[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 33 (Friday, February 16, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7029-7030]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-03247]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket Nos. CP17-441-000, CP17-441-001]
Northwest Pipeline LLC; Notice of Availability of the
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed North Seattle Lateral Upgrade
Project
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the North
Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project, proposed by Northwest Pipeline LLC
(Northwest) in the above-referenced docket. Northwest requests
authorization to replace approximately 5.9 miles of 8-inch-diameter
natural gas pipeline with 20-inch-diameter pipeline in Snohomish
County, Washington. According to Northwest, the North Seattle Lateral
Upgrade Project would increase service reliability and enable Northwest
to provide an incremental 159,299 dekatherms per day of firm capacity
to serve Puget Sound Energy.
The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project
in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA). 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 proposed North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Project would consist of
the following facilities:
Replace 5.9-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;
abandon and relocate approximately 0.1 mile of 16-inch-
diameter pipeline;
relocate an existing 8-inch pig launcher and a 20-inch pig
receiver \1\ to project milepost 7.76; 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.
The FERC staff mailed copies of the EA to federal, state, and local
government representatives and agencies; elected officials; Native
American tribes; potentially affected landowners and other interested
individuals and groups; and newspapers and libraries in the project
area. In addition, the EA is available for public viewing on the FERC's
website (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 the Commission has the opportunity to consider your
comments prior to making its decision on this project, it is important
that we receive your comments in Washington, DC on or before March 13,
2018.
For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to file
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the
project docket number (CP17-441-000 and
[[Page 7030]]
CP17-441-001) 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 website (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 website (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 (18 CFR 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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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. 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-
441). 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.
Dated: February 12, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-03247 Filed 2-15-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P