts 2.1 and 2.2 so as to divert its pipeline system around the
Fritch Mill. Accordingly, on November 21, 2017 we issued a Supplemental
Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Amended
North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project and Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues (NOI) in Docket No. CP17-441-001. The Supplemental
NOI was mailed to 312 parties, including affected landowners; federal,
state, and local government representatives and agencies; elected
officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native American
tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries.
[[Page 1347]]
Comments on the Supplemental NOI concerned the need for relocating
the pipeline off the existing right-of-way; impacts to springs,
wetlands, and mature forest from the newly routed segment, and
alternatives.
Additional Information
In order to receive notification of the issuance of the EA and to
keep track of all formal issuances and submittals in specific dockets,
the Commission offers a free service called eSubscription. 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.
Additional information about the Project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs at (866) 208-FERC or on the
FERC website (www.ferc.gov). Using the eLibrary link, select General
Search from the eLibrary menu, enter the selected date range and Docket
Number excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP17-441), and follow the
instructions. For assistance with access to eLibrary, the helpline can
be reached at (866) 208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or at
[email protected]. The eLibrary link on the FERC website also
provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rule makings.
Dated: January 5, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-00328 Filed 1-10-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P