80 FR 15201 - UGI Sunbury, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Planned Sunbury Pipeline Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public Scoping Meeting

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 55 (March 23, 2015)

Page Range		15201-15203
FR Document		2015-06530
Federal Register, Volume 80 Issue 55 (Monday, March 23, 2015)
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 55 (Monday, March 23, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15201-15203]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-06530]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF15-9-000]


UGI Sunbury, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental 
Assessment for the Planned Sunbury Pipeline Project and Request for 
Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public Scoping Meeting

    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 Sunbury Pipeline Project 
(Project) involving the construction and operation of approximately 
34.5 miles of 20-inch diameter pipeline and related facilities by UGI 
Sunbury, LLC (Sunbury) in Snyder, Union, Northumberland, Montour, and 
Lycoming Counties, Pennsylvania. The Commission will use this EA in its 
decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the 
public convenience and necessity.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the 
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested 
agencies on the project. Your input will help the Commission staff 
determine what issues they need to evaluate in the EA. Please note that 
the scoping period will close on April 17, 2015.
    You may submit comments in written form or verbally. Further 
details on how to submit written comments are in the Public 
Participation section of this notice. If you sent comments on this 
project to the Commission before the opening of this docket on December 
30, 2014, you will need to file those comments in Docket No. PF15-9-000 
to ensure they are considered as part of this proceeding. In lieu of or 
in addition to sending written comments, the Commission invites you to 
attend the public scoping meeting scheduled as follows:

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             Date and time                           Location
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April 7, 2015, 6:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)  James F. Baugher Elementary
                                          School, All Purpose Room, 60
                                          Brenda Rovenolt Circle,
                                          Milton, PA 17847.
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    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for this project. State and local government 
representatives should notify their constituents of this planned 
project 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 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.

Summary of the Planned Project

    Sunbury plans to construct, own, and operate a new natural gas 
pipeline extending from Lycoming County, Pennsylvania to a gas-fired 
power plant,

[[Page 15202]]

Hummel Station LLC (Hummel), at the existing site of coal-fired Sunbury 
Generation LP facility near Shamokin Dam, in Snyder County, 
Pennsylvania. Hummel is planning to construct the power plant at the 
existing site of the coal-fired facility near Shamokin Dam. The project 
has a planned capacity to transport approximately 200,000 dekatherms of 
natural gas per day.
    The Sunbury Pipeline Project would consist of the following 
facilities:
     One new 34.5-mile, 20-inch-diameter pipeline; and
     associated aboveground facilities consisting of two new 
mainline vales, four meter stations, and two launcher and receivers.
    The general location of the 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 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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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the planned pipeline would disturb about 488 acres 
of land. Land disturbance for the planned above ground facilities would 
encompass an area of 3.7 acres, which would be reduced to 2.1 acres for 
operation of these facilities. Following construction, Sunbury would 
maintain about 209 acres for permanent operation of the project's 
pipeline facilities, and 2.1 acres for the above ground facilities. The 
remaining 279 acres would be used for temporary construction workspace 
and be restored and to former uses.

The EA Process

    The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the 
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could 
result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of a 
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us 
\2\ to discover and address concerns the public may have about 
proposals. This process is referred to as scoping. The main goal of the 
scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EA on the important 
environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public 
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. We will 
consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EA.
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    \2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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    In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the planned project under these 
general headings:
     Geology and soils;
     land use;
     water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
     cultural resources;
     vegetation and wildlife, including migratory birds;
     air quality and noise;
     endangered and threatened species;
     socioeconomics;
     public safety; and
     cumulative impacts.
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the planned project 
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen 
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    Although no formal application has been filed, we have already 
initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing process. 
The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early involvement 
of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before 
the FERC receives an application. As part of our pre-filing review, we 
participated in public Open House meetings sponsored by Sunbury in the 
project area on February 24th and February 25th to explain the 
environmental review process to interested stakeholders. Also, we have 
begun to contact some federal and state agencies to discuss their 
involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the EA.
    The EA will present our independent analysis of the issues. The EA 
will be available in the public record through eLibrary. Depending on 
the comments received during the scoping process, we may also publish 
and distribute the EA to the public for an allotted comment period. We 
will consider all comments on the EA before we make our recommendations 
to the Commission. To ensure we have the opportunity to consider and 
address your comments, please carefully follow the instructions in the 
Public Participation section.
    With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law 
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues 
related to this project to formally cooperate with us in the 
preparation of the EA.\3\ Agencies that would like to request 
cooperating agency status should follow the instructions for filing 
comments provided under the Public Participation section of this 
notice.
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    \3\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing 
cooperating agency responsibilities are at title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations, part 1501.6.
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Consultations Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act

