83 FR 805 - Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America LLC Proposed Herscher Northwest Storage Field Abandonment Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 5 (January 8, 2018)

Page Range		805-807
FR Document		2018-00089
Federal Register, Volume 83 Issue 5 (Monday, January 8, 2018)
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 5 (Monday, January 8, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 805-807]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-00089]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP18-12-000]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the 
Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America LLC Proposed Herscher Northwest 
Storage Field Abandonment 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 Herscher Northwest Storage 
Field Abandonment Project involving construction and operation of 
facilities by Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America LLC (Natural) in 
Kankakee County, Illinois. 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 1, 2018.
    If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the 
opening of this docket on October 31, 2017, you will need to file those 
comments in Docket No. CP18-12-000 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.
    Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America LLC 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 website (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 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 file your comments electronically by using the eFiling 
feature on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to 
Documents and Filings. With eFiling,

[[Page 806]]

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 
(C18-12-000) 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

    Natural proposes to abandon the Herscher Northwest Storage Field 
with its certificated maximum inventory of 18.5 billion cubic feet 
(Bcf) located in Kankakee County, Illinois. Natural concludes that in 
light of the marginal well performance over the years, geologic 
uncertainty, and new Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration Regulations, it is no longer practicable to operate the 
storage field.
    Natural proposes to abandon:
     In place 19 injection/withdrawal wells by permanently 
plugging and capping;
     In place 16.15 miles of 4- to 16-inch-diameter associated 
pipeline laterals in the storage field by grouting and capping;
     in place 13 non-jurisdictional observation wells by 
plugging;
     in place one non-jurisdictional salt water disposal well 
by plugging;
     in place approximately 15.3 Bcf of non-recoverable cushion 
gas;
     by removal the 330-horsepower Compressor Station 202 
including its building, compressor unit, concrete piers and concrete 
foundation; and
     by removal all storage field auxiliary surface facilities 
including, but not limited to, aboveground well head piping, slug 
catchers, the water gathering system and methanol distribution systems, 
corrosion monitors, rectifiers and ground beds.
    Natural requests certification by May, 2018, and expects to perform 
its abandonment activities over a four-year period (2018-2021).
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
1.\1\
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    \1\ 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

    Natural would limit is construction activities to 54 acres of its 
existing rights-of-way and would restore all workspace to pre-
abandonment conditions. Approximately 14 acres would be retained as 
permanent easements to permit Natural to maintain the abandoned 
facilities.

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 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.\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.
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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 Office (SHPO), 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 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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    \4\ 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

[[Page 807]]

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 website. 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 website at 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., CP18-
12-000). 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: January 2, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-00089 Filed 1-5-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 5 / Monday, January 8, 2018 / Notices 805

Scoping Meetings Meeting Objectives This notice announces the opening of
Commission staff will hold two At the scoping meetings, staff will: (1) the scoping process the Commission
scoping meetings in the vicinity of the Initiate scoping of the issues; (2) review will use to gather input from the public
project at the times and places noted and discuss existing conditions and and interested agencies on the project.
below. The daytime meeting will focus resource management objectives; (3) You can make a difference by providing
on resource agency, Indian tribes, and review and discuss existing information us with your specific comments or
non-governmental organization and identify preliminary information concerns about the project. Your
concerns, while the evening meeting is and study needs; (4) review and discuss comments should focus on the potential
primarily for receiving input from the the process plan and schedule for pre- environmental effects, reasonable
public. We invite all interested filing activity that incorporates the time alternatives, and measures to avoid or
individuals, organizations, and agencies frames provided for in Part 5 of the lessen environmental impacts. Your
to attend one or both of the meetings, Commission’s regulations and, to the input will help the Commission staff
and to assist staff in identifying extent possible, maximizes coordination determine what issues they need to
particular study needs, as well as the evaluate in the EA. To ensure that your
of federal, state, and tribal permitting
scope of environmental issues to be comments are timely and properly
and certification processes; and (5)
addressed in the environmental recorded, please send your comments so
discuss the appropriateness of any
document. The times and locations of that the Commission receives them in
federal or state agency or Indian tribe
these meetings are as follows: Washington, DC on or before February
acting as a cooperating agency for
1, 2018.
Evening Scoping Meeting development of an environmental If you sent comments on this project
document. to the Commission before the opening of
Date: Wednesday, January 24, 2018. Meeting participants should come
Time: 6:00 p.m. (EST). this docket on October 31, 2017, you
prepared to discuss their issues and/or
Location: Capitol Plaza Hotel and will need to file those comments in
concerns. Please review the PAD in
Conference Center, 100 State Street, Docket No. CP18–12–000 to ensure they
preparation for the scoping meetings.
Montpelier, VT 05602. are considered as part of this
Directions on how to obtain a copy of
Phone: (802) 223–5252. proceeding.
the PAD and SD1 are included in item This notice is being sent to the
Daytime Scoping Meeting n. of this document. Commission’s current environmental
Date: Thursday, January 25, 2018. Meeting Procedures mailing list for this project. State and
Time: 9:00 a.m. (EST). local government representatives should
Location: Capitol Plaza Hotel and The meetings will be recorded by a
stenographer and will be placed in the notify their constituents of this
Conference Center, 100 State Street, proposed project and encourage them to
Montpelier, VT 05602. public records of the project.
comment on their areas of concern.
Phone: (802) 223–5252. Dated: December 29, 2017. Natural Gas Pipeline Company of
Scoping Document 1 (SD1), which Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr., America LLC provided landowners with
outlines the subject areas to be Deputy Secretary. a fact sheet prepared by the FERC
addressed in the environmental [FR Doc. 2018–00127 Filed 1–5–18; 8:45 am] entitled ‘‘An Interstate Natural Gas
document, was mailed to the BILLING CODE 6717–01–P Facility On My Land? What Do I Need
individuals and entities on the To Know?’’ This fact sheet addresses a
Commission’s mailing list. Copies of number of typically asked questions,
SD1 will be available at the scoping DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY including the use of eminent domain
meetings, or may be viewed on the web and how to participate in the
at http://www.ferc.gov, using the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s proceedings. It is also
eLibrary link. Follow the directions for Commission available for viewing on the FERC
accessing information in paragraph n. website (www.ferc.gov).
[Docket No. CP18–12–000]
Based on all oral and written comments,
a Scoping Document 2 (SD2) may be Public Participation
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
issued. SD2 may include a revised Environmental Assessment for the For your convenience, there are three
process plan and schedule, as well as a Natural Gas Pipeline Company of methods you can use to submit your
list of issues, identified through the America LLC Proposed Herscher comments to the Commission. The
scoping process. Northwest Storage Field Abandonment Commission encourages electronic filing
Project and Request for Comments on of comments and has expert staff
Environmental Site Review
Environmental Issues available to assist you at (202) 502–8258
The potential applicant and or FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. Please
Commission staff will conduct an The staff of the Federal Energy carefully follow these instructions so
Environmental Site Review (site visit) of Regulatory Commission (FERC or that your comments are properly
the project on Wednesday, January 24, Commission) will prepare an recorded.
2018, starting at 1:00 p.m. and ending at environmental assessment (EA) that will (1) You can file your comments
or about 3:00 p.m. All participants discuss the environmental impacts of electronically using the eComment
should meet at the base of Wrightsville the Herscher Northwest Storage Field feature on the Commission’s website
Dam near the intersection of Mill Road Abandonment Project involving (www.ferc.gov) under the link to
and Corry Road in Montpelier, Vermont construction and operation of facilities
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES

Documents and Filings. This is an easy
05602. Participants are responsible for by Natural Gas Pipeline Company of method for submitting brief, text-only
their own transportation. Persons with America LLC (Natural) in Kankakee comments on a project;
questions about the site visit should County, Illinois. The Commission will (2) You can file your comments
contact Dan Weston (802–223–5245; use this EA in its decision-making electronically by using the eFiling
dan.weston@wec.coop) or Mark Wamser process to determine whether the feature on the Commission’s website
(603–428–4960; mwamser@ project is in the public convenience and (www.ferc.gov) under the link to
gomezandsullivan.com). necessity. Documents and Filings. With eFiling,

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806 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 5 / Monday, January 8, 2018 / Notices

