82 FR 14213 - Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, LLC; Notice of Schedule for Environmental Review of the Gulf Coast Expansion Project

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 51 (March 17, 2017)

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 51 (Friday, March 17, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14213-14214]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-05307]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP16-488-000]


Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, LLC; Notice of Schedule 
for Environmental Review of the Gulf Coast Expansion Project

    On August 1, 2016, Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, LLC 
(Natural) filed an application in Docket No. CP16-488-000 requesting a 
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity pursuant to Section 
7(b) and (c) of the Natural Gas Act to construct and abandon certain 
natural gas pipeline facilities. The proposed project is known as the 
Gulf Coast Expansion Project (Project) and would involve construction 
and abandonment of facilities in Wharton and Cass Counties, Texas, to 
transport 460,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas supplies to an 
existing delivery point in the South Texas Gulf Coast area.
    On August 12, 2016, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(Commission or 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

    Issuance of EA--April 21, 2017.
    90-day Federal Authorization Decision Deadline--July 20, 2017.
    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 consists of construction and operation of a 
new 15,900 horsepower (hp) compressor station (CS 394) and an 
approximately

[[Page 14214]]

4,000-foot-long, 30-inch-diameter lateral connecting to Natural's 
Amarillo to Gulf Coast Pipeline all located in Cass County, Texas. In 
addition, Natural is requesting approval to abandon in place two 3,800 
hp compressor units at its existing Compressor Station 301 located in 
Wharton County, Texas.

Background

    On September 14, 2016, the Commission issued a Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Gulf Coast 
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 comments from Texas Parks & Wildlife regarding fish and 
wildlife resources. In addition, we received comments from Indian 
tribes requesting notification of inadvertent discoveries during 
construction and also requested a cultural resources survey be 
conducted.

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., CP16-488), and follow the 
instruction. 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: March 10, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-05307 Filed 3-16-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P