Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 199 / Tuesday, October 17, 2023 / Notices 71541 

1 Mark A. Vaughn, 32 FERC ¶ 62,716 (1985). 

Subsequently, on March 31, 2004, the project was 

transferred to R.J. Fortier Hydropower Inc. 

Docket Nos. File date Presenter or requester 

Prohibited: 

1. P–2082–000 .................................................................... 10–2–2023 FERC Staff 1. 

2. CP16–10–012, CP21–57–000, CP19–477–000 ............. 10–3–2023 FERC Staff 2. 

Exempt: 

1. CP17–66–001, CP17–67–001 ........................................ 9–28–2023 U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy. 

2. EC23–74–000 ................................................................. 10–5–2023 Ohio State Senator Rob McColley. 

3. P–77–001 ........................................................................ 10–6–2023 U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson. 

4. CP22–2–000 ................................................................... 10–11–2023 U.S. Congress 3. 

1Emailed comments dated 9/29/23 from William E. Simpson II. 

2Emailed comments dated 10/1/23 from William F. Limpert. 

3 Congress Members Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Cliff Bentz, Mike Simpson, Russ Fulcher, Kelly Armstrong, Doug LaMaifa, Senators Mike Crapo 

and James E. Risch. 

Dated: October 11, 2023. 

Debbie-Anne A. Reese, 

Deputy Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2023–22864 Filed 10–16–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Project No. 9079–006] 

R.J. Fortier Hydropower, Inc., 

Northeast Community Services, Inc.; 

Notice of Transfer of Exemption 

1. On September 18, 2023, Northeast 

Community Services, Inc. filed a 

notification of the transfer for the 65- 

kilowatt Upper Spears Stream 

Hydroelectric Project No. 9079 from R.J. 

Fortier Hydropower, Inc. to Northeast 

Community Services, Inc. The 

exemption from licensing was originally 

issued on September 30, 1985.1 The 

project is located on the Upper Spears 

Stream, Oxford County, Maine. The 

transfer of an exemption does not 

require Commission approval. 

2. Northeast Community Services, Inc. 

is now the exemptee of the Upper 

Spears Stream Hydroelectric Project No. 

9079. All correspondence must be 

forwarded to Tyler A. Hicks, President, 

Northeast Community Services, Inc., 

Massachusetts Address: 257 Union 

Street, New Bedford, MA 02740, Maine 

address: 10 Murray Street, Bingham, ME 

04920, Phone: (508) 851–9158, email: 

northeastcommunityservices@

gmail.com. 

Dated: October 11, 2023. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2023–22888 Filed 10–16–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. CP23–536–000] 

Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company; 

Notice of Scoping Period Requesting 

Comments on Environmental Issues 

for the Proposed Worcester Resiliency 

Upgrade Project 

The staff of the Federal Energy 

Regulatory Commission (FERC or 

Commission) will prepare an 

environmental document, that will 

discuss the environmental impacts of 

the Worcester Resiliency Upgrade 

Project involving construction and 

operation of facilities by Eastern Shore 

Natural Gas Company (Eastern Shore) in 

Worcester, Wicomico, and Somerset 

Counties, Maryland and Sussex County, 

Delaware. The Commission will use this 

environmental document 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 regarding the 

project. As part of the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

review process, the Commission takes 

into account concerns the public may 

have about proposals and the 

environmental impacts that could result 

from its action whenever it considers 

the issuance of a Certificate of Public 

Convenience and Necessity. This 

gathering of public input is referred to 

as ‘‘scoping.’’ The main goal of the 

scoping process is to focus the analysis 

in the environmental document on the 

important environmental issues. 

Additional information about the 

Commission’s NEPA process is 

described below in the NEPA Process 

and Environmental Document section of 

this notice. 

By this notice, the Commission 

requests public comments on the scope 

of issues to address in the 

environmental document. To ensure 

that your comments are timely and 

properly recorded, please submit your 

comments so that the Commission 

receives them in Washington, DC on or 

before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on 

November 10, 2023. Comments may be 

submitted in written form. Further 

details on how to submit comments are 

provided in the Public Participation 

section of this notice. 

Your comments should focus on the 

potential environmental effects, 

reasonable alternatives, and measures to 

avoid or lessen environmental impacts. 

Your input will help the Commission 

staff determine what issues they need to 

evaluate in the environmental 

document. Commission staff will 

consider all written comments during 

the preparation of the environmental 

document. 

If you submitted comments on this 

project to the Commission before the 

opening of this docket on September 15, 

2023, you will need to file those 

comments in Docket No. CP23–536–000 

to ensure they are considered as part of 

this proceeding. 

This notice is being sent to the 

Commission’s current environmental 

mailing list for this project. State and 

local government representatives should 

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, a pipeline company 

representative may contact you about 

the acquisition of an easement to 

construct, operate, and maintain the 

proposed facilities. The company would 

seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable 

easement agreement. You are not 

required to enter into an agreement. 

