[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 208 (Tuesday, October 27, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68063-68065]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-23726]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP20-527-000]
Notice of Scoping Period Requesting Comments on Environmental
Issues for the Proposed Columbia Gulf Transmission, LLC East Lateral
Xpress Project
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental document, that will discuss
the environmental impacts of the East Lateral XPress Project involving
construction and operation of facilities by Columbia Gulf Transmission,
LLC (Columbia Gulf) in St. Mary, Lafourche, Jefferson, and Plaquemines
Parishes, Louisiana. The Commission will use this environmental
document 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 regarding the project. As part of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) review process, the Commission takes into account
concerns the public may have about proposals and the environmental
impacts that could result from its action whenever it considers the
issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. This
gathering of public input is referred to as scoping. The main goal of
the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the environmental
document on the important environmental issues. Additional information
about the Commission's NEPA process is described below in the NEPA
Process and the Environmental Document section of this notice.
By this notice, the Commission requests public comments on the
scope of issues to address in the environmental document. To ensure
that your comments are timely and properly recorded, please submit your
comments so that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or
before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on November 20, 2020. Comments may be
submitted in written form. Further details on how to submit comments
are provided in the Public Participation section of this notice.
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 environmental document. Commission
staff will consider all written comments during the preparation of the
environmental document.
If you submitted comments on this project to the Commission before
the opening of this docket on September 24, 2020, you will need to file
those comments in Docket No. CP20-527-000 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.
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 proposed facilities. The company
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable easement agreement. You
are not required to enter into an agreement. However, if the Commission
approves the project, the Natural Gas Act conveys the right of eminent
domain to the company. Therefore, if you and the company do not reach
an easement agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation
proceedings in court. In such instances, compensation would be
determined by a judge in accordance with state law. The Commission does
not subsequently grant, exercise, or oversee the exercise of that
eminent domain authority. The courts have exclusive authority to handle
eminent domain cases; the Commission has no jurisdiction over these
matters.
Columbia Gulf 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?'' which addresses typically asked questions, including
the use of eminent domain and how to participate in the Commission's
proceedings. This fact sheet along with other landowner topics of
interest are available for viewing on the FERC website (www.ferc.gov)
under the Natural Gas Questions or Landowner Topics link.
Public Participation
There are three methods you can use to submit your comments to the
Commission. Please carefully follow these instructions so that your
comments are properly recorded. The Commission encourages electronic
filing of comments and has staff available to
[[Page 68064]]
assist you at (866) 208-3676 or FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov.
(1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment
feature, which is located on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov)
under the link to FERC Online. Using eComment 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, which is also on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under
the link to FERC Online. 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 will be asked to select the type of filing you are
making; a comment on a particular project is considered a ``Comment on
a Filing''; or
(3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to
the Commission. Be sure to reference the project docket number (CP20-
527-000) on your letter. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service
must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC
20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to:
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
Additionally, the Commission offers a free service called
eSubscription which makes it easy to stay informed of all issuances and
submittals regarding the dockets/projects to which you subscribe. These
instant email notifications are the fastest way to receive notification
and provide a link to the document files which can reduce the amount of
time you spend researching proceedings. Go to https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to register for eSubscription.
Summary of the Proposed Project
Columbia Gulf proposes to construct and operate two new compressor
stations, a new meter station, and other appurtenant facilities. The
East Lateral XPress Project would create about 183 million standard
cubic feet per day of incremental natural gas capacity. According to
Columbia Gulf, the purpose of the proposed project is to provide a
total of 725 million standard cubic feet per day of firm transportation
capacity, through a combination of incremental and existing capacity on
Columbia Gulf's interstate natural gas pipeline system, to supply feed
gas for Venture Global LNG's Plaquemines LNG facility in Plaquemines
Parish.
The East Lateral XPress Project would consist of the following
facilities:
8.1 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipeline lateral within
Barataria Bay in Jefferson and Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana;
a new 23,470-horsepower (hp) compressor station at an
existing Columbia Gulf abandoned compressor station site in St. Mary
Parish, Louisiana (Centerville Compressor Station);
a new 23,470-hp compressor station adjacent to an existing
tie-in facility in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana (Golden Meadow
Compressor Station);
one new delivery meter station;
one new tie-in facility in Barataria Bay; and
two new mainline valves.
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 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. For instructions on
connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice. At
this time, the Commission has suspended access to the Commission's
Public Reference Room due to the proclamation declaring a National
Emergency concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19),
issued by the President on March 13, 2020. For assistance, contact
FERC at [email protected] or call toll free, (886) 208-3676
or TTY (202) 502-8659.
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Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the proposed facilities would disturb about 744
acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipeline.
Construction of the compressor stations would require a total of 29.3
acres of land, and construction of the pipeline facilities in Barataria
Bay would require a total of 714.6 acres of open water/seafloor.
Following construction, Columbia Gulf would maintain about 500 acres
for permanent operation of the project's facilities; the remaining
acreage would be restored and revert to former uses.
NEPA Process and the Environmental Document
Any environmental document issued by the Commission will discuss
impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation
of the proposed project under the relevant general resource areas:
Geology and soils;
water resources and wetlands;
vegetation and wildlife;
threatened and endangered species;
cultural resources;
land use;
socioeconomics;
air quality and noise; and
reliability and safety.
Commission staff have already identified issues that deserve
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and
the environmental information provided by Columbia Gulf. This
preliminary list of issues may change based on your comments and our
analysis:
Water resources; and
essential fish habitat.
Commission staff 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. Your
comments will help Commission staff identify and focus on the issues
that might have an effect on the human environment and potentially
eliminate others from further study and discussion in the environmental
document.
Following this scoping period, Commission staff will determine
whether to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS). The EA or the EIS will present Commission
staff's independent analysis of the issues. If Commission staff
prepares an EA, a Notice of Schedule for the Preparation of an EA will
be issued. The EA may be issued for an allotted public comment period.
The Commission would consider timely comments on the EA before making
its decision regarding the proposed project. If Commission staff
prepares an EIS, a Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS/Notice of
Schedule will be issued, which will open up an additional comment
period. Staff will then prepare a draft EIS which will be issued for
public comment. Commission staff will consider all timely comments
received during the comment period on the draft EIS and revise the
document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS. Any EA or draft and
final EIS will be available in electronic format in the public record
through eLibrary \2\ and the Commission's natural gas environmental
documents web page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents). If eSubscribed, you will receive
instant email notification when the environmental document is issued.
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\2\ For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the
last page of this notice.
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With this notice, the Commission is asking agencies with
jurisdiction by law and/or special expertise with respect to the
environmental issues of this project to formally cooperate in the
preparation of the environmental document.\3\
[[Page 68065]]
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, Section 1501.6.
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Consultation 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, the Commission is using this notice to initiate
consultation with the applicable State Historic Preservation Office(s),
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\ The environmental document for this
project will document 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 and includes a mailing address with their
comments. Commission staff will update the environmental mailing list
as the analysis proceeds to ensure that Commission notices related to
this environmental review are sent to all individuals, organizations,
and government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by
the proposed project.
If you need to make changes to your name/address, or if you would
like to remove your name from the mailing list, please return the
attached ``Mailing List Update Form'' (appendix 2).
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 in
the Docket Number field. Be sure you have selected an appropriate date
range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or (866) 208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202)
502-8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the texts of all
formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and
rulemakings.
Public sessions or site visits will be posted on the Commission's
calendar located at https://www.ferc.gov/news-events/events along with
other related information.
Dated: October 21, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-23726 Filed 10-26-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P