80 FR 43074 - Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Chicago Market Expansion Project, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 139 (July 21, 2015)

Page Range		43074-43076
FR Document		2015-17806

Federal Register, Volume 80 Issue 139 (Tuesday, July 21, 2015)

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 139 (Tuesday, July 21, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43074-43076]
From the Federal Register Online [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-17806]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP15-505-000]

Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, LLC; Notice of Intent To
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Chicago Market
Expansion Project, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

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 Chicago Market Expansion
Project (Project) involving construction and operation of facilities by
Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, LLC (Natural) in Livingston
County, Illinois. 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. 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 the 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 August 9, 2015.
If you sent comments on this Project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on June 1, 2015, you will need to file those
comments in Docket No. CP15-505-000 to ensure they are considered as
part of this proceeding.
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 proposed
Project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a Natural
representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the proposed 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.
Natural provided landowners with a fact sheet prepared by the FERC
entitled ``An Interstate Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I
Need To Know?'' 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. It is also available for viewing on
the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov).

Public Participation

For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic
filing of comments and has expert staff available to assist you at
(202) 502-8258 or efiling@ferc.gov. Please carefully follow these
instructions so that your comments are properly recorded.
(1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment
feature on the Commission's Web site (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 file your comments electronically by using the eFiling
feature 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.'' If you are filing a comment on a particular project,
please select ``Comment on a Filing'' as the filing type; or
(3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to
the

[[Page 43075]]

following address. Be sure to reference the Project docket number
(CP15-505-000) with your submission:
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.

Summary of the Proposed Project

Natural proposes to construct and operate a new compressor station
and associated facilities in Livingston County, Illinois. Specifically,
Natural proposes to construct and operate one new 30,000 horsepower
compressor station with suction and discharge station interconnect
piping; and ancillary facilities. The Project would provide about
238,000 dekatherms of incremental northbound firm transportation
capacity to the city of Chicago, Illinois and neighboring areas.
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 proposed facilities would disturb about 21
acres of land of which 19.2 acres would remain as the permanent
facility following construction. The remaining 1.8 acres consists of
temporary workspace necessary to accommodate construction of the
Project. The temporary workspace would be restored to its previous land
use and maintained in its pre-construction condition.

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. The 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 proposed Project under these
general headings:
Geology and soils;
land use;
water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
cultural resources;
vegetation and wildlife;
air quality and noise;
endangered and threatened species;
public safety; and
cumulative impacts.
We will also evaluate reasonable 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.
The EA will present our independent analysis of the issues. The EA
will be available in the public record through eLibrary (for directions
on the use of eLibrary, please see the additional Information Section
on page 6). 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
making 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, beginning
on page 2.
With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues of
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 consultations
with the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and to
solicit its 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's 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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Environmental Mailing List

The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local
government representatives and agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest groups; Indian 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
proposed Project.
Copies of the 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 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

In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, 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

[[Page 43076]]

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 at www.ferc.gov using the ``Document's & Filings'' 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., CP15-505). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date
range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov 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: July 9, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-17806 Filed 7-20-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P

43074 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 139 / Tuesday, July 21, 2015 / Notices

