80_FR_26102 80 FR 26015 - National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation and Empire Pipeline, Inc.; Supplemental Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Northern Access 2016 Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, Notice of Environmental Site Review, and Notice of Public Scoping Meeting

80 FR 26015 - National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation and Empire Pipeline, Inc.; Supplemental Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Northern Access 2016 Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, Notice of Environmental Site Review, and Notice of Public Scoping Meeting

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 87 (May 6, 2015)

Page Range26015-26017
FR Document2015-10557

Federal Register, Volume 80 Issue 87 (Wednesday, May 6, 2015)
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 87 (Wednesday, May 6, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26015-26017]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-10557]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP15-115-000]


National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation and Empire Pipeline, Inc.; 
Supplemental Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment 
for the Proposed Northern Access 2016 Project, Request for Comments on 
Environmental Issues, Notice of Environmental Site Review, and Notice 
of Public Scoping Meeting

    On October 22, 2014, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC 
or Commission) issued in Docket No. PF14-18-000 a Notice of Intent to 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Planned Northern Access 
2016 Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice 
of Public Scoping Meetings (NOI). In their application in the above-
referenced docket, National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation (Supply) and 
Empire Pipeline Inc. (Empire) (collectively National Fuel) have since 
filed their proposed locations for one new compressor station and one 
natural gas dehydration facility in Niagara County, New York. This 
Supplemental Notice is being issued to seek comments on the new 
aboveground facilities and opens a new scoping period for interested 
parties to file comments on environmental issues specific to these 
facilities.
    The October 22, 2014 NOI announced that the FERC will prepare an 
environmental assessment (EA) to address the environmental impacts of 
the Northern Access 2016 Project (Project). Please refer to the NOI for 
more information about the facilities proposed by National Fuel in 
Pennsylvania and New York. The Commission will use this EA in its 
decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the 
public convenience and necessity.
    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. Your input will help 
Commission staff determine what issues they need 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 May 29, 2015.
    The Commission previously solicited public input on the pipeline 
portion of the project in Pennsylvania and New York in the fall of 
2014. We \1\ are specifically seeking comments on the aboveground 
facilities to help the Commission staff determine what issues need to 
be evaluated in the EA. If you have previously submitted comments 
during the pre-filing review in docket no. PF14-18-000, you do not need 
to resubmit your comments at this time. Please note that this special 
scoping period will close on May 29, 2015.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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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 are asked to notify their constituents of this proposed 
Project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
    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.

Public Participation

    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission will provide equal 
consideration to all comments received, whether filed in written form 
or provided verbally. 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 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 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.
    (4) In lieu of sending written or electronic comments, the 
Commission invites you to attend the public scoping meeting its staff 
will conduct in the project area, scheduled as follows.
    FERC Public Scoping Meeting, Northern Access 2016 Project--
Aboveground Facilities in NY, May 20, 2015, 7:00 p.m., Wendelville Fire 
Company, 7340 Campbell Boulevard, North Tonawanda, NY 14120.
    We will begin our sign up of speakers at 6:00 p.m. The scoping 
meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. with a description of

[[Page 26016]]

our environmental review process by Commission staff, after which 
speakers will be called. The meeting will end once all speakers have 
provided their comments or at 10:00 p.m., whichever comes first. Please 
note that there may be a time limit of three minutes to present 
comments, and speakers should structure their comments accordingly. If 
time limits are implemented, they will be strictly enforced to ensure 
that as many individuals as possible are given an opportunity to 
comment. The meetings are recorded by a stenographer to ensure comments 
are accurately recorded. Transcripts will be entered into the formal 
record of the Commission proceeding.
    National Fuel representatives will be present one hour prior to the 
start of the scoping meeting to provide additional information about 
the project and answer questions.

Environmental Onsite Review

    Commission staff will conduct two environmental onsite reviews of 
National Fuel's proposed Pendleton Compressor Station site and its 
proposed Wheatfield Dehydration Facility. Notes from this onsite 
environmental site review will be posted to the docket.

