83 FR 63487 - Portland Natural Gas Transmission System; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Portland Xpress Project

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 236 (December 10, 2018)

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 236 (Monday, December 10, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63487-63488]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-26660]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP18-506-000]


Portland Natural Gas Transmission System; Notice of Availability 
of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Portland Xpress 
Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the 
Portland Xpress Project (Project), proposed by Portland Natural Gas 
Transmission System (PNGTS) in the above-referenced docket. The Project 
is designed to provide 24,375 million cubic feet per day (Mcf/d) to 
PNGTS owned facilities, and 22,339 Mcf/d on PNGTS and Maritimes & 
Northeast Pipeline, LLC (Maritimes) jointly owned facilities. PNGTS 
also requests approval to abandon 7,185 Mcf/d of existing interim 
capacity from Maritimes. The Project includes modifications to existing 
facilities in Cumberland and York Counties, Maine, and Middlesex 
County, Massachusetts.
    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Project in accordance with the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC 
staff concludes that approval of the Project, with appropriate 
mitigating measures, would not constitute a major federal action 
significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.
    The proposed Project includes the following facilities:

Westbrook Compressor Station (CS), Cumberland County, Maine

     Install a new electrical control building with motor 
control center, emergency generator building and generator and 
ancillary equipment.
Eliot CS, York County, Maine

     Expansion of the existing building to include one new 
6,300 horsepower (hp) gas-fired compression unit and ancillary 
equipment; and

[[Page 63488]]

     install an auxiliary building housing a replacement 
emergency generator and boiler.
Dracut Meter and Regulator (M&R) Station, Middlesex County, 
Massachusetts

     Install a low flow meter and transmitters and replace 
ultrasonic meter assemblies;
     install a new 86-hp emergency generator; and
     installation of ancillary equipment.

    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability 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; other 
interested individuals and groups; and newspapers and libraries in the 
project area. The EA is only available in electronic format. It may be 
viewed and downloaded from the FERC's website (www.ferc.gov), on the 
Environmental Documents page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/enviro/eis.asp). In addition, the EA can be accessed by using the 
eLibrary link on the FERC's website. Click on the eLibrary link 
(https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp), click on General 
Search, and enter the docket number in the ``Docket Number'' field, 
excluding the last three digits (i.e. CP18-506). 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.
    Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. Your comments 
should focus on the EA's disclosure and discussion of potential 
environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid 
or lessen environmental impacts. The more specific your comments, the 
more useful they would 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 your comments are received in 
Washington, DC on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 2, 
2019.\1\
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    \1\ The EA identified the comment period end date as December 
27, 2018; however, due to a delay in the issuance of the Notice of 
Availability, the comment period deadline is extended to January 2, 
2019.
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    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to file 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic 
filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-
3676 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 website (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 website (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. Be sure to reference the project docket number 
(CP18-506-000) with your submission: 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). Motions to intervene are more 
fully described at http://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp. Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or 
judicial review of the Commission's decision. The Commission may grant 
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.
    Additional information about the projects is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the 
FERC website (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. The eLibrary link 
also provides access to the texts of all 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: December 3, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-26660 Filed 12-7-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P