Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 148 / Tuesday, August 4, 2009 / Notices 38611 

Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time 

on Wednesday, August 05, 2009. 

Docket Numbers: RP09–843–000. 

Applicants: CenterPoint Energy Gas 

Transmission Company. 

Description: CenterPoint Energy Gas 

Transmission Company submits 

Seventh Revised Sheet 1 et al to FERC 

Gas Tariff, Sixth Revised Volume 1, to 

be effective 8/26/09. 

Filed Date: 07/27/2009. 

Accession Number: 20090728–0068. 

Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time 

on Monday, August 10, 2009. 

Docket Numbers: RP09–844–000. 

Applicants: Texas Gas Transmission, 

LLC. 

Description: Texas Gas Transmission, 

LLC submits First Revised Sheet No 407 

et al to its FERC Gas Tariff, Third 

Revised Volume No 1, to be effective 9/ 

1/09. 

Filed Date: 07/28/2009. 

Accession Number: 20090729–0122. 

Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time 

on Monday, August 10, 2009. 

Any person desiring to intervene or to 

protest in any of the above proceedings 

must file in accordance with Rules 211 

and 214 of the Commission’s Rules of 

Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 

and 385.214) on or before 5 p.m. Eastern 

time on the specified comment date. It 

is not necessary to separately intervene 

again in a subdocket related to a 

compliance filing if you have previously 

intervened in the same docket. Protests 

will be considered by the Commission 

in determining the appropriate action to 

be taken, but will not serve to make 

protestants parties to the proceeding. 

Anyone filing a motion to intervene or 

protest must serve a copy of that 

document on the Applicant. In reference 

to filings initiating a new proceeding, 

interventions or protests submitted on 

or before the comment deadline need 

not be served on persons other than the 

Applicant. 

The Commission encourages 

electronic submission of protests and 

interventions in lieu of paper, using the 

FERC Online links at http:// 

www.ferc.gov. To facilitate electronic 

service, persons with Internet access 

who will eFile a document and/or be 

listed as a contact for an intervenor 

must create and validate an 

eRegistration account using the 

eRegistration link. Select the eFiling 

link to log on and submit the 

intervention or protests. 

Persons unable to file electronically 

should submit an original and 14 copies 

of the intervention or protest to the 

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 

888 First St. NE., Washington DC 20426. 

The filings in the above proceedings 

are accessible in the Commission’s 

eLibrary system by clicking on the 

appropriate link in the above list. They 

are also available for review in the 

Commission’s Public Reference Room in 

Washington, DC. There is an 

eSubscription link on the Web site that 

enables subscribers to receive e-mail 

notification when a document is added 

to a subscribed dockets(s). For 

assistance with any FERC Online 

service, please e-mail 

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. or call 

(866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY, call 

(202) 502–8659. 

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr., 

Deputy Secretary. 

[FR Doc. E9–18500 Filed 8–3–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. PF09–10–000] 

Northwest Pipeline GP; Notice of Intent 

To Prepare an Environmental Impact 

Statement and Land and Resource 

Management Plan Amendment for the 

Planned Blue Bridge Pipeline Project 

and Request for Comments On 

Environmental Issues 

July 28, 2009. 

The staff of the Federal Energy 

Regulatory Commission (FERC or 

Commission) will prepare an 

environmental impact statement (EIS) 

that will discuss the environmental 

impacts of the planned Blue Bridge 

Pipeline Project involving construction 

and operation of facilities by Northwest 

Pipeline GP (Northwest) in Benton, 

Klickitat, Skamania, and Clark Counties, 

Washington. This EIS 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 will be used to 

gather input from the public and 

interested agencies on the project. Your 

input will help the Commission staff 

and cooperating agencies determine 

which issues need to be evaluated in the 

EIS. Please note that the scoping period 

for this project will close on August 30, 

2009. 

Comments may be submitted in 

writing or verbally. 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 two public scoping 

meetings to verbally comment on the 

project. The dates and locations of the 

meetings are listed below and will be 

posted on the Commission’s calendar at 

www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/ 

EventsList.aspx. All meetings are 

scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Pacific 

Daylight Time. 

August 11, 2009—Goldendale, WA 

Goldendale Grange #49 

228 E. Darland Street 

Goldendale, WA 98620 

August 12, 2009—Stevenson, WA 

Skamania Lodge 

1131 SW Skamania Lodge Way 

Stevenson, WA 98648 

This notice is being sent to affected 

landowners; federal, state, and local 

government representatives and 

agencies; environmental and public 

interest groups; Native American tribes; 

other interested parties in this 

proceeding; and local libraries and 

newspapers. 