Summary of the Newly Proposed Facilities

    The aboveground facilities that are the focus of this notice are 
the new Pendleton Compressor Station and Wheatfield Dehydration 
Facility, both in Niagara County, New York. The general location of 
these proposed project facilities is shown in Appendix 1.\2\
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    \2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 
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 important environmental 
issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public comments on the 
scope of issues to address in the EA.
    In the EA, we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the proposed Project under these 
general headings:
     Geology;
     soils;
     water resources;
     vegetation;
     wildlife and aquatic resources;
     fisheries and aquatic resources;
     threatened, endangered, and other special-status species;
     land use, recreation, special interest areas, and visual 
resources;
     socioeconomics;
     cultural resources;
     air quality and noise;
     reliability and safety; and
     cumulative environmental impacts.
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed Project 
or portions of the Project, and make recommendations on how to lessen 
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    Please note that since National Fuel has filed an application for 
the proposed Project, a new docket number has been assigned (CP15-115-
000). As part of our pre-filing review, we participated in public Open 
House meetings sponsored by National Fuel in the project area in August 
2014 to explain the environmental review process to interested 
stakeholders. We also conducted public scoping meetings along the 
proposed pipeline route in November 2014. We have also contacted 
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. We will 
publish and distribute the EA for public comment. After the comment 
period, we will consider all timely comments which will be addressed in 
the Commission's decisional order.
    With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction and/or 
special expertise with respect to environmental issues related to this 
Project to formally cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA. 
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. Currently, the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers has expressed its intention to participate as a cooperating 
agency in the preparation of the EA to satisfy its NEPA 
responsibilities related to this Project.

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 applicable State Historic Preservation Offices 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.\3\ We will define the project-specific Area of Potential 
Effects in consultation with the State Historic Preservation Offices as 
the project develops. On natural gas facility projects, the Area of 
Potential Effects 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's regulations 
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Historic 
properties are defined in those regulations 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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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 by 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 
proposed Project.
    Copies of the completed 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 a 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

[[Page 26017]]

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.

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., CP15-
115). 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.
    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.
    Finally, National Fuel has established a project contact (Emily 
Ciraolo), a toll-free phone number (1-800-634-5440 ext. 7861) and an 
email support address ([email protected]) so that parties can call 
them directly with questions about the project.

    Dated: April 29, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-10557 Filed 5-5-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P



                                                                            Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 87 / Wednesday, May 6, 2015 / Notices                                             26015