you can provide comments in a variety Land Requirements for Construction With this notice, we are asking
of formats by attaching them as a file Natural would limit is construction agencies with jurisdiction by law and/
with your submission. New eFiling activities to 54 acres of its existing or special expertise with respect to the
users must first create an account by rights-of-way and would restore all environmental issues of this project to
clicking on ‘‘eRegister.’’ If you are filing workspace to pre-abandonment formally cooperate with us in the
a comment on a particular project, preparation of the EA.3 Agencies that
conditions. Approximately 14 acres
please select ‘‘Comment on a Filing’’ as would like to request cooperating
would be retained as permanent
the filing type; or agency status should follow the
easements to permit Natural to maintain
(3) You can file a paper copy of your instructions for filing comments
the abandoned facilities.
comments by mailing them to the provided under the Public Participation
following address. Be sure to reference The EA Process section of this notice.
the project docket number (C18–12–000)
The National Environmental Policy Consultations Under Section 106 of the
with your submission: Kimberly D.
Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to National Historic Preservation Act
Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
take into account the environmental In accordance with the Advisory
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street
impacts that could result from an action Council on Historic Preservation’s
NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
whenever it considers the issuance of a implementing regulations for section
Summary of the Proposed Project Certificate of Public Convenience and 106 of the National Historic
Natural proposes to abandon the Necessity. NEPA also requires us 2 to Preservation Act, we are using this
Herscher Northwest Storage Field with discover and address concerns the notice to initiate consultation with the
its certificated maximum inventory of public may have about proposals. This applicable State Historic Preservation
18.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) located in process is referred to as scoping. The Office (SHPO), and to solicit their views
Kankakee County, Illinois. Natural main goal of the scoping process is to and those of other government agencies,
concludes that in light of the marginal focus the analysis in the EA on the interested Indian tribes, and the public
well performance over the years, important environmental issues. By this on the project’s potential effects on
geologic uncertainty, and new Pipeline notice, the Commission requests public historic properties.4 We will define the
and Hazardous Materials Safety comments on the scope of the issues to project-specific Area of Potential Effects
Administration Regulations, it is no address in the EA. We will consider all (APE) in consultation with the SHPO as
longer practicable to operate the storage filed comments during the preparation the project develops. On natural gas
field. of the EA. facility projects, the APE at a minimum
Natural proposes to abandon: In the EA we will discuss impacts that encompasses all areas subject to ground
• In place 19 injection/withdrawal could occur as a result of the disturbance (examples include
wells by permanently plugging and construction and operation of the construction right-of-way, contractor/
capping; proposed project under these general pipe storage yards, compressor stations,
• In place 16.15 miles of 4- to 16- headings: and access roads). Our EA for this
inch-diameter associated pipeline • Geology and soils; project will document our findings on
laterals in the storage field by grouting • land use; the impacts on historic properties and
and capping; • water resources, fisheries, and summarize the status of consultations
• in place 13 non-jurisdictional wetlands; under section 106.
observation wells by plugging; • cultural resources;
• in place one non-jurisdictional salt • vegetation and wildlife; Environmental Mailing List
water disposal well by plugging; • air quality and noise; The environmental mailing list
• in place approximately 15.3 Bcf of • endangered and threatened species; includes federal, state, and local
non-recoverable cushion gas; • public safety; and government representatives and
• by removal the 330-horsepower • cumulative impacts. agencies; elected officials;
Compressor Station 202 including its We will also evaluate reasonable environmental and public interest
building, compressor unit, concrete alternatives to the proposed project or groups; Native American Tribes; other
piers and concrete foundation; and portions of the project, and make interested parties; and local libraries
• by removal all storage field recommendations on how to lessen or and newspapers. This list also includes
auxiliary surface facilities including, but avoid impacts on the various resource all affected landowners (as defined in
not limited to, aboveground well head areas. the Commission’s regulations) who are
piping, slug catchers, the water The EA will present our independent potential right-of-way grantors, whose
gathering system and methanol analysis of the issues. The EA will be property may be used temporarily for
distribution systems, corrosion available in the public record through project purposes, or who own homes
monitors, rectifiers and ground beds. eLibrary. Depending on the comments within certain distances of aboveground
Natural requests certification by May, received during the scoping process, we facilities, and anyone who submits
2018, and expects to perform its may also publish and distribute the EA comments on the project. We will
abandonment activities over a four-year to the public for an allotted comment update the environmental mailing list as
period (2018–2021). period. We will consider all comments the analysis proceeds to ensure that we
The general location of the project
on the EA before making our
facilities is shown in appendix 1.1 3 The Council on Environmental Quality
recommendations to the Commission.
regulations addressing cooperating agency
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES

1 The appendices referenced in this notice will
To ensure we have the opportunity to responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
not appear in the Federal Register. Copies of consider and address your comments, Regulations, Part 1501.6.
appendices were sent to all those receiving this please carefully follow the instructions 4 The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s

notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov in the Public Participation section, regulations are at Title 36, Code of Federal
using the link called ‘‘eLibrary’’ or from the beginning on page 2. Regulations, Part 800. Those regulations define
Commission’s Public Reference Room, 888 First historic properties as any prehistoric or historic
Street NE, Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 502– district, site, building, structure, or object included
8371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, 2 We, us, and our refer to the environmental staff in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register
refer to the last page of this notice. of the Commission’s Office of Energy Projects. of Historic Places.

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Document Created: 2018-01-06 02:32:04
Document Modified: 2018-01-06 02:32:04
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		83 FR 805
83 FR 805 - Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America LLC Proposed Herscher Northwest Storage Field Abandonment Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGYFederal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 5 (January 8, 2018)

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