However, if the Commission approves 

the project, the Natural Gas Act conveys 

the right of eminent domain to the 

company. Therefore, if you and the 

company do not reach an easement 

agreement, the pipeline company could 

initiate condemnation proceedings in 


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71542 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 199 / Tuesday, October 17, 2023 / Notices 

1The appendices referenced in this notice will 

not appear in the Federal Register. Copies of the 

appendices were sent to all those receiving this 

notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov 

using the link called ‘‘eLibrary’’. For instructions on 

connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this 

notice. At this time, the Commission has suspended 

access to the Commission’s Public Reference Room. 

For assistance, contact FERC at 

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or call toll free, (886) 

208–3676 or TTY (202) 502–8659. 

court. In such instances, compensation 

would be determined by a judge in 

accordance with state law. The 

Commission does not subsequently 

grant, exercise, or oversee the exercise 

of that eminent domain authority. The 

courts have exclusive authority to 

handle eminent domain cases; the 

Commission has no jurisdiction over 

these matters. 

Eastern Shore provided landowners 

with a fact sheet prepared by the FERC 

entitled ‘‘An Interstate Natural Gas 

Facility On My Land? What Do I Need 

To Know?’’ which addresses typically 

asked questions, including the use of 

eminent domain and how to participate 

in the Commission’s proceedings. This 

fact sheet along with other landowner 

topics of interest are available for 

viewing on the FERC website 

(www.ferc.gov) under the Natural Gas, 

Landowner Topics link. 

Public Participation 

There are three methods you can use 

to submit your comments to the 

Commission. Please carefully follow 

these instructions so that your 

comments are properly recorded. The 

Commission encourages electronic filing 

of comments and has staff available to 

assist you at (866) 208–3676 or 

FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. 

(1) You can file your comments 

electronically using the eComment 

feature, which is located on the 

Commission’s website (www.ferc.gov) 

under the link to FERC Online. Using 

eComment is an easy method for 

submitting brief, text-only comments on 

a project; 

(2) You can file your comments 

electronically by using the eFiling 

feature, which is located on the 

Commission’s website (www.ferc.gov) 

under the link to FERC Online. 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 can file a paper copy of your 

comments by mailing them to the 

Commission. Be sure to reference the 

project docket number (CP23–536–000) 

on your letter. Submissions sent via the 

U.S. Postal Service must be addressed 

to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 

First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, 

DC 20426. Submissions sent via any 

other carrier must be addressed to: 

Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 

Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 

20852. 

Additionally, the Commission offers a 

free service called eSubscription which 

makes it easy to stay informed of all 

issuances and submittals regarding the 

dockets/projects to which you 

subscribe. These instant email 

notifications are the fastest way to 

receive notification and provide a link 

to the document files which can reduce 

the amount of time you spend 

researching proceedings. Go to https://

www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to 

register for eSubscription. 

The Commission’s Office of Public 

Participation (OPP) supports meaningful 

public engagement and participation in 

Commission proceedings. OPP can help 

members of the public, including 

landowners, environmental justice 

communities, Tribal members and 

others, access publicly available 

information and navigate Commission 

processes. For public inquiries and 

assistance with making filings such as 

interventions, comments, or requests for 

rehearing, the public is encouraged to 

contact OPP at (202) 502–6595 or OPP@

ferc.gov. 

Summary of the Proposed Project 

Eastern Shore proposes to install five 

liquified natural gas (LNG) storage tanks 

and LNG vaporizers in Worcester 

County, Maryland, approximately 1.1 

miles of 10-inch-diameter pipeline 

looping in Sussex County, Delaware and 

Wicomico County, Maryland, upgrades 

to an existing pressure control station in 

Sussex County, Delaware, and upgrades 

to three existing meter and regulating 

stations in Sussex County, Delaware and 

Worcester and Somerset Counties, 

Maryland. The Worcester Resiliency 

Upgrade Project would store 

approximately 475,000 gallons of LNG, 

equivalent to 39,627 Dekatherms, and 

provide 14,000 Dekatherms per day of 

corresponding peak firm natural gas 

transportation service. According to 

Eastern Shore, its project would 

enhance the resiliency of Eastern 

Shore’s system. 

The general location of the project 

facilities is shown in appendix 1.1

Land Requirements for Construction 

Construction of the proposed facilities 

would disturb about 36.9 acres of land 

for the aboveground facilities and the 

pipeline. Following construction, 

Eastern shore would maintain about 

16.1 acres for permanent operation of 

the project’s facilities; the remaining 

acreage would be restored and revert to 

former uses. 