                                              authorization, under 18 CFR part 34, of                 Environmental Issues, and Notice of                   proposed Project and encourage them to
                                              future issuances of securities and                      Public Scoping Meetings (NOI). In their               comment on their areas of concern.
                                              assumptions of liability is May 20, 2015.               application in the above-referenced                     A fact sheet prepared by the FERC
                                                 The Commission encourages                            docket, National Fuel Gas Supply                      entitled ‘‘An Interstate Natural Gas
                                              electronic submission of protests and                   Corporation (Supply) and Empire                       Facility on My Land? What Do I Need
                                              interventions in lieu of paper, using the               Pipeline Inc. (Empire) (collectively                  To Know?’’ is available for viewing on
                                              FERC Online links at http://                            National Fuel) have since filed their                 the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov). This
                                              www.ferc.gov. To facilitate electronic                  proposed locations for one new                        fact sheet addresses a number of
                                              service, persons with Internet access                   compressor station and one natural gas                typically-asked questions, including the
                                              who will eFile a document and/or be                     dehydration facility in Niagara County,               use of eminent domain and how to
                                              listed as a contact for an intervenor                   New York. This Supplemental Notice is                 participate in the Commission’s
                                              must create and validate an                             being issued to seek comments on the                  proceedings.
                                              eRegistration account using the                         new aboveground facilities and opens a                Public Participation
                                              eRegistration link. Select the eFiling                  new scoping period for interested
                                              link to log on and submit the                           parties to file comments on                              For your convenience, there are three
                                              intervention or protests.                               environmental issues specific to these                methods you can use to submit your
                                                 Persons unable to file electronically                facilities.                                           comments to the Commission. The
                                              should submit an original and 5 copies                    The October 22, 2014 NOI announced                  Commission will provide equal
                                              of the intervention or protest to the                   that the FERC will prepare an                         consideration to all comments received,
                                              Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,                   environmental assessment (EA) to                      whether filed in written form or
                                              888 First Street NE., Washington, DC                    address the environmental impacts of                  provided verbally. The Commission
                                              20426.                                                  the Northern Access 2016 Project                      encourages electronic filing of
                                                 The filings in the above-referenced                  (Project). Please refer to the NOI for                comments and has expert staff available
                                              proceeding(s) are accessible in the                     more information about the facilities                 to assist you at (202) 502–8258 or
                                              Commission’s eLibrary system by                         proposed by National Fuel in                          efiling@ferc.gov. Please carefully follow
                                              clicking on the appropriate link in the                 Pennsylvania and New York. The                        these instructions so that your
                                              above list. They are also available for                 Commission will use this EA in its                    comments are properly recorded.
                                              review in the Commission’s Public                                                                                (1) You can file your comments
                                                                                                      decision-making process to determine
                                              Reference Room in Washington, DC.                                                                             electronically using the eComment
                                                                                                      whether the project is in the public
                                              There is an eSubscription link on the                                                                         feature located on the Commission’s
                                                                                                      convenience and necessity.
                                              Web site that enables subscribers to                                                                          Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link
                                                                                                        You can make a difference by                        to Documents and Filings. This is an
                                              receive email notification when a                       providing us with your specific
                                              document is added to a subscribed                                                                             easy method for interested persons to
                                                                                                      comments or concerns about the project.               submit brief, text-only comments on a
                                              docket(s). For assistance with any FERC                 Your comments should focus on the
                                              Online service, please email                                                                                  project;
                                                                                                      potential environmental effects,                         (2) You can file your comments
                                              FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. or call                     reasonable alternatives, and measures to              electronically using the eFiling feature
                                              (866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY, call               avoid or lessen environmental impacts.                located on the Commission’s Web site
                                              (202) 502–8659.                                         Your input will help Commission staff                 (www.ferc.gov) under the link to
                                                Dated: April 30, 2015.                                determine what issues they need to                    Documents and Filings. With eFiling,
                                              Kimberly D. Bose,                                       evaluate in the EA. To ensure that your               you can provide comments in a variety
                                              Secretary.                                              comments are timely and properly                      of formats by attaching them as a file
                                              [FR Doc. 2015–10572 Filed 5–5–15; 8:45 am]              recorded, please send your comments so                with your submission. New eFiling
                                              BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
                                                                                                      that the Commission receives them in                  users must first create an account by
                                                                                                      Washington, DC on or before May 29,                   clicking on ‘‘eRegister.’’ You must select
                                                                                                      2015.                                                 the type of filing you are making. If you
                                              DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY                                      The Commission previously solicited                 are filing a comment on a particular
                                                                                                      public input on the pipeline portion of               project, please select ‘‘Comment on a
                                              Federal Energy Regulatory                               the project in Pennsylvania and New                   Filing’’; or
                                              Commission                                              York in the fall of 2014. We 1 are                       (3) You can file a paper copy of your
                                              [Docket No. CP15–115–000]
                                                                                                      specifically seeking comments on the                  comments by mailing them to the
                                                                                                      aboveground facilities to help the                    following address: Kimberly D. Bose,
                                              National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation                    Commission staff determine what issues                Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory
                                              and Empire Pipeline, Inc.;                              need to be evaluated in the EA. If you                Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room
                                              Supplemental Notice of Intent To                        have previously submitted comments                    1A, Washington, DC 20426.
                                              Prepare an Environmental Assessment                     during the pre-filing review in docket                   (4) In lieu of sending written or
                                              for the Proposed Northern Access                        no. PF14–18–000, you do not need to                   electronic comments, the Commission
                                              2016 Project, Request for Comments                      resubmit your comments at this time.                  invites you to attend the public scoping
                                              on Environmental Issues, Notice of                      Please note that this special scoping                 meeting its staff will conduct in the
                                              Environmental Site Review, and Notice                   period will close on May 29, 2015.                    project area, scheduled as follows.
                                              of Public Scoping Meeting                                 This notice is being sent to the                       FERC Public Scoping Meeting,
                                                                                                      Commission’s current environmental                    Northern Access 2016 Project—
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                On October 22, 2014, the Federal                      mailing list for this Project. State and              Aboveground Facilities in NY, May 20,
                                              Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC                      local government representatives are                  2015, 7:00 p.m., Wendelville Fire
                                              or Commission) issued in Docket No.                     asked to notify their constituents of this            Company, 7340 Campbell Boulevard,
                                              PF14–18–000 a Notice of Intent to                                                                             North Tonawanda, NY 14120.
                                              Prepare an Environmental Assessment                       1 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the             We will begin our sign up of speakers
                                              for the Planned Northern Access 2016                    environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of     at 6:00 p.m. The scoping meeting will
                                              Project, Request for Comments on                        Energy Projects.                                      begin at 7:00 p.m. with a description of


