82 FR 8930 - Paiute Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Planned 2018 Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 20 (February 1, 2017)

Page Range		8930-8932
FR Document		2017-02083
Federal Register, Volume 82 Issue 20 (Wednesday, February 1, 2017)
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 20 (Wednesday, February 1, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8930-8932]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-02083]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF17-2-000]


Paiute Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Planned 2018 Expansion Project 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 2018 Expansion Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities by Paiute Pipeline 
Company (Paiute) in Douglas and Lyon Counties and Carson City, Nevada. 
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 February 27, 2017.
    If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the 
opening of this docket on October 17, 2016, you will need to file those 
comments in Docket No. PF17-2-000 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 planned 
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 planned 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.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is available for 
viewing on the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov). 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.

Public Participation

    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission will provide equal 
consideration to all comments received, whether filed in written form 
or provided verbally. 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

[[Page 8931]]

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 
(PF17-2-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A, 
Washington, DC 20426.
    Please note this is not your only public input opportunity; please 
refer to the review process flow chart in appendix 1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in 
the Federal Register. Copies of the 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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Summary of the Planned Project

    Paiute plans to construct approximately 8.4 miles of pipeline to 
upsize or loop four sections along its Carson and South Tahoe Laterals 
in Douglas and Lyon Counties and Carson City, Nevada. The project would 
provide 4,604 dekatherms per day of new natural gas transportation 
capacity to meet growing demands in the above mentioned areas and in El 
Dorado County, California. The project would consist of:
     Construction of 0.34 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 2.34 miles of existing 10-inch-diameter 
pipeline along Paiute's existing Carson Lateral pipeline with 20-inch-
diameter pipeline (Segment 3); and
     construction of 4.17 miles of new 20-inch-diameter 
pipeline loop paralleling Paiute's existing Carson Lateral pipeline 
(Segment 4).
    There are no aboveground facilities planned for the project. The 
general location of the facilities is shown in appendix 2.

Land Requirements for Construction

    The entire project would be installed in or adjacent to Paiute's 
existing rights of way. All pipeline facilities would be installed 
within a combination of private easements, Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM) rights-of-way, Nevada Department of Transportation rights-of-way, 
and State of Nevada lands. In total, the project would disturb about 
123.3 acres of land during construction. Following construction, Paiute 
would maintain about 71.5 acres (including 51.3 acres of existing 
rights-of-way) 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 
\2\ 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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    \2\ ``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 planned project under these 
general headings:
     Geology, paleontology, and soils;
     water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
     vegetation and wildlife, including migratory birds;
     endangered and threatened species;
     land use;
     cultural resources;
     visual resources;
     recreation;
     air quality and noise;
     public safety; and,
     cumulative impacts.
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the planned project 
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen 
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    Although no formal application has been filed, we have already 
initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing process. 
The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early involvement 
of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before 
the FERC receives an application. As part of our pre-filing review, we 
have begun to contact some federal and state agencies to discuss their 
involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the EA.
    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 we make 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 
related to this project to formally cooperate with us in the 
preparation of the EA.\3\ 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. The BLM indicated that it plans to be a cooperating agency in 
the preparation of the EA because the project would cross federally 
administered lands in Nevada. As a cooperating agency, the BLM intends 
to adopt the EA per Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 
1506.3 to meet its responsibilities under NEPA regarding Paiute's 
application for a Right-of-Way Grant and Temporary Use Permit for 
crossing federally administered lands. Impacts on resources and 
programs, and the proposed project's conformance with land use plans, 
will be considered in the BLM's decision.
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    \3\ 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 applicable State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs), and to 
solicit their views and those of other government agencies, interested 
Indian tribes, and the public on the project's potential effects on 
historic properties.\4\ We will

[[Page 8932]]

define the project-specific Area of Potential Effects (APE) in 
consultation with the SHPOs 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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    \4\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation 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 
planned project.
    If we publish and distribute the EA, copies of completed 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 3).

Becoming an Intervenor

    Once Paiute files its application with the Commission, 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. Motions to intervene are more fully described at 
http://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp. Instructions 
for becoming an intervenor are in the ``Document-less Intervention 
Guide'' under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web site. 
Please note that the Commission will not accept requests for intervenor 
status at this time. You must wait until the Commission receives a 
formal application for the project.

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 (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., PF17-2). 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 meetings/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: January 26, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-02083 Filed 1-31-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 20 / Wednesday, February 1, 2017 / Notices 8931

