Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 99 / Tuesday, May 26, 2009 / Notices 24839 

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

environmental staff of the FERC’s Office of Energy 

Projects. 

Milestone Target date 

FERC issues draft environmental assess (EA) ....................................................................................................................... November 3, 2009. 

All stakeholders: draft EA comments due ............................................................................................................................... December 3, 2009. 

All stakeholders: modified terms and conditions due .............................................................................................................. February 1, 2010. 

FERC issues final EA .............................................................................................................................................................. March 30, 2010. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. E9–12088 Filed 5–22–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. PF09–9–000] 

ETC Tiger Pipeline, LLC; Notice of 

Intent To Prepare an Environmental 

Assessment for the Proposed Tiger 

Pipeline Project, Request for 

Comments on Environmental Issues 

and Notice of Public Scoping Meetings 

May 15, 2009. 

The staff of the Federal Energy 

Regulatory Commission (FERC or 

Commission) is in the process of 

preparing an environmental assessment 

(EA) that will discuss the environmental 

impacts that could result from the 

construction and operation of the Tiger 

Pipeline Project. The project is planned 

by ETC Tiger Pipeline, LLC (ETC Tiger) 

to transport natural gas from the 

Haynesville and Barnett Shale 

production areas to markets in the 

Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast. 

This Notice of Intent (NOI) initiates 

the scoping process that will be used to 

gather input from the public and 

interested agencies on the project. Your 

input will help determine which issues 

will be evaluated in the EA. The staff 

will also use the scoping process to 

determine whether preparation of an 

environmental impact statement (EIS) is 

more appropriate for this project based 

upon the anticipated level of impacts. 

Please note that the scoping period for 

this project will close on June 29, 2009. 

Comments may be submitted in 

written or verbal form. 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, 

the Commission Staff invites you to 

attend the public scoping meetings 

scheduled as follows. 

Date and time Location 

Monday, June 8, 2009, 7 p.m. (CDT) ...................................................... Delhi Civic Center, 232 Denver Street, Delhi, Louisiana 71232. 

Tuesday, June 9, 2009, 7 p.m. (CDT) ..................................................... Jackson Parish Community Center, 182 Industrial Drive, Jonesboro, 

Louisiana 71251. 

Thursday, June 11, 2009, 7 p.m. (CDT) .................................................. Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, 300 West Panola Street, Carthage, 

Texas 75633. 

Interested groups and individuals are 

encouraged to attend the meetings and 

to present comments on the 

environmental issues they believe 

should be addressed in the EA. A 

transcript of the meetings will be 

generated so that your comments will be 

accurately recorded. 

The FERC will be the lead Federal 

agency in the preparation of an EA or 

EIS that will satisfy the requirements of 

the National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) and will be used by the FERC 

to consider the environmental impacts 

that could result if the Commission 

issues ETC Tiger a Certificate of Public 

Convenience and Necessity (Certificate) 

under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act. 

This NOI is being sent to Federal, 

State, and local government agencies; 

elected officials; affected landowners; 

environmental and public interest 

groups; Indian Tribes and regional 

Native American organizations; 

commentors and other interested 

parties; and local libraries and 

newspapers. We 1 encourage 

government representatives to notify 

their constituents of this planned 

project and encourage them to comment 

on their areas of concern. 

If you are a landowner receiving this 

notice, you may be contacted by an ETC 

Tiger representative about the 

acquisition of an easement to construct, 

operate, and maintain the proposed 

facilities. ETC Tiger would seek to 

negotiate a mutually acceptable 

agreement. However, if the project is 

approved by the FERC, that approval 

conveys with it the right of eminent 

domain. Therefore, if easement 

negotiations fail to produce an 

agreement, ETC Tiger 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 Internet Web site (http:// 

www.ferc.gov/for-citizens/citizenguides.asp). This fact sheet addresses a 

number of typically asked questions, 

including the use of eminent domain 

and how to participate in FERC’s 

proceedings. 