near the City of Easton, Northampton The first page of any filing should No. CP15–505–000 to ensure they are
County, Pennsylvania. The sole purpose include docket number P–14675–000. considered as part of this proceeding.
of a preliminary permit, if issued, is to More information about this project, This notice is being sent to the
grant the permit holder priority to file including a copy of the application, can Commission’s current environmental
a license application during the permit be viewed or printed on the ‘‘eLibrary’’ mailing list for this Project. State and
term. A preliminary permit does not link of the Commission’s Web site at local government representatives should
authorize the permit holder to perform http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ notify their constituents of this
any land-disturbing activities or elibrary.asp. Enter the docket number proposed Project and encourage them to
otherwise enter upon lands or waters (P–14675) in the docket number field to comment on their areas of concern.
owned by others without the owners’ access the document. For assistance, If you are a landowner receiving this
express permission. contact FERC Online Support. notice, a Natural representative may
The proposed Chain Dam contact you about the acquisition of an
Dated: July 14, 2015.
Hydroelectric Project would consist of easement to construct, operate, and
the following: (1) An existing 20-foot- Kimberly D. Bose, maintain the proposed facilities. The
high concrete gravity dam with a 690- Secretary. company would seek to negotiate a
foot-long spillway; (2) an existing [FR Doc. 2015–17790 Filed 7–20–15; 8:45 am] mutually acceptable agreement.
impoundment having a surface area of BILLING CODE 6717–01–P However, if the Commission approves
approximately 300 acres and a storage the Project, that approval conveys with
capacity of 1,200 acre-feet at an it the right of eminent domain.
elevation of 190 feet mean sea level DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Therefore, if easement negotiations fail
(msl); (2) three channels, each with a to produce an agreement, the pipeline
very low head (VLH) 500-kilowatt (kW) Federal Energy Regulatory company could initiate condemnation
turbine-generator unit, with a maximum Commission proceedings where compensation would
generating capacity of 1,500 kW, with a [Docket No. CP15–505–000] be determined in accordance with state
maximum hydraulic capacity of 2,300 law.
cubic feet per second under a net head Natural Gas Pipeline Company of Natural provided landowners with a
of 13.5 feet, (3) three new, heavy flotsam America, LLC; Notice of Intent To fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled
racks; (4) a crest-mounted walkway Prepare an Environmental Assessment ‘‘An Interstate Natural Gas Facility On
carrying hydraulic and electrical for the Proposed Chicago Market My Land? What Do I Need To Know?’’
conduits from the VLH turbines to a Expansion Project, and Request for This fact sheet addresses a number of
new powerhouse; and (5) a 280-foot- Comments on Environmental Issues typically asked questions, including the
long 12.42/7.2 kilovolt primary use of eminent domain and how to
transmission line. The estimated annual The staff of the Federal Energy participate in the Commission’s
generation of the proposed project Regulatory Commission (FERC or proceedings. It is also available for
would be 7,880,000 kilowatt-hours. Commission) will prepare an viewing on the FERC Web site
Applicant Contact: Mr. Ralph J. Jones, environmental assessment (EA) that will (www.ferc.gov).
Siting Renewables, LLC, 1800 Rt. 34, discuss the environmental impacts of
Suite 101, Wall, NJ 07719; phone: (855) the Chicago Market Expansion Project Public Participation
946–7652. (Project) involving construction and For your convenience, there are three
FERC Contact: Monir Chowdhury; operation of facilities by Natural Gas methods you can use to submit your
phone: (202) 502–6736. Pipeline Company of America, LLC comments to the Commission. The
Deadline for filing comments, motions (Natural) in Livingston County, Illinois. Commission encourages electronic filing
to intervene, competing applications The Commission will use this EA in its of comments and has expert staff
(without notices of intent), or notices of decision-making process to determine available to assist you at (202) 502–8258
intent to file competing applications: 60 whether the project is in the public or efiling@ferc.gov. Please carefully
days from the issuance of this notice. convenience and necessity. follow these instructions so that your
Competing applications and notices of This notice announces the opening of comments are properly recorded.
intent must meet the requirements of 18 the scoping process the Commission (1) You can file your comments
CFR 4.36. will use to gather input from the public electronically using the eComment
The Commission strongly encourages and interested agencies on the Project. feature on the Commission’s Web site
electronic filing. Please file comments, You can make a difference by providing (www.ferc.gov) under the link to
motions to intervene, notices of intent, us with your specific comments or Documents and Filings. This is an easy
and competing applications using the concerns about the Project. Your method for submitting brief, text-only
Commission’s eFiling system at http:// comments should focus on the potential comments on a project;
www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. environmental effects, reasonable (2) You can file your comments
Commenters can submit brief comments alternatives, and measures to avoid or electronically by using the eFiling
up to 6,000 characters, without prior lessen environmental impacts. Your feature on the Commission’s Web site
registration, using the eComment system input will help the Commission staff (www.ferc.gov) under the link to
at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ determine what issues they need to Documents and Filings. With eFiling,
ecomment.asp. You must include your evaluate in the EA. To ensure that your you can provide comments in a variety
name and contact information at the end comments are timely and properly of formats by attaching them as a file
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

of your comments. For assistance, recorded, please send your comments so with your submission. New eFiling
please contact FERC Online Support at that the Commission receives them in users must first create an account by
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866) Washington, DC on or before August 9, clicking on ‘‘eRegister.’’ If you are filing
208–3676 (toll free), or (202) 502–8659 2015. a comment on a particular project,
(TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please If you sent comments on this Project please select ‘‘Comment on a Filing’’ as
send a paper copy to: Secretary, Federal to the Commission before the opening of the filing type; or
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 this docket on June 1, 2015, you will (3) You can file a paper copy of your
First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. need to file those comments in Docket comments by mailing them to the

