80 FR 18397 - Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Staff Protest to Proposed Blanket Certificate Activity

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 65 (April 6, 2015)

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 65 (Monday, April 6, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 18397]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-07795]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP15-61-000]


Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Staff Protest to Proposed 
Blanket Certificate Activity

    Commission staff (Protestor) hereby protests the prior notice 
request filed under the provisions of part 157, subpart F, of the 
Commission's regulations, by Northern Natural Gas Company (Northern) on 
January 20, 2015 in the above referenced docket. Pursuant to its part 
157, subpart F, blanket certificate authority, Northern proposes to 
construct and abandon facilities in Clark and Codington Counties, South 
Dakota. Protestor seeks to have this prior notice request processed as 
a case-specific application filed under section 7(c) of the Natural Gas 
Act and part 157, subpart A, of the Commission's regulations.\1\
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    \1\ Section 157.205(f) provides that a protested prior notice 
filing shall be treated as though it had filed a case-specific 
application under NGA section 7, unless, pursuant to section 
157.205(g) the protestor withdraws its protest within 30 days after 
protests were due.
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    Protestor notes that on February 27, 2015, Northern filed a data 
response which described communication with the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate 
of the Lake Traverse Reservation (tribe). The tribe indicated that it 
would be necessary to conduct a Traditional Cultural Properties (TCP) 
survey to ensure that no TCPs would be affected by construction. 
Northern has not yet provided the results of the TCP survey. Northern 
must file with the FERC the results of the TCP survey and/or updated 
communication with the tribe to ensure the project's compliance with 
the National Historic Preservation Act, as required under Appendix II 
to Subpart F of Part 157 of the Commission's regulations. Without this 
information, environmental concerns cannot be adequately assessed 
before the protest period expires today.

    Dated: March 31, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-07795 Filed 4-3-15; 8:45 am]
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