Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 78 / Monday, April 23, 2012 / Notices 24193 

1A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed 

parallel to an existing pipeline to increase capacity. 

2 ‘‘We’’, ‘‘us’’, and ‘‘our’’ refer to the 

environmental staff of the Office of Energy Projects 

(OEP). 

Administration and Control Area 

Services Tariff as a result of NYISO’s 

issuance of Technical Bulletin No. 217 

on April 6, 2012. The Complainants 

contend that the technical bulletin 

prohibits participating sellers from 

including energy consumed from 

‘‘behind the meter’’ generation eligible 

to participate in the NYISO’s Special 

Case Resources Program. 

The Complaints certify that copies of 

the complaint were served on the 

contacts for NYISO as listed on the 

Commission’s list of Corporate Officials. 

Any person desiring to intervene or to 

protest this filing 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). 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. Any person wishing to 

become a party must file a notice of 

intervention or motion to intervene, as 

appropriate. The Respondent’s answer 

and all interventions, or protests must 

be filed on or before the comment date. 

The Respondent’s answer, motions to 

intervene, and protests must be served 

on the Complainants. 

The Commission encourages 

electronic submission of protests and 

interventions in lieu of paper using the 

‘‘eFiling’’ link at http://www.ferc.gov. 

Persons unable to file electronically 

should submit an original and 14 copies 

of the protest or intervention to the 

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 

888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 

20426. 

This filing is accessible on-line at 

http://www.ferc.gov, using the 

‘‘eLibrary’’ link and is 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 email notification when a 

document is added to a subscribed 

docket(s). For assistance with any FERC 

Online service, please email 

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, or call 

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

(202) 502–8659. 

Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time 

on April 19, 2012. 

Dated: April 13, 2012. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2012–9654 Filed 4–20–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. PF12–6–000] 

Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; 

Notice of Intent to Prepare an 

Environmental Assessment for the 

Planned Line MB Loop Extension 

Project, Request for Comments on 

Environmental Issues, and Notice of 

Public Scoping Meeting 

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 Line MB Loop 1 Extension (Line MB) 

involving construction and operation of 

facilities by Columbia Gas 

Transmission, LLC (Columbia) in 

Baltimore and Harford Counties, 

Maryland. 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 they need to 

evaluate in the EA. Please note that the 

scoping period will close on May 16, 

2012. 

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 planned 

project and encourage them to comment 

on their areas of concern. 

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, 

we 2 invite you to attend the public 

scoping meetings scheduled as follows: 

Date and Time Location 

May 8, 2012, 7 p.m. EDT .................................................. Oregon Ridge Lodge, 13401 Beaver Dam Road, Cockeysville, MD 21030. 

May 9, 2012, 7 p.m. EDT .................................................. Youth’s Benefit Elementary School Cafeteria, 1901 Fallston Road, Fallston, MD 

21047. 

The public meetings are designed to 

provide you with more detailed 

information and another opportunity to 

offer your comments on the proposed 

project. Columbia representatives will 

be present one hour before each meeting 

to describe their proposal, present maps, 

and answer questions. Interested groups 

and individuals are encouraged to 

attend the meetings and to present 

comments on the issues they believe 

should be addressed in the EA. A 

transcript of each meeting will be made 

so that your comments will be 

accurately recorded. 

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 Line MB 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 

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 

Columbia plans to construct about 

21.3 miles of 26-inch-diameter pipeline 


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24194 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 78 / Monday, April 23, 2012 / Notices 

3A ‘‘pig’’ is a tool that the pipeline company 

inserts into and pushes through the pipeline for 

cleaning the pipeline, conducting internal 

inspections, or other purposes. 

4The 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’’ 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. 

5The Council on Environmental Quality 

regulations addressing cooperating agency 

responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal 

Regulations, Part 1501.6. 

6The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation 

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 

for Historic Places. 

in Baltimore and Harford Counties, 

Maryland to expand its existing natural 

gas transmission system. The new 

pipeline loop would primarily be 

installed within or adjacent to 

Columbia’s existing rights-of-way. 

The Line MB would consist of the 

following facilities: 

• 21.3 miles of 26-inch-diameter 

pipeline; 

• Install pipeline pig 3 receivers at the 

Owing Mills Meter Station and the 

Rutledge Compressor Station; and 

• Install two mainline valves on its 

existing Line MA. 

The general location of the project 

facilities is shown in appendix 1.4

Land Requirements for Construction 

The Applicant is still in the planning 

phase for the project, and workspace 

requirements have not been finalized. 

However, construction of the planned 

facilities would disturb about 297.6 

acres of land for the aboveground 

facilities and the pipeline. Following 

construction, Columbia would maintain 

about 129.6 acres of land for permanent 

operation of the project’s facilities; the 

remaining areas would be restored and 

revert to former uses. Most of the 

planned pipeline route parallels existing 

pipeline, utility, or road rights-of-way. 

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 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. We will consider all 

filed comments during the preparation 

of the EA. 

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; 

• Public safety; and 

• Alternatives. 

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. Alternatives are being considered 

along the proposed route between 

Garrison Forest Road and Shawan Road 

(Milepost 1.4 to 8.2) and between 

Mansel Drive and Joel Court (Milepost 

5.0 to 6.0). 

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 

the FERC receives an application. 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. In addition, representatives 

from the FERC participated in public 

Open House meetings sponsored by 

Columbia in the project area in March 

2012, to explain the environmental 

review process to interested 

stakeholders. 

The EA will present our independent 

analysis of the issues. The EA will be 

available in the public record through 

eLibrary. Depending on the comments 

received during the scoping process, we 

may also publish and distribute the EA 

to the public for an allotted comment 

period. We will consider all comments 

on the EA before we make our 

recommendations to the Commission. 

To ensure we have the opportunity to 

consider and address your comments, 

please carefully follow the instructions 

in the Public Participation section. 

With this notice, we are asking 

agencies with jurisdiction and/or 

special expertise with respect to the 

environmental issues to formally 

cooperate with us in the preparation of 

the EA 5. 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 U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers has expressed its intention to 

participate as a cooperating agency in 

the preparation of the EA to satisfy its 

NEPA responsibilities related to this 

project. 

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 

Preservation Act, we are using this 

notice to initiate consultation with 

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.6 We will define the 

project-specific Area of Potential Effects 

(APE) in consultation with the SHPO(s) 

as the project develops. 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. 

Currently Identified Environmental 

Issues 

We have already identified several 

issues and alternatives that we think 

deserve attention based on a 

preliminary review of the proposed 

facilities, comments made to us at the 

Applicant’s open houses, preliminary 

consultations with other agencies, and 

the environmental information provided 

by Columbia. This preliminary list of 

issues may change based on your 

comments and our analysis. 

• Construction constraints; 

• Impacts on residential 

communities; and 

• Route alternatives. 

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, 


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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 78 / Monday, April 23, 2012 / Notices 24195 

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 May 16, 

2012. 

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 (PF12–6–000) 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 at 

www.ferc.gov under the link called 

‘‘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 that is listed under the 

‘‘Documents and Filings’’ link. 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 the link called 

‘‘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 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, 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. In addition, 

this list includes those that may be 

affected by a proposed alternative. 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 we publish and distribute the EA, 

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 CD version or would like to remove 

your name from the mailing list, please 

return the attached Information Request 

(Appendix 2). 

Becoming an Intervenor 

Once Columbia 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 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 the Commission receives a 

formal application for the project. 

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 (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., PF12– 

6). Be sure you have selected an 

appropriate date range. For assistance, 

please contact FERC Online Support at 

FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov 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 that 

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 www.ferc.gov/

EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along 

with other related information. 

Dated: April 16, 2012. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2012–9657 Filed 4–20–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Project No. 14378–000] 

Green River Energy BFD, LLC; Notice 

of Preliminary Permit Application 

Accepted for Filing and Soliciting 

Comments, Motions To Intervene, and 

Competing Applications 

On March 29, 2012, Green River 

Energy BFD, LLC filed an application 

for a preliminary permit, pursuant to 

section 4(f) of the Federal Power Act 

(FPA), proposing to study the feasibility 

of a hydropower project located at the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (Corps) 

Green River Lake Dam, located on the 

Green River in Taylor County, 

Kentucky. The sole purpose of a 

preliminary permit, if issued, is to grant 

the permit holder priority to file a 

license application during the permit 

term. A preliminary permit does not 

authorize the permit holder to perform 

any land-disturbing activities or 

otherwise enter upon lands or waters 

owned by others without the owners’ 

express permission. 

The proposed project would consist of 

the following: (1) A bifurcation structure 

constructed at the end of the dam’s 

outlet conduit; (2) a 30-foot-long, 72 

inch-diameter steel penstock; (3) a 

powerhouse containing two turbine/ 

generating units with a total capacity of 

3.1 megawatts; (4) a 570-foot-long, 12.7- 

kilovolt (kV) transmission line. The 

proposed project would have an average 

annual generation of 17,651 megawatthours (MWh), and operate utilizing 

surplus water from the Green River Lake 

Dam, as directed by the Corps. 

Applicant Contact: Mr. Mark 

Boumansour, Green River Energy BFD, 

LLC, 1035 Pearl Street 4th Floor, 

Boulder, CO 80302. (720) 295–3317. 

FERC Contact: Christiane Casey, 

christiane.casey@ferc.gov, (202) 502– 

8577. 

Deadline for filing comments, motions 

to intervene, competing applications 


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