NEPA Process and the Environmental 

Document 

Any environmental document issued 

by the Commission will discuss impacts 

that could occur as a result of the 

construction and operation of the 

proposed project under the relevant 

general resource areas: 

• geology and soils; 

• water resources and wetlands; 

• vegetation and wildlife; 

• threatened and endangered species; 

• cultural resources; 

• land use; 

• socioeconomics; 

• environmental justice; 

• air quality and noise; and 

• reliability and safety. 

Community groups, schools, 

churches, and businesses within these 

environmental justice communities, 

along with known environmental justice 

organizations, have been included on 

the Commission’s environmental 

mailing list for the project, as further 

explained in the Environmental Mailing 

List section of this notice. 

Commission staff 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. Your comments will 

help Commission staff identify and 

focus on the issues that might have an 

effect on the human environment and 

potentially eliminate others from further 

study and discussion in the 

environmental document. 

Following this scoping period, 

Commission staff will determine 

whether to prepare an Environmental 

Assessment (EA) or an Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS). The EA or the 

EIS will present Commission staff’s 

independent analysis of the issues. If 

Commission staff prepares an EA, a 

Notice of Schedule for the Preparation 

of an Environmental Assessment will be 

issued. The EA may be issued for an 

allotted public comment period. The 

Commission would consider timely 

comments on the EA before making its 

decision regarding the proposed project. 

If Commission staff prepares an EIS, a 

Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS/ 

Notice of Schedule will be issued, 


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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 199 / Tuesday, October 17, 2023 / Notices 71543 

2For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer 

to the last page of this notice. 3The Council on Environmental Quality 

regulations addressing cooperating agency 

responsibilities are at title 40, Code of Federal 

Regulations, section 1501.8. 

4The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s 

regulations are at title 36, Code of Federal 

Regulations, part 800. Those regulations define 

historic properties as any prehistoric or historic 

district, site, building, structure, or object included 

in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register 

of Historic Places. 

which will open up an additional 

comment period. Staff will then prepare 

a draft EIS which will be issued for 

public comment. Commission staff will 

consider all timely comments received 

during the comment period on the draft 

EIS and revise the document, as 

necessary, before issuing a final EIS. 

Any EA or draft and final EIS will be 

available in electronic format in the 

public record through eLibrary 2 and the 

Commission’s natural gas 

environmental documents web page 

(https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/ 

natural-gas/environment/ 

environmental-documents). If 

eSubscribed, you will receive instant 

email notification when the 

environmental document is issued. 

With this notice, the Commission is 

asking agencies with jurisdiction by law 

and/or special expertise with respect to 

the environmental issues of this project 

to formally cooperate in the preparation 

of the environmental document.3

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. 

Consultation 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, the Commission is 

using this notice to initiate consultation 

with the applicable State Historic 

Preservation Office(s), 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

The environmental document for this 

project will document findings on the 

impacts on historic properties and 

summarize the status of consultations 

under section 106. 

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 and includes a 

mailing address with their comments. 

Commission staff will update the 

environmental mailing list as the 

analysis proceeds to ensure that 

Commission notices related to this 

environmental review are sent to all 

individuals, organizations, and 

government entities interested in and/or 

potentially affected by the proposed 

project. 

If you need to make changes to your 

name/address, or if you would like to 

remove your name from the mailing list, 

please complete one of the following 

steps: 

(1) Send an email to 

GasProjectAddressChange@ferc.gov 

stating your request. You must include 

the docket number CP23–536–000 in 

your request. If you are requesting a 

change to your address, please be sure 

to include your name and the correct 

address. If you are requesting to delete 

your address from the mailing list, 

please include your name and address 

as it appeared on this notice. This email 

address is unable to accept comments. 

OR 

(2) Return the attached ‘‘Mailing List 

Update Form’’ (appendix 2). 

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 

website at www.ferc.gov using the 

eLibrary link. Click on the eLibrary link, 

click on ‘‘General Search’’ and enter the 

docket number 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 (866) 

208–3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 

502–8659. The eLibrary link also 

provides access to the texts of all formal 

documents issued by the Commission, 

such as orders, notices, and 

rulemakings. 

Public sessions or site visits will be 

posted on the Commission’s calendar 

located at https://www.ferc.gov/newsevents/events along with other related 

information. 

Dated: October 11, 2023. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

Appendix 1 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 


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Figure 1 

Overview Map with Project Areas Labeled 
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 199 / Tuesday, October 17, 2023 / Notices 71545 

[FR Doc. 2023–22886 Filed 10–16–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–C 


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MAILING LIST UPDATE FORM 

Worcester Resiliency Upgrade Project 

Name -------------------- Agency __________________ _ 

Address ------------------- City ________ State ___ Zip Code ___ _ 

D Please update the mailing list 

D Please remove my name from the mailing list 

FROM ____________ _ 

ATTN: OEP- Gas 2, PJ -11.2 

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 

888 First Street NE 

Washington, DC 20426 

CP23-536-000 Worcester Resiliency Upgrade Project 

Staple or Tape Here