The FERC is the lead federal agency 

for the preparation of the EIS. The U.S. 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is 

participating as a cooperating agency in 

the preparation of the EIS because the 

project would cross federallyadministered lands in Washington. The 

U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is 

participating as a cooperating agency 

because the project would cross the 

Gifford Pinchot National Forest, the 

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic 

Area, and the Pacific Crest Trail in 

Washington. The U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers (COE) is also participating as 

a cooperating agency. 

The BLM has authority under the 

Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (30 U.S.C. 

185) for granting a right-of-way over all 

federal lands involved in the planned 

project. As a cooperating agency, the 

BLM intends to adopt the EIS per Title 

40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, 

Part 1506.3, to meet its NEPA 

responsibilities for Northwest’s 

application for a Right-of-Way Grant 

and Temporary Use Permit for the 

crossing of federally administered lands, 

including BLM lands, the Gifford 

Pinchot National Forest, the Columbia 

River Gorge National Scenic Area, the 

Pacific Crest Trail, and the Umatilla 

National Wildlife Refuge. The Umatilla 

National Wildlife Refuge is managed by 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(FWS). The concurrence or nonconcurrence of the USFS and FWS 

would be considered in the BLM’s 

decision, as well as impacts on 

resources and programs and the 

project’s conformance with land use 

plans. 

As planned, the Blue Bridge Pipeline 

project does not follow a designated 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES

38612 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 148 / Tuesday, August 4, 2009 / Notices 

1A pipeline loop is constructed parallel to an 

existing pipeline to increase capacity. 

2The appendices referenced in this notice are not 

being printed in the Federal Register. Copies of 

appendices are available on the Commission’s Web 

site at the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link 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. Copies of the appendices 

were sent to all those receiving this notice in the 

mail. 

utility corridor through the Gifford 

Pinchot National Forest. If Blue Bridge’s 

planned route were authorized, the 

Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Forest 

Plan would need to be amended. The 

USFS will use the EIS to consider 

amending the Forest Plan to allow 

pipeline construction outside of 

designated utility corridors. 

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 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 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 Web site (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 Planned Project 

Northwest plans to construct and 

operate a new pipeline to transport 

natural gas from the Stanfield market 

hub located near Stanfield, Oregon, to 

major markets in the Pacific Northwest 

along the Interstate 5 corridor, including 

the Olympia and Seattle, Washington, 

areas. All of the planned project 

facilities would be located in 

Washington. The planned Blue Bridge 

project would transport up to 239,000 

dekatherms per day of natural gas. 

According to Northwest, its project 

would allow its customers to meet 

forecasted growing demand for natural 

gas, diversify supply alternatives, and 

increase reliability. 

The planned Blue Bridge Project 

would consist of the following facilities: 

• Approximately 119.2 miles of 30- 

inch diameter pipeline loop along the 

Columbia River Gorge in Benton, 

Klickitat, and Skamania Counties, 

Washington; 1 and 

• Install 15,015 horsepower of 

additional compression at two existing 

compressor stations near Plymouth 

(Benton County) and Washougal (Clark 

County). 

The general location of the project 

facilities is shown in appendix 1.2

Note that the planned location of the 

project has been modified since the 

original Northwest filing and project 

description dated June 1, 2009. On July 

27, 2009, Northwest filed supplemental 

information indicating that about 34 

miles of planned pipeline route had 

been removed from the project, 

including portions of the planned route 

in Klickitat, Skamania, and Clark 

Counties, Washington. Additionally, 

Northwest indicated that all previously 

planned project activities in Lewis 

County, Washington, have been 

eliminated. 

Land Requirements for Construction 

Construction of the planned facilities 

would affect about 1,733 acres of land 

for aboveground facilities, temporary 

extra work areas, uncleared storage 

areas, and the pipeline based on a 

planned construction right-of-way that 

typically would be 75-foot-wide. 

Northwest would retain approximately 

949 acres permanently during 

operations as permanent right-of-way. 

The remaining acreage that was used for 

construction, but not needed as 

permanent right-of-way, would be 

restored and/or allowed to revert to 

former uses. About 74 percent of the 

planned pipeline route would parallel 

existing pipeline, utility, or road rightsof-way. 

The EIS 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 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 EIS on the 

important environmental issues. By this 

notice, the Commission requests public 

comments on the scope of the issues to 

address in the EIS. All comments 

received will be considered during the 

preparation of the EIS. 

In the EIS the FERC staff 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. 

