[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 59 (Thursday, March 26, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17050-17053]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06333]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket Nos. CP20-50-000; CP20-51-000]
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, LLC, Southern Natural Gas
Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment
for the Proposed Evangeline Pass 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 Evangeline Pass Expansion
Project involving construction and operation of facilities by Tennessee
Gas Pipeline Company, LLC (Tennessee) and Southern Natural Gas Company,
LLC (SNG) in Clarke and Smith Counties, Mississippi and St. Bernard and
Plaquemines Parishes, Louisiana.\1\ The Commission will use this EA in
its decision-making process to determine
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whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity.
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\1\ In addition, Southern is proposing to make modification to
auxiliary facilities pursuant to Section 2.55(a) of the Commission's
regulations in Jasper, Simpson, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, and
Walthall Counties, Mississippi and Washington, St. Tammany, and
Orleans Parishes, Louisiana.
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This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested
agencies about issues regarding the project. The National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to take into account the
environmental impacts that could result from its action whenever it
considers the issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience and
Necessity. NEPA also requires the Commission to discover 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 issues to address
in the EA. 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 April 20,
2020.
You can make a difference by submitting 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. Commission
staff will consider all filed comments during the preparation of the
EA.
If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on February 7, 2020, you will need to file those
comments in Docket No. CP20-50-000 or CP20-51-000 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, that approval conveys with it the right of
eminent domain. 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.
Tennessee and SNG 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) at https://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/gas/gas.pdf.
Public Participation
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. To sign up go to www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.
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 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, which is located on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov)
under the link to Documents and Filings. 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 located 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 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 following address. Be sure to reference the project docket number
(CP20-50-000 or CP20-51-000) 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.\2\
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\2\ 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 Proposed Project
Tennessee proposes to construct and operate approximately 13 miles
total of looping \3\ pipeline and a new compressor station in St.
Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes Louisiana. SNG proposes to construct a
new compressor station and three new meter stations in Clarke and Smith
Counties, Mississippi and St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.
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\3\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed parallel to
an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
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Tennessee has entered into an agreement with SNG to acquire leased
capacity on SNG's system to enable Tennessee to provide firm
transportation service up to 1,100 million standard cubic feet of
natural gas per day to the recently approved Venture Global Gator
Express Pipeline interconnect for feed gas for the Plaquemines LNG
Terminal in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.
The Evangeline Pass Expansion Project would consist of the
following facilities:
Tennessee
Construction of about 9 miles of 36-inch-diameter looping
pipeline in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana (Yscloskey Toca Lateral
Loop);
construction of about 4 miles of 36-inch-diameter looping
pipeline in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana (Grand Bayou Loop);
construction of a new 23,470 horsepower (hp) compressor
station along Tennessee's existing 500 line in St. Bernard Parish,
Louisiana (Compressor Station 529);
replacement of two 10,410 hp units (like-for-like) under
section 2.55(b) at existing Compressor Station 527 in Plaquemines
Parish, Louisiana;
SNG
Construction of a new 22,220 hp compressor station in
Clarke County, Mississippi (Rose Hill Compressor Station);
construction of three new meter stations in Clarke and
Smith Counties,
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Mississippi and St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana (Rose Hill and
Midcontinent Express Pipeline Receipt Meter Stations, and Toca Delivery
Meter Station); and
construction and/or modification of certain system
auxiliary and appurtenant facilities under section 2.55(a) at existing
compressor stations and along the pipeline corridor in Clarke, Smith,
Jasper, Simpson, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, and Walthall Counties,
Mississippi and St. Bernard, Washington, St. Tammany, and Orleans
Parishes, Louisiana.
The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
2.
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the proposed facilities would disturb a total of
about 535 acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the
pipelines (including activities proposed to be conducted under section
2.55). Following construction, a total of about 133 acres of new
permanent right-of-way would be maintained for permanent operation of
the project's facilities; the remaining acreage would be restored and
revert to former uses. The proposed looping pipeline routes would
parallel existing pipelines, and to the extent that it is practicable,
would be located within and adjacent to the existing rights-of-way. The
new Compressor Station 529 would be located at an existing abandoned
compressor station site owned by Tennessee, while SNG's new Rose Hill
Compressor Station would be located within a forested timber property.
Tennessee would use four contractor yards (about 27 acres total) to
facilitate construction (Toca Yard, Bayou Road Yard, State Road LA-46
Yard, and Yscloskey Yard).
The EA Process
The EA 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;
water resources and wetlands;
vegetation and wildlife;
threatened and endangered species;
cultural resources;
socioeconomics;
land use;
air quality and noise;
public safety; and
cumulative impacts.
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.
The EA will present Commission staffs' independent analysis of the
issues. The EA will be available in electronic format in the public
record through eLibrary \4\ and the Commission's website (https://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/enviro/eis.asp). If eSubscribed, you will
receive instant email notification when the EA is issued. The EA may be
issued for an allotted public comment period. Commission staff will
consider all comments on the EA before making recommendations to the
Commission. To ensure Commission staff have the opportunity to address
your comments, please carefully follow the instructions in the Public
Participation section, beginning on page 2.
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\4\ 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 EA.\5\ 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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\5\ 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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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 Offices,
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.\6\ The EA 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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\6\ 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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Currently Identified Environmental Issues
Commission staff have already identified several issues that
deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed
facilities and the environmental information provided by Tennessee and
SNG. This preliminary list of issues may change based on your comments
and our analysis.
Wetlands and waterbodies;
fisheries and aquatic species;
hunting and fishing;
property values; and
air and noise.
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. 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 the Commission issues the EA for an allotted public comment
period, a Notice of Availability of the EA will be sent to the
environmental mailing list and will provide instructions to access the
electronic document on the FERC's website (www.ferc.gov). 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 3).
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, excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP20-50
or CP20-51). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
[email protected] 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 www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along
with other related information.
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Dated: March 20, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-06333 Filed 3-25-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P