[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 228 (Monday, November 29, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73070-73071]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-29837]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP10-493-000]
Empire Pipeline, Inc.; Notice of Availability of the
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Tioga County Extension
Project
November 19, 2010.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the Tioga
County Extension Project proposed by Empire Pipeline, Inc. (Empire) in
the above-referenced docket. Empire requests authorization to construct
and replace pipeline facilities to provide an additional 350,000
dekatherms per day of natural gas capacity from new producer
interconnections in Pennsylvania to new interconnections on its
pipeline system and on Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company's system in New
York.
The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the Tioga County Extension Project in
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that approval of the proposed
project, with appropriate mitigating measures, would not constitute a
major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human
environment.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New
York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, and the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers participated as cooperating agencies in the
preparation of the EA. Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by law or
special expertise with respect to resources potentially affected by the
proposal and generally participate in the NEPA analysis.
The proposed Tioga County Extension Project includes the following
facilities:
Construction of approximately 14.9 miles of new 24-inch-
diameter pipeline in Tioga County, Pennsylvania and Steuben County, New
York;
Replacement of approximately 1.4 miles of existing 24-
inch-diameter pipeline in Ontario County, New York;
Construction of a new interconnect with Tennessee Gas
Pipeline Company in Ontario County, New York; and
Construction of miscellaneous pipeline modifications and
appurtenant facilities at the existing Oakfield Compressor Station in
Genessee County, New York.
The EA has been placed in the public files of the FERC and is
available for public viewing on the FERC's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using the eLibrary link. A limited number of copies of the
EA are available for distribution and public inspection at: Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First Street,
NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426. (202) 502-8371.
Copies of the EA have been mailed to Federal, State, and local
government representatives and agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes;
potentially affected landowners and other interested individuals and
groups; newspapers and libraries in the project area; and parties to
this proceeding.
[[Page 73071]]
Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. 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 properly recorded and considered prior to
a Commission decision on the proposal, it is important that the FERC
receives your comments in Washington, DC, on or before December 20,
2010.
For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the
project docket number (CP10-493-000) with your submission. The
Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has dedicated
eFiling expert 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 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.
Although your comments will be considered by the Commission, simply
filing comments will not serve to make the commenter a party to the
proceeding. Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must
file a motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's
Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214).\1\ Only intervenors
have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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\1\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing
comments electronically.
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Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be
granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they
have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which would not be
adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor
status to have your comments considered.
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., CP10-493). 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.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-29837 Filed 11-26-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P