82 FR 43346 - DCP Operating Company, LP; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Mewbourn 3 Residue East Pipeline, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 178 (September 15, 2017)

Page Range		43346-43348
FR Document		2017-19561
Federal Register, Volume 82 Issue 178 (Friday, September 15, 2017)
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 178 (Friday, September 15, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43346-43348]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-19561]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP17-481-000]


DCP Operating Company, LP; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Mewbourn 3 Residue East 
Pipeline, 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 Mewbourn 3 Residue East 
Pipeline involving construction and operation of facilities by DCP 
Operating Company, LP (DCP) in Weld County, Colorado. 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 October 6, 2017.
    If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the 
opening of this docket on August 2, 2017, you will need to file those 
comments in Docket No. CP17-481-000 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 pipeline company 
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.
    DCP 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 [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 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 following address. Be sure to reference the project docket number 
(CP17-481-000) 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

    DCP proposes to construct and operate 8.4 miles of new 20-inch-
diameter pipeline in Weld County, Colorado. The Mewbourn 3 Residue East 
Pipeline Project would provide about 253,000 dekatherms of natural gas 
per day to an interconnect with Colorado Interstate Gas Company 
L.L.C.'s High Plains System. According to DCP, its project would 
transport

[[Page 43347]]

natural gas from DCP's Mewbourne Processing Plant Complex to support 
further transportation and market needs in Colorado and other states in 
the region.
    The Mewbourn 3 Residue East Pipeline Project would consist of the 
following facilities:
     8.4 miles of new 20-inch-diameter pipeline; and
     pig launcher and receiver assembly,\1\ cathodic protection 
rectifier unit, three mainline valves, and a metering station.
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    \1\ A pig is a tool that the pipeline company inserts into and 
pushes through the pipeline for cleaning the pipeline, conducting 
internal inspections, or other purposes.
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    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
1.\2\
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    \2\ 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 87.4 
acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipeline. 
Following construction, DCP would maintain about 32.3 acres for 
permanent operation of the project's facilities; the remaining acreage 
would be restored and revert to former uses.

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 
\3\ 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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    \3\ 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. 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.\4\ 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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    \4\ 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 consultation 
with the Colorado 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.\5\ 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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    \5\ 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; Native American 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.
    If we publish and distribute the EA, 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 intervenor are in 
the Document-less Intervention Guide under the e-filing link on the 
Commission's Web site. Motions to intervene are more fully described at 
http://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp.

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 eLibrary

[[Page 43348]]

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., CP17-481). 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.
    Finally, public sessions 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: September 6, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-19561 Filed 9-14-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
43346 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 178 / Friday, September 15, 2017 / Notices

to, local policy objectives and local DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY negotiations fail to produce an
electricity system fundamentals. agreement, the pipeline company could
4. Fundamental drivers and Federal Energy Regulatory initiate condemnation proceedings
underlying market conditions—identify Commission where compensation would be
key drivers that establish the context for [Docket No. CP17–481–000] determined in accordance with state
the values and cause differing outcomes law.
among studies of cost/benefit results in DCP Operating Company, LP; Notice of DCP provided landowners with a fact
a particular category, such as differing Intent To Prepare an Environmental sheet prepared by the FERC entitled
levels of excess generation capacity, Assessment for the Proposed ‘‘An Interstate Natural Gas Facility On
transmission, or distribution system Mewbourn 3 Residue East Pipeline, My Land? What Do I Need To Know?’’
capacity, projected demand growth, and Request for Comments on This fact sheet addresses a number of
level of penetration and location of Environmental Issues typically asked questions, including the
distributed generation, retail prices, etc. use of eminent domain and how to
The staff of the Federal Energy participate in the Commission’s
5. Are there specific emerging issues Regulatory Commission (FERC or
related to net metering cost-benefit proceedings. It is also available for
Commission) will prepare an viewing on the FERC Web site
analyses that are improving or environmental assessment (EA) that will
complicating the application of benefit- (www.ferc.gov).
discuss the environmental impacts of
cost analysis? the Mewbourn 3 Residue East Pipeline Public Participation
The following items are considered involving construction and operation of For your convenience, there are three
out of scope of the report and facilities by DCP Operating Company, methods you can use to submit your
information on these items should not LP (DCP) in Weld County, Colorado. comments to the Commission. The
be included in the responses: The Commission will use this EA in its Commission encourages electronic filing
1. Costs and benefits of distributed decision-making process to determine of comments and has expert staff
solar generation beyond distributed whether the project is in the public available to assist you at (202) 502–8258
solar’s impact on net metering; convenience and necessity. or FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. Please
2. Indirect cost/benefits (e.g., societal This notice announces the opening of carefully follow these instructions so
impacts, network effects) that go beyond the scoping process the Commission that your comments are properly
what is included in existing analyses; will use to gather input from the public recorded.
3. Recommendations on and interested agencies on the project. (1) You can file your comments
a. How to conduct cost/benefit You can make a difference by providing electronically using the eComment
analysis, us with your specific comments or feature on the Commission’s Web site
b. NEM design options, concerns about the project. Your (www.ferc.gov) under the link to
c. Transitions to alternative forms of comments should focus on the potential Documents and Filings. This is an easy
compensation. environmental effects, reasonable method for submitting brief, text-only
All interested parties are invited to alternatives, and measures to avoid or comments on a project;
submit in writing by the date specified lessen environmental impacts. Your (2) You can file your comments
in the DATES section of this RFI, input will help the Commission staff electronically by using the eFiling
comments and information on all determine what issues they need to feature on the Commission’s Web site
elements listed in this SUPPLEMENTARY evaluate in the EA. To ensure that your (www.ferc.gov) under the link to
section. Please submit comments only comments are timely and properly Documents and Filings. With eFiling,
and cite docket number EERE–2017– recorded, please send your comments so you can provide comments in a variety
OT–0056, in all correspondence related that the Commission receives them in of formats by attaching them as a file
to this case. All comments received will Washington, DC on or before October 6, with your submission. New eFiling
be posted without change to http:// 2017. users must first create an account by
www.regulations.gov, including any If you sent comments on this project clicking on eRegister. If you are filing a
personal and/or business confidential to the Commission before the opening of comment on a particular project, please
information provided. this docket on August 2, 2017, you will select ‘‘Comment on a Filing’’ as the
Do not submit to the RFI information need to file those comments in Docket filing type; or
for which disclosure is restricted by No. CP17–481–000 to ensure they are (3) You can file a paper copy of your
statute, such as trade secrets and considered as part of this proceeding. comments by mailing them to the
commercial or financial information This notice is being sent to the following address. Be sure to reference
(hereinafter referred to as Confidential Commission’s current environmental the project docket number (CP17–481–
Business Information (CBI)). Comments mailing list for this project. State and 000) with your submission: Kimberly D.
submitted to the RFI email address local government representatives should Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
cannot be claimed as CBI. Comments notify their constituents of this Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street
received through the RFI address will proposed project and encourage them to NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
waive any CBI claims for the comment on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this Summary of the Proposed Project
information submitted. DOE plans to
notice, a pipeline company DCP proposes to construct and
publish all information received in
representative may contact you about operate 8.4 miles of new 20-inch-
response to this RFI.
the acquisition of an easement to diameter pipeline in Weld County,
mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES

Issued in Washington, DC, on September construct, operate, and maintain the Colorado. The Mewbourn 3 Residue
12, 2017. proposed facilities. The company would East Pipeline Project would provide
Sean Cunningham, seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable about 253,000 dekatherms of natural gas
Director, Office of Energy Policy and Systems agreement. However, if the Commission per day to an interconnect with
Analysis, U.S. Department of Energy. approves the project, that approval Colorado Interstate Gas Company
[FR Doc. 2017–19647 Filed 9–14–17; 8:45 am] conveys with it the right of eminent L.L.C.’s High Plains System. According
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P domain. Therefore, if easement to DCP, its project would transport

VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:07 Sep 14, 2017 Jkt 241001 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\15SEN1.SGM 15SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 178 / Friday, September 15, 2017 / Notices 43347

natural gas from DCP’s Mewbourne • cultural resources; construction right-of-way, contractor/
Processing Plant Complex to support • vegetation and wildlife; pipe storage yards, compressor stations,
further transportation and market needs • air quality and noise; and access roads). Our EA for this
in Colorado and other states in the • endangered and threatened species; project will document our findings on
region. • public safety; and the impacts on historic properties and
The Mewbourn 3 Residue East • cumulative impacts. summarize the status of consultations
Pipeline Project would consist of the We will also evaluate reasonable under section 106.
following facilities: alternatives to the proposed project or
portions of the project, and make Environmental Mailing List
• 8.4 miles of new 20-inch-diameter
pipeline; and recommendations on how to lessen or The environmental mailing list
• pig launcher and receiver avoid impacts on the various resource includes federal, state, and local
assembly,1 cathodic protection rectifier areas. government representatives and
unit, three mainline valves, and a The EA will present our independent agencies; elected officials;
metering station. analysis of the issues. The EA will be environmental and public interest
The general location of the project available in the public record through groups; Native American Tribes; other
facilities is shown in appendix 1.2 eLibrary. Depending on the comments interested parties; and local libraries
received during the scoping process, we and newspapers. This list also includes
Land Requirements for Construction may also publish and distribute the EA all affected landowners (as defined in
Construction of the proposed facilities to the public for an allotted comment the Commission’s regulations) who are
would disturb about 87.4 acres of land period. We will consider all comments potential right-of-way grantors, whose
for the aboveground facilities and the on the EA before making our property may be used temporarily for
pipeline. Following construction, DCP recommendations to the Commission. project purposes, or who own homes
would maintain about 32.3 acres for To ensure we have the opportunity to within certain distances of aboveground
permanent operation of the project’s consider and address your comments, facilities, and anyone who submits
facilities; the remaining acreage would please carefully follow the instructions comments on the project. We will
be restored and revert to former uses. in the Public Participation section, update the environmental mailing list as
beginning on page 2. the analysis proceeds to ensure that we
The EA Process With this notice, we are asking send the information related to this
The National Environmental Policy agencies with jurisdiction by law and/ environmental review to all individuals,
Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to or special expertise with respect to the organizations, and government entities
take into account the environmental environmental issues of this project to interested in and/or potentially affected
impacts that could result from an action formally cooperate with us in the by the proposed project.
whenever it considers the issuance of a preparation of the EA.4 Agencies that If we publish and distribute the EA,
Certificate of Public Convenience and would like to request cooperating copies of the EA will be sent to the
Necessity. NEPA also requires us 3 to agency status should follow the environmental mailing list for public
discover and address concerns the instructions for filing comments review and comment. If you would
public may have about proposals. This provided under the Public Participation prefer to receive a paper copy of the
process is referred to as scoping. The section of this notice. document instead of the CD version or
main goal of the scoping process is to Consultations Under Section 106 of the would like to remove your name from
focus the analysis in the EA on the National Historic Preservation Act the mailing list, please return the
important environmental issues. By this attached Information Request (appendix
In accordance with the Advisory 2).
notice, the Commission requests public
Council on Historic Preservation’s
comments on the scope of the issues to Becoming an Intervenor
implementing regulations for section
address in the EA. We will consider all
106 of the National Historic In addition to involvement in the EA
filed comments during the preparation
Preservation Act, we are using this scoping process, you may want to
of the EA.
notice to initiate consultation with the become an ‘‘intervenor’’ which is an
In the EA we will discuss impacts that
Colorado State Historic Preservation official party to the Commission’s
could occur as a result of the
Office (SHPO), and to solicit its views proceeding. Intervenors play a more
construction and operation of the
and those of other government agencies, formal role in the process and are able
proposed project under these general
interested Indian tribes, and the public to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be
headings:
on the project’s potential effects on heard by the courts if they choose to
• Geology and soils; historic properties.5 We will define the appeal the Commission’s final ruling.
• land use; project-specific Area of Potential Effects An intervenor formally participates in
• water resources, fisheries, and (APE) in consultation with the SHPO as the proceeding by filing a request to
wetlands; the project develops. On natural gas intervene. Instructions for becoming an
facility projects, the APE at a minimum intervenor are in the Document-less
1 A pig is a tool that the pipeline company inserts

into and pushes through the pipeline for cleaning
encompasses all areas subject to ground Intervention Guide under the e-filing
the pipeline, conducting internal inspections, or disturbance (examples include link on the Commission’s Web site.
other purposes. Motions to intervene are more fully
2 The appendices referenced in this notice will 4 The Council on Environmental Quality
described at http://www.ferc.gov/
not appear in the Federal Register. Copies of regulations addressing cooperating agency
resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp.
mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES

appendices were sent to all those receiving this responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov Regulations, Part 1501.6.
using the link called ‘‘eLibrary’’ or from the 5 The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s
Additional Information
Commission’s Public Reference Room, 888 First regulations are at Title 36, Code of Federal Additional information about the
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) Regulations, Part 800. Those regulations define project is available from the
502–8371. For instructions on connecting to historic properties as any prehistoric or historic
eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice. district, site, building, structure, or object included
Commission’s Office of External Affairs,
3 We, us, and our refer to the environmental staff in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register at (866) 208–FERC, or on the FERC Web
of the Commission’s Office of Energy Projects. of Historic Places. site at www.ferc.gov using the eLibrary

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Document Created: 2017-09-15 00:18:05
Document Modified: 2017-09-15 00:18:05
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		82 FR 43346
82 FR 43346 - DCP Operating Company, LP; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Mewbourn 3 Residue East Pipeline, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGYFederal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 178 (September 15, 2017)

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