Summary of the Proposed Project 

ETC Tiger has announced its proposal 

to construct and operate a new natural 

gas pipeline and associated structures 

with a flow capacity of 2.0 billion cubic 

feet per day (Bcf/d). The project would 

consist of an approximate 174-mile, 42- 

inch-diameter pipeline running from the 

Carthage Hub in Panola County, Texas 

to the Perryville Hub in Richland 

Parish, Louisiana. ETC Tiger states that 

the Tiger Pipeline would transport 

natural gas from the growing 

Haynesville Shale production area to 

Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast 

markets through seven interconnects 

with other major interstate natural gas 

pipelines and one bi-directional 

interconnect with an existing intrastate 

pipeline at the Carthage Hub. In 

addition, the Tiger Pipeline would 

transport gas from the Barnett shale 

production area through its 

24840 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 99 / Tuesday, May 26, 2009 / Notices 

2A pig is an internal tool that can be used to 

clean and dry a pipeline and/or to inspect it for 

damage or corrosion. 

3The appendices referenced in this notice are not 

being printed in the Federal Register. Copies can 

be obtained from the Commission’s Web site at the 

‘‘eLibrary’’ link, from the Commission’s Public 

Reference Room, or by calling (202) 502–8371. For 

instructions on connecting to ‘‘eLibrary’’, refer to 

the end of this notice. Copies of the appendices 

were sent to all those receiving this notice in the 

mail. 

interconnection with Houston Pipe Line 

Company (Houston Pipe Line). The 

Project would provide a critical link 

between natural gas production in the 

Haynesville and adjacent Barnett shales 

and existing pipeline infrastructure in 

the region. 

The Project is designed with a 

capacity of up to 1.0 Bcf/d from the 

Carthage Hub to Louisiana State 

Highway 789 and up to 2.0 Bcf/d from 

Louisiana State Highway 789 to the end 

of the pipeline. More specifically, ETC 

Tiger proposes the following facilities: 

• 174 miles of 42-inch-diameter 

natural gas pipeline in Panola County, 

Texas; and Caddo, De Soto, Red River, 

Bienville, Jackson, Ouachita, and 

Richland Parishes, Louisiana; 

• Four mainline compressor stations 

with approximately 113,000 combined 

horsepower (hp) in Panola County, 

Texas; and Red River Parish, Bienville 

Parish, and Jackson Parish, Louisiana; 

• Ancillary facilities, including 

interconnects and pig 2 launchers and 

receivers; 

• Receipt and delivery meter stations: 

15 receipt meters, 7 delivery meters, and 

one bidirectional meter. 

A location map depicting the 

proposed pipeline and compressor 

stations is attached to this NOI as 

Appendix 1.3

Land Requirements for Construction 

As currently estimated by ETC Tiger, 

construction of the Tiger Pipeline 

Project would require about 3,407 acres 

of land, including pipeline, 

aboveground facilities, appurtenant 

facilities, pipe storage and contractor 

yards, and access roads. Following 

construction, about 1,588 acres would 

be used for operation of the project 

facilities. The areas disturbed during 

construction but not required for 

operation would generally be allowed to 

revert to pre-construction use and 

condition. 

The EA Process 

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. 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 

NOI, the Commission staff 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. State 

and local government representatives 

are encouraged to notify their 

constituents of this proposed action and 

encourage them to comment on their 

areas of concern. 

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; 

• Air quality and noise; 

• Endangered and threatened species; 

and 

• Public safety. 

We will also evaluate possible 

alternatives to the proposed Project or 

portions of the Project, and make 

recommendations on how to avoid, 

minimize, or mitigate impacts on the 

various resource areas. 

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 

an application is filed with the FERC. 

As part of our Pre-Filing Process 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 houses 

sponsored by ETC Tiger in the project 

area in April 2009 to explain the 

environmental review process to 

interested stakeholders. 

Our independent analysis of the 

issues will be in the EA. Depending on 

the comments received during the 

scoping process, the EA may be 

published and mailed to Federal, State, 

and local agencies; public interest 

groups; interested individuals; affected 

landowners; newspapers; libraries; and 

the Commission’s official service list for 

this proceeding. A comment period will 

be allotted for review following 

publication of the EA. 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 NOI, we are asking Federal, 

State, and local 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. Additional 

agencies that would like to request 

cooperating agency status should follow 

the instructions for filing comments 

provided under the Public Participation 

section of this NOI. 

Currently Identified Environmental 

Issues 

We have already identified issues that 

we think deserve attention based on a 

preliminary review of the proposed 

facilities and our previous experience 

with similar projects in the region. This 

preliminary list of issues, which is 

presented below, may be revised based 

on your comments and our continuing 

analyses specific to the Tiger Pipeline 

Project. 

• Potential effects on prime farmland 

soils and soils with a high potential for 

compaction. 