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                                              26016                         Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 87 / Wednesday, May 6, 2015 / Notices

                                              our environmental review process by                        In the EA, we will discuss impacts                 implementing regulations for section
                                              Commission staff, after which speakers                  that could occur as a result of the                   106 of the National Historic
                                              will be called. The meeting will end                    construction and operation of the                     Preservation Act, we are using this
                                              once all speakers have provided their                   proposed Project under these general                  notice to initiate consultation with the
                                              comments or at 10:00 p.m., whichever                    headings:                                             applicable State Historic Preservation
                                              comes first. Please note that there may                    • Geology;                                         Offices and to solicit their views and
                                              be a time limit of three minutes to                        • soils;                                           those of other government agencies,
                                              present comments, and speakers should                      • water resources;                                 interested Indian tribes, and the public
                                              structure their comments accordingly. If                   • vegetation;                                      on the Project’s potential effects on
                                              time limits are implemented, they will                     • wildlife and aquatic resources;                  historic properties.3 We will define the
                                              be strictly enforced to ensure that as                     • fisheries and aquatic resources;
                                                                                                                                                            project-specific Area of Potential Effects
                                                                                                         • threatened, endangered, and other
                                              many individuals as possible are given                                                                        in consultation with the State Historic
                                                                                                      special-status species;
                                              an opportunity to comment. The                             • land use, recreation, special interest           Preservation Offices as the project
                                              meetings are recorded by a stenographer                 areas, and visual resources;                          develops. On natural gas facility
                                              to ensure comments are accurately                          • socioeconomics;                                  projects, the Area of Potential Effects at
                                              recorded. Transcripts will be entered                      • cultural resources;                              a minimum encompasses all areas
                                              into the formal record of the                              • air quality and noise;                           subject to ground disturbance (examples
                                              Commission proceeding.                                     • reliability and safety; and                      include construction right-of-way,
                                                 National Fuel representatives will be                   • cumulative environmental impacts.                contractor/pipe storage yards,
                                              present one hour prior to the start of the                 We will also evaluate possible                     compressor stations, and access roads).
                                              scoping meeting to provide additional                   alternatives to the proposed Project or               Our EA for this project will document
                                              information about the project and                       portions of the Project, and make                     our findings on the impacts on historic
                                              answer questions.                                       recommendations on how to lessen or                   properties and summarize the status of
                                              Environmental Onsite Review                             avoid impacts on the various resource                 consultations under section 106.
                                                                                                      areas.
                                                Commission staff will conduct two                        Please note that since National Fuel               Environmental Mailing List
                                              environmental onsite reviews of                         has filed an application for the proposed                The environmental mailing list
                                              National Fuel’s proposed Pendleton                      Project, a new docket number has been                 includes federal, state, and local
                                              Compressor Station site and its                         assigned (CP15–115–000). As part of our               government representatives and
                                              proposed Wheatfield Dehydration                         pre-filing review, we participated in                 agencies; elected officials;
                                              Facility. Notes from this onsite                        public Open House meetings sponsored                  environmental and public interest
                                              environmental site review will be                       by National Fuel in the project area in               groups; Native American Tribes; other
                                              posted to the docket.                                   August 2014 to explain the                            interested parties; and local libraries
                                              Summary of the Newly Proposed                           environmental review process to                       and newspapers. This list also includes
                                              Facilities                                              interested stakeholders. We also                      all affected landowners (as defined by
                                                                                                      conducted public scoping meetings                     the Commission’s regulations) who are
                                                The aboveground facilities that are the               along the proposed pipeline route in                  potential right-of-way grantors, whose
                                              focus of this notice are the new                        November 2014. We have also contacted                 property may be used temporarily for