    In accordance with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's 
implementing regulations for section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act, we are using this notice to initiate consultation 
with the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office, and to 
solicit their views and those of other government agencies, interested 
Indian tribes, and the public on the project's potential effects on 
historic properties.\4\ We will define the project-specific Area of 
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO as the project 
develops. On natural gas facility projects, the APE at a minimum 
encompasses all areas subject to ground disturbance (examples include 
construction right-of-way, contractor/pipe storage yards, compressor 
stations, and access roads). Our EA for this project will document our 
findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize the status 
of consultations under section 106.
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    \4\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation regulations 
are at title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, part 800. Those 
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or 
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in 
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic 
Places.
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Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. 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 timely and properly recorded, please send your comments so 
that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before April 
17, 2015.
    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 (PF15-9-000) 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 located on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the 
link to Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for interested 
persons to

[[Page 15203]]

submit brief, text-only comments on a project;
    (2) You can file your comments electronically using the eFiling 
feature located 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.

Environmental Mailing List

    The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local 
government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other 
interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. This list also 
includes all affected landowners (as defined in the Commission's 
regulations) who are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property 
may be used temporarily for project purposes, or who own homes within 
certain distances of aboveground facilities, and anyone who submits 
comments on the project. We will update the environmental mailing list 
as the analysis proceeds to ensure that we send the information related 
to this environmental review to all individuals, organizations, and 
government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the 
planned project.
    If we publish and distribute the EA, copies 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

    Once Sunbury files its application with the Commission, 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 User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web 
site. Please note that the Commission will not accept requests for 
intervenor status at this time. You must wait until the Commission 
receives a formal application for the project.

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., PF15-
9). 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 meetings 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 16, 2015.
 Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-06530 Filed 3-20-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
15202 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 55 / Monday, March 23, 2015 / Notices

