[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 9 (Thursday, January 13, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2365-2367]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-535]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP11-39-000]
Dominion Transmission, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Northeast Expansion Project and
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
January 5, 2011.
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 Northeast Expansion Project
(Project) proposed by Dominion Transmission, Inc. (DTI). The Project
consists of a total of 32,440 horsepower (hp) of compression to be
installed at three existing compressor stations, a new meter station,
and an upgrade at an existing regulator station, all located at
existing DTI facilities in 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 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 February 4, 2011.
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.
Summary of the Proposed Project
DTI is seeking authorization to construct, own, and operate the
proposed Project, which would involve expansion at several of DTI's
existing aboveground facilities in Western
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Pennsylvania. DTI is proposing to install additional compression units
at its existing Punxsutawney, Ardell, and Finnefrock Compressor Station
in Jefferson/Indiana, Elk, and Clinton Counties, Pennsylvania. All
construction would take place within the stations fence lines and in
adjacent stations areas within DTI's property boundaries. DTI states
that the Project would provide 200,000 dekatherms per day of firm
transportation services in Pennsylvania, creating increased access for
production in this region to major natural gas markets of the Northeast
and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.
The proposed Project consists of the following:
Punxsutawney Compressor Station--install one gas turbine/
compressor package that would consist of a Solar C404 compressor driven
by a Solar Centaur gas turbine rated at 6,130 hp. The turbine would be
fueled by natural gas and would be placed in a new compressor building.
Ardell Compressor Station--install one gas turbine/
compressor package that would consist of a Solar C45 compressor driven
by a Solar Taurus 70 gas turbine rated at 10,310 hp. The turbine would
be fueled by natural gas and would be placed in a new compressor
building.
Finnefrock Compressor Station--install one gas turbine/
compressor package that would consist of a Solar C453 centrifugal
compressor driven by a Solar Mars 100 gas turbine, rated at 16,000 hp.
Leidy Compressor Station--upgrade an existing Measurement
and Regulation (M&R) facility within the fence line of the Leidy
Compressor Station.
Punxsutawney Compressor Station--install one new crossover
line with M&R which links the existing suction piping to LN-280.
The general location of the Project facilities is shown in appendix
1.\1\
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\1\ 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 Requirement for Construction
Construction of the Project would involve temporary disturbance of
a total of 41.5 acres of land with DTI's property boundaries which
would include an 18.2 acres within existing compressor station fence
lines and 23.2 acres within DTI's property. For construction activities
within DTI's property, 14.6 acres would be required for the
Punxsutawney Station, 1.4 acres for the Ardell Station, and 6.2 acres
for the Finnefrock Station. DTI would utilize the construction work
areas for equipment and materials laydown, and parking. Following
construction, these construction work areas would be restored,
stabilized, and seeded. Operation of the Project would involve 1.9
acres of lands.
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 will be considered during the preparation of the EA.
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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 a result 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, including migratory birds;
Air quality and noise;
Endangered and threatened species; and
Public 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 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 below.
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.
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 February 4,
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 (CP11-39-000) 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 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:
[[Page 2367]]
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; 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.
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
(i.e., CP11-39). 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 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. 2011-535 Filed 1-12-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P