[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 178 (Wednesday, September 15, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56089-56092]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-22939]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PF10-19-000]
Equitrans, L.P.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Assessment for the Planned Sunrise Pipeline Project, Request for
Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public Scoping Meeting
September 3, 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 Sunrise Pipeline Project
(Project) involving construction and operation of facilities by
Equitrans, L.P. (Equitrans) in Doddridge, Wetzel, Harrison, Marion
[[Page 56090]]
and Taylor Counties, West Virginia, and Greene County, Pennsylvania.
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.
This notice announces the opening of the scoping process that 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 October 4, 2010.
Comments may be submitted in written form or verbally. Further
details on how to submit written comments are provided in the Public
Participation section of this notice. In lieu of or in addition to
sending written comments, you are invited to attend the public scoping
meetings scheduled as follows:
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Date and time Location
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September 28, 2010, 7 p.m. Falcon Center, Fairmont State University,
EDT. 1201 Locust Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554.
Telephone: 304-333-3777.
September 29, 2010, 7 p.m. Alumni Hall (Miller Hall 3rd Floor),
EDT. Waynesburg University, Main Campus, 51
West College Street, Waynesburg, PA
15370.Telephone: 800-225-7393.
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This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental
mailing list for this project. State and local government
representatives are asked to notify their constituents of this planned
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 planned facilities.
The pipeline 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 or federal 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 Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). 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.
Summary of the Proposed Project
Equitrans has announced its plans to construct and operate
approximately 95 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline and 14 miles of 16-
inch-diameter pipeline and other facilities in northern West Virginia
and southwestern Pennsylvania. The Sunrise Project would expand its
existing mainline transmission system to address infrastructure
constraints associated with the rapid development of natural gas from
the Marcellus Shale Formation in the central Appalachian Basin.
Equitrans has indicated that the Project would provide additional firm
capacity and offer producers a cost effective option to transport
natural gas to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern markets and storage.
The Sunrise Pipeline Project would consist of the following:
Installation of four pipeline segments including:
H-302--Installation of 70.8 miles of 24-inch-diameter
pipeline with portions of the line paralleling existing Equitrans
pipelines (H-527, H-515, H-512, H-111) and a Columbia Gas Transmission
pipeline. This segment would be located in Greene County, Pennsylvania
and Doddridge and Wetzel Counties, West Virginia.
H-306--Installation of 24.5 miles of 24-inch pipeline,
paralleling the existing Equitrans pipelines: H-557, H-558, H-560, H-
561 and H-562. This segment would be located in Harrison, Marion, and
Wetzel Counties, West Virginia.
H-307--Installation of 11.5 miles of 16-inch-diameter
pipeline, with a portion of the line paralleling the existing Equitrans
H-558 pipeline and a portion of the line paralleling an existing
Allegheny Power electrical transmission right-of-way. The pipeline
would be located in Taylor and Harrison Counties, West Virginia.
H-308--Installation of 2.1 miles of 16-inch-diameter
pipeline, paralleling the existing Equitrans H-558 pipeline and
connecting at Equitrans' Lumberport Station to the H-508 and H-509
pipelines. This segment would be located in Harrison County, West
Virginia.
Construction of construction of two new compressor
stations:
Jefferson Compressor Station--Approximately 41,000
horsepower (hp) of compression would be installed in Jefferson Borough,
Greene County, Pennsylvania. Up to four separate turbine-driven
compressor units would be installed. Discharge piping would
interconnect with the Texas Eastern Transmission and Dominion
Transmission Systems.
Shinnston Compressor Station--Approximately 16,000 hp of
compression would be installed near the Harrison Power Station in the
town of Shinnston in Harrison County, West Virginia. Up to five
separate electric-powered reciprocating compressor units would be
installed.
Construction or modification of other aboveground
facilities including five delivery meter and receipt meter facilities,
10 pig \1\ launcher/receivers; and 18 mainline block valves.
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\1\ A pig is an internal tool that can be used to clean and dry
a pipeline and/or to inspect for damage and corrosion.
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The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
1.\2\
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\2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of appendices were sent to
all those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at
http://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
Equitrans is still in the planning phase for the Sunrise Pipeline
Project, and workspace requirements have not been finalized at this
time. As currently planned, construction would disturb approximately
1,492 acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipeline.
Following construction, about 377 acres would be used for permanent
operation of the project's facilities. The remaining acreage would be
restored and allowed to revert to former uses. As planned, the Project
would mostly parallel existing pipeline systems or linear corridors
along about 105.4 miles or approximately 97 percent of the route.
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
[[Page 56091]]
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us
\3\ 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 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 will be considered during the preparation of the EA.
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\3\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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In the EA, we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of
the construction and operation of the planned 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; and
Public safety.
We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the planned project
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
Although no formal application has been filed, we have already
initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing process.
The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early involvement
of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before an
application is filed with the FERC. As part of our pre-filing review,
we have begun to contact some federal and state agencies to discuss
their involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the EA.
Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the EA.
The EA will be placed in the public record and, depending on the
comments received during the scoping process, may be published and
distributed to the public. A comment period will be allotted if the EA
is published for review. 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 on page 6.
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
Reservation Act, we are using this notice to initiate consultation with
applicable State Historic Preservation Offices (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 SHPOs 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
of consultations under section 106.
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\4\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's regulations
are at Title 36 of the 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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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 your comments so
that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before October 4,
2010.
For your convenience, there are four methods you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the
project docket number (PF10-19) with your submission. The Commission
encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert eFiling staff
available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or [email protected].
(1) You may file your comments electronically by using the eComment
feature, which is located on the Commission's Web site at 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 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'';
(3) You may attend and provide comments at the public scoping
meetings. A transcript of each meeting will be made so that your
comments will be accurately recorded which will be included in the
public record; or
(4) 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, those 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 planned 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 compact
disc version or would like to remove your name from the mailing
[[Page 56092]]
list, please return the attached Information Request (appendix 2).
Becoming an Intervenor
Once Equitrans files its application with the Commission, 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. Please note that the Commission will not accept
requests for intervenor status at this time. You must wait until a
formal application for the project is filed with the Commission.
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 (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
(i.e., PF10-19). 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 http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
Any 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.
Finally, to request additional information on the project or to
provide comments directly to the project sponsor, you can contact
Equitrans directly by calling toll free at 1-866-687-5427 or by e-mail
at [email protected]. Also, Equitrans has established an Internet Web
site at http://www.sunrise.eqt.com with additional information about
the project.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-22939 Filed 9-14-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P