of formats by attaching them as a file Management (BLM) rights-of-way, begun to contact some federal and state
with your submission. New eFiling Nevada Department of Transportation agencies to discuss their involvement in
users must first create an account by rights-of-way, and State of Nevada the scoping process and the preparation
clicking on ‘‘eRegister.’’ If you are filing lands. In total, the project would disturb of the EA.
a comment on a particular project, about 123.3 acres of land during The EA will present our independent
please select ‘‘Comment on a Filing’’ as construction. Following construction, analysis of the issues. The EA will be
the filing type; or Paiute would maintain about 71.5 acres available in the public record through
(3) You can file a paper copy of your (including 51.3 acres of existing rights- eLibrary. Depending on the comments
comments by mailing them to the of-way) for permanent operation of the received during the scoping process, we
following address. Be sure to reference project’s facilities; the remaining may also publish and distribute the EA
the project docket number (PF17–2–000) acreage would be restored and revert to to the public for an allotted comment
with your submission: Kimberly D. former uses. period. We will consider all comments
Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy on the EA before we make our
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street The EA Process recommendations to the Commission.
NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. The National Environmental Policy To ensure we have the opportunity to
Please note this is not your only Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to consider and address your comments,
public input opportunity; please refer to take into account the environmental please carefully follow the instructions
the review process flow chart in impacts that could result from an action in the Public Participation section
appendix 1.1 whenever it considers the issuance of a beginning on page 2.
Summary of the Planned Project Certificate of Public Convenience and With this notice, we are asking
Necessity. NEPA also requires us 2 to agencies with jurisdiction by law and/
Paiute plans to construct discover and address concerns the or special expertise with respect to the
approximately 8.4 miles of pipeline to public may have about proposals. This environmental issues related to this
upsize or loop four sections along its process is referred to as scoping. The project to formally cooperate with us in
Carson and South Tahoe Laterals in main goal of the scoping process is to the preparation of the EA.3 Agencies
Douglas and Lyon Counties and Carson focus the analysis in the EA on the that would like to request cooperating
City, Nevada. The project would important environmental issues. By this agency status should follow the
provide 4,604 dekatherms per day of notice, the Commission requests public instructions for filing comments
new natural gas transportation capacity comments on the scope of the issues to provided under the Public Participation
to meet growing demands in the above address in the EA. We will consider all section of this notice. The BLM
mentioned areas and in El Dorado filed comments during the preparation indicated that it plans to be a
County, California. The project would of the EA. cooperating agency in the preparation of
consist of: In the EA, we will discuss impacts the EA because the project would cross
• Construction of 0.34 miles of new federally administered lands in Nevada.
that could occur as a result of the
12-inch-diameter pipeline paralleling As a cooperating agency, the BLM
construction and operation of the
Paiute’s existing South Tahoe Lateral intends to adopt the EA per Title 40 of
planned project under these general
pipeline (Segment 1); the Code of Federal Regulations, Part
• replacement of 1.58 miles of headings:
• Geology, paleontology, and soils; 1506.3 to meet its responsibilities under
existing 8-inch-diameter Carson Lateral
• water resources, fisheries, and NEPA regarding Paiute’s application for
Loop pipeline with 12-inch-diameter
wetlands; a Right-of-Way Grant and Temporary
pipeline (Segment 2);
• replacement of 2.34 miles of • vegetation and wildlife, including Use Permit for crossing federally
existing 10-inch-diameter pipeline along migratory birds; administered lands. Impacts on
Paiute’s existing Carson Lateral pipeline • endangered and threatened species; resources and programs, and the
with 20-inch-diameter pipeline • land use; proposed project’s conformance with
• cultural resources; land use plans, will be considered in the
(Segment 3); and
• construction of 4.17 miles of new • visual resources; BLM’s decision.
20-inch-diameter pipeline loop • recreation;
• air quality and noise; Consultations Under Section 106 of the
paralleling Paiute’s existing Carson National Historic Preservation Act
Lateral pipeline (Segment 4). • public safety; and,
There are no aboveground facilities • cumulative impacts. In accordance with the Advisory
We will also evaluate possible Council on Historic Preservation’s
planned for the project. The general
alternatives to the planned project or implementing regulations for section
location of the facilities is shown in
portions of the project, and make 106 of the National Historic
appendix 2.
recommendations on how to lessen or Preservation Act, we are using this
Land Requirements for Construction avoid impacts on the various resource notice to initiate consultation with the
The entire project would be installed areas. applicable State Historic Preservation
in or adjacent to Paiute’s existing rights Although no formal application has Offices (SHPOs), and to solicit their
of way. All pipeline facilities would be been filed, we have already initiated our views and those of other government
installed within a combination of NEPA review under the Commission’s agencies, interested Indian tribes, and
private easements, Bureau of Land pre-filing process. The purpose of the the public on the project’s potential
pre-filing process is to encourage early effects on historic properties.4 We will
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES

1 The appendices referenced in this notice will involvement of interested stakeholders
3 The Council on Environmental Quality
not appear in the Federal Register. Copies of the and to identify and resolve issues before
appendices were sent to all those receiving this regulations addressing cooperating agency
the FERC receives an application. As responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov
using the link called ‘‘eLibrary’’ or from the part of our pre-filing review, we have Regulations, Part 1501.6.
Commission’s Public Reference Room, 888 First 4 The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 2 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the regulations are at Title 36, Code of Federal
502–8371. For instructions on connecting to environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of Regulations, Part 800. Those regulations define
eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice. Energy Projects. Continued

VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:23 Jan 31, 2017 Jkt 241001 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\01FEN1.SGM 01FEN1
Document Created: 2017-02-01 00:06:15
Document Modified: 2017-02-01 00:06:15
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 8930
82 FR 8930 - Paiute Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Planned 2018 Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGYFederal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 20 (February 1, 2017)

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
