[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 248 (Tuesday, December 28, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81602-81604]
[FR Doc No: 2010-32641]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP11-36-000]

Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Northampton Expansion Project
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

December 21, 2010.
    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 Northampton Expansion Project
(Project) involving construction and operation of facilities by
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company (Tennessee) in Hampden County,
Massachusetts. This EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-
making process to determine whether the project is in the public
convenience and necessity.
    The Notice of Intent (NOI) announces the opening of the scoping
process the Commission will use to gather input from the public and
interested agencies on the project. Your input will help the Commission
staff determine what issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note
that the scoping period will close on January 20, 2011.
    Comments on the project may be submitted in written form or
electronically, as described in the public participation section of
this notice.
    This NOI is being sent to the Commission's current environmental
mailing for this project, which includes affected landowners; Federal,
State, and local government representatives and agencies; elected
officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native American
Tribes; parties to this proceeding; and local libraries and newspapers.
State and local government representatives are asked to 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, you may be contacted
by a pipeline company representative about the acquisition of an
easement to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities.
The company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement.
However, if the project is approved by the Commission, 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 Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov/for-citizens/citizen-guides.asp). This fact sheet addresses a number of
typically asked questions, including the use of eminent domain and how
to participate in FERC's proceedings.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    The Project involves the construction of the new Southwick
Compressor Station 260A at 248 Feeding Hills Road in the Town of
Southwick, Hampden County, Massachusetts. The Project has been sited on
a 5.32-acre parcel adjacent to Tennessee's existing 8-inch diameter
Northampton Lateral Line. The Compressor Station will consist of a
2,000-horsepower electric engine compression unit housed within a new
building, and other associated facilities, including a gas cooler unit,
vent silencer, a fan, a control building, on-site access driveway, and
overhead electrical line. Ancillary equipment will also include an
emergency generator, hot water boiler and space heater, all fueled by
natural gas. In order to connect the Compressor Station to the
Northampton Lateral, Tennessee will need to install a total of 380 feet
of pipeline: (i) 155 feet of pipeline on the Compressor Station site;
and (ii) 225 feet of pipeline within a 60-foot wide easement connecting
the Compressor Station site to the Northampton Lateral.
    A location map depicting the proposed facilities is attached to
this NOI as Appendix 1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not printed in
the Federal Register, but they are being provided to all those who
receive this notice in the mail. Copies of the NOI can be obtained
from the Commission's Web site at the ``eLibrary'' link,
Commission's Public Reference Room, or by calling<PHONE_NUMBER>.
For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the end of this
notice.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Tennessee proposes to construct the Project on a parcel of land
measuring approximately 5.32 acres which is wholly owned by Tennessee.
Construction will require approximately 3.28 acres of new land
disturbance of which 1.57 acres will be permanently altered by
operation of the facility. Approximately 2.82 acres (over 50 percent)
of the 5.32-acre parcel would be utilized as buffer and visual
screening both during and post-construction and will not be affected by
either construction or operation of the facility. Portions of this work
are also required within a proposed 0.31-acre pipeline easement
necessary to connect the compressor station to Tennessee's existing
pipeline. Following construction, the ground surfaces immediately
surrounding the facility and within the proposed fence line will be
converted to gravel and maintained lawn to facilitate maintenance of a
clear and accessible operational area.

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. All comments
received are considered during the preparation of the EA. State and
local government representatives are encouraged to notify their
constituents of this proposed action and encourage them to comment on
their areas of concern.
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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 results 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
     Reliability and safety
    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.

    Our independent analysis of the issues will be in the EA. Depending
on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA may be
published and mailed to Federal, State, and local agencies, public
interest groups, interested individuals, affected landowners,
newspapers, libraries, and the Commission's official service list for
this proceeding. A comment period will be allotted for review if the EA
is published. We will consider all comments on the EA before we make
our recommendations to the Commission.
    To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the
instructions in the Public Participation section.
    With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction and/or
special expertise with respect to environmental issues to formally
cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA. These agencies may
choose to participate once they have evaluated the proposal relative to
their responsibilities. 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.

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 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.\3\ We will define the project-specific Area of
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO as the project is
further developed. 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 on consultations under section 106.
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    \3\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's regulations
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Historic
properties are defined in those regulations as any prehistoric or
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register for Historic
Places.
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Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified issues that we think deserve attention
based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the
environmental information provided by Tennessee. This preliminary list
of issues, which is presented below, may be revised based on your
comments and our continuing analyses specific to the Project:

 Potential noise and vibration impacts from compressor station
 Air quality impacts from the compressor station construction
and operation

Public Participation

    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. The more specific
your comments, the more useful they will be. To ensure that your
comments are timely and properly recorded, please send in your comments
so that they will be received in Washington, DC, on or before January
20, 2011.
    For your convenience, there are three methods which you can use to
submit your comments to the Commission. In all instances please
reference the project docket number (CP11-36-000) with your submission.
The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert
eFiling staff available to assist you at<PHONE_NUMBER> or
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>    (1) You may file your comments electronically by using the eComment
feature, which is located on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. An eComment is an
easy method for interested persons to submit brief, text-only comments
on a project;
    (2) You may file your comments electronically by using the eFiling
feature, which is located on the Commission's Web site at http://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 may file a paper copy of your comments at the following
address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.

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
proposed project.
    If the EA is published for distribution, copies 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
included in the User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the
Commission's Web site.

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 at http://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. Be
sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance,
please contact FERC Online Support at

<EMAIL_ADDRESS>or toll free at<PHONE_NUMBER>, or for TTY,
contact<PHONE_NUMBER>. 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 now 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 http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the
Commission's calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-32641 Filed 12-27-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P