                                              Pendleton Compressor Station and                        federal and state agencies to discuss                 project purposes, or who own homes
                                              Wheatfield Dehydration Facility, both in                their involvement in the scoping                      within certain distances of aboveground
                                              Niagara County, New York. The general                   process and the preparation of the EA.                facilities, and anyone who submits
                                              location of these proposed project                         The EA will present our independent
                                              facilities is shown in Appendix 1.2                                                                           comments on the Project. We will
                                                                                                      analysis of the issues. We will publish               update the environmental mailing list as
                                              The EA Process                                          and distribute the EA for public                      the analysis proceeds to ensure that we
                                                                                                      comment. After the comment period, we                 send the information related to this
                                                The National Environmental Policy
                                                                                                      will consider all timely comments                     environmental review to all individuals,
                                              Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to
                                                                                                      which will be addressed in the                        organizations, and government entities
                                              take into account the environmental
                                                                                                      Commission’s decisional order.                        interested in and/or potentially affected
                                              impacts that could result from an action
                                                                                                         With this notice, we are asking                    by the proposed Project.
                                              whenever it considers the issuance of a
                                                                                                      agencies with jurisdiction and/or                        Copies of the completed EA will be
                                              Certificate of Public Convenience and
                                                                                                      special expertise with respect to                     sent to the environmental mailing list
                                              Necessity. NEPA also requires us to
                                                                                                      environmental issues related to this                  for public review and comment. If you
                                              discover and address concerns the
                                                                                                      Project to formally cooperate with us in              would prefer to receive a paper copy of
                                              public may have about proposals. This
                                                                                                      the preparation of the EA. Agencies that              the document instead of a CD version or
                                              process is referred to as scoping. The
                                                                                                      would like to request cooperating                     would like to remove your name from
                                              main goal of the scoping process is to
                                                                                                      agency status should follow the                       the mailing list, please return the
                                              focus the analysis in the EA on
                                                                                                      instructions for filing comments                      attached Information Request (appendix
                                              important environmental issues. By this
                                                                                                      provided under the Public Participation               2).
                                              notice, the Commission requests public
                                                                                                      section of this notice. Currently, the
                                              comments on the scope of issues to                                                                            Becoming an Intervenor
                                                                                                      U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has
                                              address in the EA.
                                                                                                      expressed its intention to participate as               In addition to involvement in the EA
                                                2 The appendices referenced in this notice are not    a cooperating agency in the preparation               scoping process, you may want to
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                              being printed in the Federal Register. Copies of        of the EA to satisfy its NEPA
                                              appendices were sent to all those receiving this        responsibilities related to this Project.               3 The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s

                                              notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov                                                          regulations are at Title 36, Code of Federal
                                              using the link called ‘‘eLibrary’’ or from the          Consultations Under Section 106 of the                Regulations, Part 800. Historic properties are
                                              Commission’s Public Reference Room, 888 First           National Historic Preservation Act                    defined in those regulations as any prehistoric or
                                              Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202)                                                               historic district, site, building, structure, or object
                                              502–8371. For instructions on connecting to               In accordance with the Advisory                     included in or eligible for inclusion in the National
                                              eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice.        Council on Historic Preservation’s                    Register of Historic Places.