The FERC staff will also evaluate 

reasonable 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, the FERC staff has 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, the FERC staff has 

begun to contact some federal and state 

agencies to discuss their involvement in 

the scoping process and the preparation 

of the EIS. 

Our independent analysis of the 

issues will be presented in the EIS. The 

draft EIS will be mailed to those on our 

environmental mailing list (see 

discussion of how to remain on our 

mailing list on page 7). A 90-day 

comment period will be allotted for 

review of the draft EIS. The FERC staff 

will consider all timely comments and 

revise the document, as necessary, 

before issuing a final EIS. To ensure 

your comments are considered, please 

carefully follow the instructions in the 

public participation section below. 

With this notice, the FERC is formally 

asking agencies with jurisdiction and/or 

special expertise with respect to 

environmental issues to formally 

cooperate with us in the preparation of 

the EIS. 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. 

Currently, the BLM, USFS, and the COE 

have expressed their intention to 

participate as a cooperating agency in 

the preparation of the EIS to satisfy their 

NEPA responsibilities related to this 

project. 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 148 / Tuesday, August 4, 2009 / Notices 38613 

Currently Identified Environmental 

Issues 

The FERC staff has already identified 

several issues that we think deserve 

attention based on a preliminary review 

of the planned facilities and the 

environmental information provided by 

Northwest. This preliminary list of 

issues may be changed based on your 

comments and our analysis. 

• Geohazards, including areas with 

high landslide potential; 

• Sensitive waterbody crossings and 

wetlands; 

• Fisheries and wildlife; 

• Endangered and rare species, 

including the northern spotted owl and 

several salmonid species; 

• Crossing of the Columbia River 

Gorge National Scenic Area and 

associated viewsheds; 

• Crossing of the Gifford Pinchot 

National Forest; 

• Crossing of the Umatilla National 

Wildlife Refuge; 

• Crossing of the Pacific Crest Trail; 

• Impacts to forested areas, including 

late successional reserve/old growth 

areas; 

• Cultural resources, including areas 

of interest to Native American Tribes; 

• Pipeline safety and reliability; and 

• Residential areas. 

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 August 30, 

2009. 

For your convenience, there are three 

methods in which you can use to submit 

your comments to the Commission. In 

all instances, please reference the 

project docket number [PF09–10–000] 

with your submission. The Commission 

encourages electronic filing of 

comments and has expert eFiling staff 

available to assist you at 202–502–8258 

or efiling@ferc.gov. 

(1) You may file your comments 

electronically by using the Quick 

Comment feature, which is located on 

the Commission’s internet Web site at 

http://www.ferc.gov under the link to 

Documents and Filings. A Quick 

Comment is an easy method for 

interested persons to submit 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 Internet Web site at 

http://www.ferc.gov under the link to 

Documents and Filings. eFiling involves 

preparing your submission in the same 

manner as you would if filing on paper, 

and then saving the file on your 

computer’s hard drive. You will attach 

that file to your submission. New 

eFiling users must first create an 

account by clicking on ‘‘Sign up’’ or 

‘‘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 your comments with 

the Commission via mail by sending an 

original and two copies of your letter to: 

Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 

First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, 

DC 20426. 

Label one copy of the comments for 

the attention of Gas Branch 3, PJ–11.3. 

Environmental Mailing List 

An effort is being made to send this 

notice to all individuals, organizations, 

and government entities interested in 

and/or potentially affected by the 

planned project. This includes all 

landowners who are potential right-ofway grantors, whose property may be 

used temporarily for project purposes, 

or who own homes within certain 

distances of aboveground facilities (as 

defined in the Commission’s 

regulations). 

If you do not want to send comments 

at this time but still want to remain on 

our mailing list, please return the 

Information Request (appendix 2). If you 

do not return the Information Request, 

you will be taken off the mailing list. 

Becoming an Intervenor 

Once Northwest files its application 

with the Commission, you may want to 

become an ‘‘intervenor’’, which is an 

official party to the 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 a 

Commission 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 you may not request 

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 1–866–208–FERC or on the FERC 

Web site (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 

FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free 

at 1–866–208–3676, 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 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. E9–18551 Filed 8–3–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[EPA–HQ–OECA–2008–0300; FRL–8940–2] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to OMB for 

Review and Approval; Comment 

Request; NESHAP for Shipbuilding 

and Ship Repair Facilities—Surface 

Coating (Renewal); EPA ICR Number 

1712.06; OMB Control Number 2060– 

0330 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 

3501 et seq.), this document announces 

that an Information Collection Request 

(ICR) has been forwarded to the Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and approval. This is a request 

to renew an existing approved 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES