80 FR 76280 - Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, LLC; Notice of Schedule for Environmental Review of the Chicago Market Expansion Project

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 235 (December 8, 2015)

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 235 (Tuesday, December 8, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76280-76281]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-30847]


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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 Schedule 
for Environmental Review of the Chicago Market Expansion Project

    On June 1, 2015, Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, LLC 
(Natural) filed an application in Docket No. CP15-505-000 requesting a 
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity pursuant to Section 
7(c) of the Natural Gas Act to construct and operate certain natural 
gas pipeline facilities. The proposed project is known as the Chicago 
Market Expansion Project (Project), and would provide about 238,000 
dekatherms of incremental northbound firm transportation capacity to 
the city of Chicago, Illinois and neighboring areas.
    On June 12, 2015, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(Commission or

[[Page 76281]]

FERC) issued its Notice of Application for the Project. Among other 
things, that notice alerted agencies issuing federal authorizations of 
the requirement to complete all necessary reviews and to reach a final 
decision on a request for a federal authorization within 90 days of the 
date of issuance of the Commission staff's Environmental Assessment 
(EA) for the Project. This instant notice identifies the FERC staff's 
planned schedule for the completion of the EA for the Project.

                    Schedule for Environmental Review
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Issuance of EA........................  January 11, 2016.
90-day Federal Authorization Decision   April 11, 2016.
 Deadline.
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    If a schedule change becomes necessary, additional notice will be 
provided so that the relevant agencies are kept informed of the 
Project's progress.

Project Description

    The proposed Project would construct a new 30,000 horsepower 
natural gas-fired compressor station with suction and discharge piping 
and ancillary equipment in Livingston County, Illinois.

Background

    On July 9, 2015, the Commission issued a Notice of Intent to 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Chicago Market 
Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues 
(NOI). The NOI was sent to affected landowners; federal, state, and 
local government agencies; elected officials; environmental and public 
interest groups; Native American tribes; other interested parties; and 
local libraries and newspapers. In response to the NOI, the Commission 
received a consultation letter from United States Department of 
Agriculture regarding impacts of farmland conversion.

Additional Information

    In order to receive notification of the issuance of the EA and to 
keep track of all formal issuances and submittals in specific dockets, 
the Commission offers a free service called eSubscription. 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.
    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, select 
``General Search'' from the eLibrary menu, enter the selected date 
range and ``Docket Number'' excluding the last three digits (i.e., 
CP15-505), and follow the instructions. For assistance with access to 
eLibrary, the helpline can be reached at (866) 208-3676, TTY (202) 502-
8659, or at [email protected]. The eLibrary link on the FERC 
Web site also provides access to the texts of formal documents issued 
by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rule makings.

    Dated: December 2, 2015.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-30847 Filed 12-7-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P