82 FR 57251 - Paiute Pipeline Company; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 2018 Expansion Project

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 231 (December 4, 2017)

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 231 (Monday, December 4, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57251-57252]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26000]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP17-471-000]


Paiute Pipeline Company; Notice of Availability of the 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 2018 Expansion Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the 2018 
Expansion Project (Project) proposed by Paiute Pipeline Company 
(Paiute) in the above-referenced docket. Paiute requests authorization 
to construct approximately 8.46 miles of pipeline to upsize or loop 
four segments of Paiute's Carson and South Tahoe Laterals in Douglas 
and Lyon Counties and Carson City, Nevada. The Project would provide up 
to 4,604 dekatherms per day of new natural gas delivery capacity from 
Paiute's Tuscarora Gas Transmission Company's Interconnect (Tuscarora) 
at Wadsworth, Nevada to delivery points along Paiute's Carson and South 
Tahoe Laterals. The requested pipeline facilities would also allow 
1,031 dekatherms per day of existing delivery capacity to be shifted 
from Paiute's Minden/Gardnerville Delivery Point on its Carson Lateral 
to the South Lake Tahoe City Gate, a point farther downstream on the 
South Tahoe Lateral.
    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the 2018 Expansion 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 Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Consolidated 
Municipality of Carson City, Nevada (Carson City) participated as 
cooperating agencies 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 BLM intends to adopt and use the EA to consider the 
issuance of a right-of-way grant for the portion of the project on 
federal lands.
    Specifically, the 2018 Expansion Project would include:
     Construction of 0.42 miles of new 12-inch-diameter 
pipeline paralleling Paiute's existing South Tahoe Lateral pipeline 
(Segment 1);
     replacement of 1.58 miles of existing 8-inch-diameter 
Carson Lateral Loop pipeline with 12-inch-diameter pipeline (Segment 
2);
     replacement of 2.27 miles of existing 10-inch-diameter 
pipeline along Paiute's existing Carson Lateral pipeline with 20-inch-
diameter pipeline (Segment 3); and
     construction of 4.19 miles of new 20-inch-diameter 
pipeline loop paralleling Paiute's existing Carson Lateral pipeline 
(Segment 4).
    The FERC staff mailed copies of the EA to federal, state, and local 
government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; 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 
27, 2017.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to file 
your comments with the Commission. In all instances please reference 
the project docket number (CP17-471-000) 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 located 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 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-
471). 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

[[Page 57252]]

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 27, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-26000 Filed 12-1-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P