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                                                                            Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 87 / Wednesday, May 6, 2015 / Notices                                             26017

                                              become an ‘‘intervenor’’ which is an                    DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY                                  project Upper Lakes under the
                                              official party to the Commission’s                                                                            requirements of the project license and
                                              proceeding. Intervenors play a more                     Federal Energy Regulatory                             Condition No. 7 of the U.S. Forest
                                              formal role in the process and are able                 Commission                                            Service’s (FS) section 4(e) Conditions.
                                              to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be              [Project No. 137–178]                                 Specifically, the license requests that
                                              heard by the courts if they choose to                                                                         the 5 cubic feet per second (cfs)
                                              appeal the Commission’s final ruling.                   Pacific Gas and Electric Company;                     minimum flow requirement be reduced
                                              An intervenor formally participates in                  Notice of Application Accepted for                    to 2 cfs below Lower Blue and Meadow
                                              the proceeding by filing a request to                   Filing, Soliciting Comments, Motions                  Lakes from May 1, 2015 through the
                                                                                                      To Intervene, and Protests                            June 30, 2015. The licensee also
                                              intervene. Instructions for becoming an
                                                                                                                                                            requests Commission approval to forego
                                              intervenor are in the User’s Guide under                   Take notice that the following                     the 5-day, 20 cfs pulse flow requirement
                                              the ‘‘e-filing’’ link on the Commission’s               hydroelectric application has been filed              in 2015 at Upper Blue, Lower Blue, and
                                              Web site.                                               with the Commission and is available                  Meadow Lakes. The licensee states that
                                              Additional Information                                  for public inspection:                                the temporary variance is necessary to
                                                                                                         a. Type of Application: Application                conserve water in order to ensure
                                                 Additional information about the                     for Temporary Variance of License                     minimum flow releases through the fall
                                              Project is available from the                           Requirement.                                          and to maintain an adequate level to
                                              Commission’s Office of External Affairs,                   b. Project No.: 137–178.                           recreation opportunities at the Upper
                                              at (866) 208–FERC, or on the FERC Web                      c. Date Filed: April 24, 2015, and                 Lakes this summer.
                                              site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary                  supplemented April 29, 2015.                             l. Locations of the Application: A
                                                                                                         d. Applicants: Pacific Gas and Electric            copy of the application is available for
                                              link. Click on the eLibrary link, click on
                                                                                                      Company (licensee).                                   inspection and reproduction at the
                                              ‘‘General Search’’ and enter the docket                    e. Name of Project: Mokelumne River
                                              number, excluding the last three digits                                                                       Commission’s Public Reference Room,
                                                                                                      Project.                                              located at 888 First Street, NE., Room
                                              in the Docket Number field (i.e., CP15–                    f. Location: Mokelumne River, South                2A, Washington, DC 20426, or by calling
                                              115). Be sure you have selected an                      Fork Mokelumne River, Bear River, and                 (202) 502–8371. This filing may also be
                                              appropriate date range. For assistance,                 their tributaries in Amador, Alpine, and              viewed on the Commission’s Web site at
                                              please contact FERC Online Support at                   Calaveras counties, California.                       http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
                                              FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free                    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power                elibrary.asp. Enter the docket number
                                              at (866) 208–3676, or for TTY, contact                  Act, 16 U.S.C. 791a–825r.                             excluding the last three digits in the
                                              (202) 502–8659. The eLibrary link also                     h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Ezra                     docket number field to access the
                                              provides access to the texts of formal                  Becker, License Coordinator, Pacific Gas              document. You may also register online
                                              documents issued by the Commission,                     and Electric Company, (415) 973–3082.                 at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
                                              such as orders, notices, and                               i. FERC Contact: Mr. John Aedo, (415)              esubscription.asp to be notified via
                                              rulemakings.                                            369–3335, or john.aedo@ferc.gov.                      email of new filings and issuances
                                                                                                         j. Deadline for filing comments,                   related to this or other pending projects.
                                                 In addition, the Commission offers a                 motions to intervene, protests, and
                                              free service called eSubscription which                                                                       For assistance, call 1–866–208–3676 or
                                                                                                      recommendations is 30 days from the                   email FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, for
                                              allows you to keep track of all formal                  issuance date of this notice by the
                                              issuances and submittals in specific                                                                          TTY, call (202) 502–8659. A copy is also
                                                                                                      Commission (April 29, 2015). The                      available for inspection and
                                              dockets. This can reduce the amount of                  Commission strongly encourages                        reproduction at the address in item (h)
                                              time you spend researching proceedings                  electronic filing. Please file motions to             above.
                                              by automatically providing you with                     intervene, protests, comments, or                        m. Individuals desiring to be included
                                              notification of these filings, document                 recommendations using the                             on the Commission’s mailing list should
                                              summaries, and direct links to the                      Commission’s eFiling system at http://                so indicate by writing to the Secretary
                                              documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/docs-                     www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp.                 of the Commission.
                                              filing/esubscription.asp.                               Commenters can submit brief comments                     n. Comments, Protests, or Motions to
                                                 Public meetings or site visits will be               up to 6,000 characters, without prior                 Intervene: Anyone may submit
                                              posted on the Commission’s calendar                     registration, using the eComment system               comments, a protest, or a motion to
                                              located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/                  at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/                   intervene in accordance with the
                                              EventsList.aspx along with other related                ecomment.asp. You must include your                   requirements of Rules of Practice and
                                                                                                      name and contact information at the end               Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, .211, .214.
                                              information.
                                                                                                      of your comments. For assistance,                     In determining the appropriate action to
                                                 Finally, National Fuel has established               please contact FERC Online Support at                 take, the Commission will consider all
                                              a project contact (Emily Ciraolo), a toll-              FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866)                     protests or other comments filed, but
                                              free phone number (1–800–634–5440                       208–3676 (toll free), or (202) 502–8659               only those who file a motion to
                                              ext. 7861) and an email support address                 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please           intervene in accordance with the
                                              (ciraoloe@natfuel.com) so that parties                  send a paper copy to: Secretary, Federal              Commission’s Rules may become a
                                              can call them directly with questions                   Energy Regulatory Commission, 888                     party to the proceeding. Any comments,
                                              about the project.                                      First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.              protests, or motions to intervene must
                                                Dated: April 29, 2015.
                                                                                                      Please include the project number (P–                 be received on or before the specified
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                                                                      137–178) on any comments, motions to                  comment date for the particular
                                              Kimberly D. Bose,
                                                                                                      intervene, protests, or recommendations               application.
                                              Secretary.                                              filed.                                                   o. Filing and Service of Responsive
                                              [FR Doc. 2015–10557 Filed 5–5–15; 8:45 am]                 k. Description of Request: The                     Documents: Any filing must (1) bear in
                                              BILLING CODE 6717–01–P                                  licensee requests Commission approval                 all capital letters the title
                                                                                                      of a temporary variance of the minimum                ‘‘COMMENTS’’, ‘‘PROTEST’’, or
                                                                                                      and pulse flow requirements at the                    ‘‘MOTION TO INTERVENE’’ as


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Document Created: 2015-12-16 07:41:55
Document Modified: 2015-12-16 07:41:55
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionNotices
FR Citation80 FR 26015 

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