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 139 / Tuesday, July 21, 2015 / Notices 43075

following address. Be sure to reference In the EA we will discuss impacts that historic properties.4 We will define the
the Project docket number (CP15–505– could occur as a result of the Project-specific Area of Potential Effects
000) with your submission: construction and operation of the (APE) in consultation with the SHPO as
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal proposed Project under these general the Project develops. On natural gas
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 headings: facility projects, the APE at a minimum
First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, • Geology and soils; encompasses all areas subject to ground
DC 20426. • land use; disturbance (examples include
• water resources, fisheries, and construction right-of-way, contractor/
Summary of the Proposed Project wetlands; pipe storage yards, compressor stations,
Natural proposes to construct and • cultural resources; and access roads). Our EA for this
operate a new compressor station and • vegetation and wildlife; Project will document our findings on
associated facilities in Livingston • air quality and noise; the impacts on historic properties and
County, Illinois. Specifically, Natural • endangered and threatened species; summarize the status of consultations
proposes to construct and operate one • public safety; and under section 106.
new 30,000 horsepower compressor • cumulative impacts. Environmental Mailing List
station with suction and discharge We will also evaluate reasonable
station interconnect piping; and alternatives to the proposed Project or The environmental mailing list
ancillary facilities. The Project would portions of the Project, and make includes federal, state, and local
provide about 238,000 dekatherms of recommendations on how to lessen or government representatives and
incremental northbound firm avoid impacts on the various resource agencies; elected officials;
transportation capacity to the city of areas. environmental and public interest
Chicago, Illinois and neighboring areas. The EA will present our independent groups; Indian tribes; other interested
analysis of the issues. The EA will be parties; and local libraries and
The general location of the project
available in the public record through newspapers. This list also includes all
facilities is shown in appendix 1.1
eLibrary (for directions on the use of affected landowners (as defined in the
Land Requirements for Construction eLibrary, please see the additional Commission’s regulations) who are
Information Section on page 6). potential right-of-way grantors, whose
Construction of the proposed facilities
Depending on the comments received property may be used temporarily for
would disturb about 21 acres of land of
during the scoping process, we may also Project purposes, or who own homes
which 19.2 acres would remain as the
publish and distribute the EA to the within certain distances of aboveground
permanent facility following
public for an allotted comment period. facilities, and anyone who submits
construction. The remaining 1.8 acres
We will consider all comments on the comments on the project. We will
consists of temporary workspace
EA before making our recommendations update the environmental mailing list as
necessary to accommodate construction
to the Commission. To ensure we have the analysis proceeds to ensure that we
of the Project. The temporary workspace
the opportunity to consider and address send the information related to this
would be restored to its previous land
your comments, please carefully follow environmental review to all individuals,
use and maintained in its pre-
the instructions in the Public organizations, and government entities
construction condition.
Participation section, beginning on page interested in and/or potentially affected
The EA Process 2. by the proposed Project.
With this notice, we are asking Copies of the EA will be sent to the
The National Environmental Policy environmental mailing list for public
Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to agencies with jurisdiction by law and/
or special expertise with respect to the review and comment. If you would
take into account the environmental prefer to receive a paper copy of the
impacts that could result from an action environmental issues of this Project to
formally cooperate with us in the document instead of the CD version or
whenever it considers the issuance of a would like to remove your name from
Certificate of Public Convenience and preparation of the EA.3 Agencies that
would like to request cooperating the mailing list, please return the
Necessity. The NEPA also requires us 2 attached Information Request (appendix
to discover and address concerns the agency status should follow the
instructions for filing comments 2).
public may have about proposals. This
process is referred to as ‘‘scoping.’’ The provided under the Public Participation Becoming an Intervenor
main goal of the scoping process is to section of this notice. In addition to involvement in the EA
focus the analysis in the EA on the Consultations Under Section 106 of the scoping process, you may want to
important environmental issues. By this National Historic Preservation Act become an ‘‘intervenor’’ which is an
notice, the Commission requests public official party to the Commission’s
comments on the scope of the issues to In accordance with the Advisory
proceeding. Intervenors play a more
address in the EA. We will consider all Council on Historic Preservation’s
formal role in the process and are able
filed comments during the preparation implementing regulations for section
to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be
of the EA. 106 of the National Historic
heard by the courts if they choose to
Preservation Act, we are using this
appeal the Commission’s final ruling.
1 The appendices referenced in this notice will notice to initiate consultations with the
An intervenor formally participates in
not appear in the Federal Register. Copies of Illinois State Historic Preservation
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

the proceeding by filing a request to
appendices were sent to all those receiving this Office (SHPO), and to solicit its views
notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov intervene. Instructions for becoming an
and those of other government agencies,
using the link called ‘‘eLibrary’’ or from the
Commission’s Public Reference Room, 888 First
interested Indian tribes, and the public 4 The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) on the Project’s potential effects on 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.

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Document Created: 2018-02-23 09:23:10
Document Modified: 2018-02-23 09:23:10

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 43074

80 FR 43074 - Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Chicago Market Expansion Project, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGYFederal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 139 (July 21, 2015)

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission