82 FR 55103 - Northwest Pipeline LLC; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed North Fork Nooksack Line Lowering Project

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 222 (November 20, 2017)

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 222 (Monday, November 20, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55103-55104]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-25079]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP17-133-000]


Northwest Pipeline LLC; Notice of Availability of the 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed North Fork Nooksack Line 
Lowering Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the North 
Fork Nooksack Line Lowering Project, proposed by Northwest Pipeline LLC 
(Northwest) in the above-referenced docket. Northwest requests 
authorization to replace and lower approximately 1,700 feet of 30-inch-
diameter natural gas pipeline, and remove about 1,550 feet of 
previously abandoned 26-inch-diameter pipeline in Whatcom County, 
Washington. The North Fork Nooksack Line Lowering Project would 
eliminate a potential obstruction to river flow and improve system 
reliability.
    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the North Fork Nooksack Line Lowering 
Project in accordance with the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that approval 
of the proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures, would 
not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the 
quality of the human environment.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has participated as a cooperating 
agency in the preparation of the EA. Cooperating agencies have 
jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to resources 
potentially affected by the proposal and participate in the NEPA 
analysis.
    The proposed North Fork Nooksack Line Lowering Project includes the 
following:
     Remove, replace, and lower approximately 1,700 feet of 30-
inch-diameter natural gas pipeline in the same trench; and
     remove approximately 1,550 feet of previously abandoned 
26-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline that would become exposed during 
the removal and installation of the 30-inch-diameter pipeline.
    The FERC staff mailed copies of the EA to federal, state, and local 
government representatives and agencies; elected officials; Native 
American tribes; potentially affected landowners and other interested 
individuals and groups; and newspapers and libraries in the project 
area. In addition, the EA is available for public viewing on the FERC's 
Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. A limited number of 
copies of the EA are available for distribution and public inspection 
at: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 
First Street NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
    Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. Your comments 
should focus on the potential environmental effects, reasonable 
alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. 
The more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. To 
ensure that the Commission has the opportunity to consider your 
comments prior to making its decision on this project, it is important 
that we receive your comments in Washington, DC on or before December 
13, 2017.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to file 
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the 
project docket number (CP17-133-000) with your submission. The 
Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert 
staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or 
[email protected].
    (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

[[Page 55104]]

method for submitting brief, text-only comments on a project;
    (2) You can also file your comments electronically 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. 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.
    Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a 
motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of 
Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214).\1\ Only intervenors have the 
right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision. The Commission 
grants affected landowners and others with environmental concerns 
intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they have a 
clear and direct interest in this proceeding which no other party can 
adequately represent. Simply filing environmental comments will not 
give you intervenor status, but you do not need intervenor status to 
have your comments considered.
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    \1\ See the previous discussion on the methods for filing 
comments.
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    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., CP17-
133). 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.

    Dated: November 13, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-25079 Filed 11-17-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P