Hummel Station LLC (Hummel), at the construction and operation of the provided under the Public Participation
existing site of coal-fired Sunbury planned project under these general section of this notice.
Generation LP facility near Shamokin headings:
Consultations Under Section 106 of the
Dam, in Snyder County, Pennsylvania. • Geology and soils; National Historic Preservation Act
Hummel is planning to construct the • land use;
power plant at the existing site of the • water resources, fisheries, and In accordance with the Advisory
coal-fired facility near Shamokin Dam. wetlands; Council on Historic Preservation’s
The project has a planned capacity to • cultural resources; implementing regulations for section
transport approximately 200,000 106 of the National Historic
• vegetation and wildlife, including
dekatherms of natural gas per day. Preservation Act, we are using this
migratory birds;
The Sunbury Pipeline Project would notice to initiate consultation with the
• air quality and noise;
consist of the following facilities: Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation
• endangered and threatened species;
• One new 34.5-mile, 20-inch- Office, and to solicit their views and
• socioeconomics; those of other government agencies,
diameter pipeline; and
• associated aboveground facilities • public safety; and interested Indian tribes, and the public
consisting of two new mainline vales, • cumulative impacts. on the project’s potential effects on
four meter stations, and two launcher We will also evaluate possible historic properties.4 We will define the
and receivers. alternatives to the planned project or project-specific Area of Potential Effects
The general location of the project portions of the project, and make (APE) in consultation with the SHPO as
facilities is shown in appendix 1.1 recommendations on how to lessen or the project develops. On natural gas
avoid impacts on the various resource facility projects, the APE at a minimum
Land Requirements for Construction areas. encompasses all areas subject to ground
Construction of the planned pipeline Although no formal application has disturbance (examples include
would disturb about 488 acres of land. been filed, we have already initiated our construction right-of-way, contractor/
Land disturbance for the planned above NEPA review under the Commission’s pipe storage yards, compressor stations,
ground facilities would encompass an pre-filing process. The purpose of the and access roads). Our EA for this
area of 3.7 acres, which would be pre-filing process is to encourage early project will document our findings on
reduced to 2.1 acres for operation of involvement of interested stakeholders the impacts on historic properties and
these facilities. Following construction, and to identify and resolve issues before summarize the status of consultations
Sunbury would maintain about 209 the FERC receives an application. As under section 106.
acres for permanent operation of the part of our pre-filing review, we
project’s pipeline facilities, and 2.1 participated in public Open House Public Participation
acres for the above ground facilities. The meetings sponsored by Sunbury in the You can make a difference by
remaining 279 acres would be used for project area on February 24th and providing us with your specific
temporary construction workspace and February 25th to explain the comments or concerns about the project.
be restored and to former uses. environmental review process to Your comments should focus on the
interested stakeholders. Also, we have potential environmental effects,
The EA Process
begun to contact some federal and state reasonable alternatives, and measures to
The National Environmental Policy agencies to discuss their involvement in avoid or lessen environmental impacts.
Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to the scoping process and the preparation The more specific your comments, the
take into account the environmental of the EA. more useful they will be. To ensure that
impacts that could result from an action The EA will present our independent your comments are timely and properly
whenever it considers the issuance of a analysis of the issues. The EA will be recorded, please send your comments so
Certificate of Public Convenience and available in the public record through that the Commission receives them in
Necessity. NEPA also requires us 2 to eLibrary. Depending on the comments Washington, DC on or before April 17,
discover and address concerns the received during the scoping process, we 2015.
public may have about proposals. This may also publish and distribute the EA For your convenience, there are three
process is referred to as scoping. The to the public for an allotted comment methods you can use to submit your
main goal of the scoping process is to period. We will consider all comments comments to the Commission. In all
focus the analysis in the EA on the on the EA before we make our instances, please reference the project
important environmental issues. By this recommendations to the Commission. docket number (PF15–9–000) with your
notice, the Commission requests public To ensure we have the opportunity to submission. The Commission
comments on the scope of the issues to consider and address your comments, encourages electronic filing of
address in the EA. We will consider all please carefully follow the instructions comments and has expert staff available
filed comments during the preparation in the Public Participation section. to assist you at (202) 502–8258 or
of the EA. With this notice, we are asking efiling@ferc.gov.
In the EA we will discuss impacts that agencies with jurisdiction by law and/ (1) You can file your comments
could occur as a result of the or special expertise with respect to the electronically using the eComment
environmental issues related to this feature located on the Commission’s
1 The appendices referenced in this notice will
project to formally cooperate with us in Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link
not appear in the Federal Register. Copies of
appendices were sent to all those receiving this the preparation of the EA.3 Agencies to Documents and Filings. This is an
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov that would like to request cooperating easy method for interested persons to
using the link called ‘‘eLibrary’’ or from the agency status should follow the
Commission’s Public Reference Room, 888 First 4 The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202)
instructions for filing comments
regulations are at title 36, Code of Federal
502–8371. For instructions on connecting to Regulations, part 800. Those regulations define
eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice. 3 The Council on Environmental Quality historic properties as any prehistoric or historic
2 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the regulations addressing cooperating agency district, site, building, structure, or object included
environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of responsibilities are at title 40, Code of Federal in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register
Energy Projects. Regulations, part 1501.6. of Historic Places.

VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:51 Mar 20, 2015 Jkt 235001 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\23MRN1.SGM 23MRN1
Document Created: 2018-02-21 09:47:27
Document Modified: 2018-02-21 09:47:27
Category		Regulatory Information
Collection		Federal Register
sudoc Class		AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106:
Publisher		Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
Section		Notices
FR Citation		80 FR 15201
80 FR 15201 - UGI Sunbury, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Planned Sunbury Pipeline Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public Scoping Meeting

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGYFederal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 55 (March 23, 2015)

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