• Potential effects on waterbodies 

designated under Federal and/or State 

programs, including the Sabine River, 

Saline Bayou, and Black Lake Bayou. 

• Potential impacts to waterbird 

nesting areas along major river 

crossings. 

• Potential impacts to wetland 

reserve program (WRP) and 

conservation reserve program (CRP) 

parcels of land. 

• Potential effects on Federally and 

State-listed species, including interior 

least tern, red cockaded woodpecker, 

Louisiana black bear, pallid sturgeon, 

Earth fruit, and Louisiana pine snake. 

• Potential impacts to existing land 

uses, including agricultural and forested 

lands. 

• Potential visual effects of the 

aboveground facilities on surrounding 

areas. 

• Alternative alignments for the 

pipeline route and alternative sites for 

the compressor stations. 

• Assessment of the effect of the 

proposed project when combined with 

other past, present, or reasonably 

foreseeable future actions in the project 

area. 

We usually limit the allowed 

construction right-of-way to a default 

width of 75 feet or that described in the 

Certificate application, unless modified 

by a Certificate condition. Both of the 

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 99 / Tuesday, May 26, 2009 / Notices 24841 

recently constructed large diameter (42- 

inch) natural gas pipelines in the 

proposed project area utilized a nominal 

100-foot-wide construction right-of-way 

width in uplands and 75-foot-wide 

construction right-of-way in wetlands 

with additional temporary workspace, 

as required for specific construction 

requirements or techniques. ETC Tiger 

has proposed a range of right-of-way 

widths: 125 to 150 feet in uplands, 

depending on land use; and 75 to 125 

feet in wetlands, depending on cover 

type and length of wetland crossing. We 

will be evaluating ETC Tiger’s proposed 

construction right-of-way width 

configurations and justification and 

encourage your comments on this issue. 

A complete summary of the proposed 

right-of-way widths can be found in 

Appendix 1C of ETC Tiger’s draft 

resource report 1 which can be obtained 

on the Commission’s Web site through 

the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link. 

Public Participation 

You can make a difference by 

providing us with your specific 

comments or concerns about the Tiger 

Pipeline 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 June 29, 

2009. 

For your convenience, there are three 

methods you can use to submit your 

written comments to the Commission. 

In all instances please reference the 

project’s Docket Number PF09–9–000 

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 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 as 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 via 

mail to the Commission by sending an 

original and two copies of your letter to: 

Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 

First St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 

20426. 

Label one copy of the comments for 

the attention of Gas Branch 1, PJ–11.2. 

Becoming an Intervenor 

Once ETC Tiger formally 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 ‘‘eFiling’’ 

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 is filed 

with the Commission. 

Environmental Mailing List 

Everyone who responds to this notice 

or provides comments throughout the 

EA process will be retained on the 

mailing list. If you do not want to send 

comments at this time but want to stay 

informed and receive a copy of the EA, 

you must return the Mailing List 

Retention Form (Appendix 2). If you do 

not send comments or return the 

Mailing List Retention Form asking to 

remain on the mailing list, you will be 

taken off the mailing list. 

Additional Information 

Additional information about the 

project is available from the 

Commission’s Office of External Affairs 

at 1–866–208–FERC (3372), or on the 

FERC’s Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) 

using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Click on the 

‘‘eLibrary’’ link, select ‘‘General 

Search’’, and enter the project docket 

number, excluding the last three digits 

(i.e., PF09–9) in the ‘‘Docket Number’’ 

field. Be sure you have selected an 

appropriate date range. For assistance 

with ‘‘eLibrary’’, the ‘‘eLibrary’’ helpline 

can be reached at 1–866–208–3676, TTY 

(202) 502–8659, or by e-mail at 

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. The 

‘‘eLibrary’’ link on the FERC Web site 

also provides access to the texts of 

formal documents issued by the 

Commission, such as orders, notices, 

and rule makings. 

In addition, FERC now 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. To register for this service, 

go to http://www.ferc.gov/ 

esubscribenow.htm. 

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. 

Finally, ETC Tiger has established a 

Web site for this project at http:// 

www.tigerpipeline.com. The Web site 

includes a project overview, timeline, 

safety and environmental information, 

and answers to frequently asked 

questions. You can also request 

additional information by e-mailing or 

writing ETC Tiger directly: 

Mr. Joey Mahmoud, ETC Tiger Pipeline, 

LLC, 711 Louisiana Street, Houston, 

Texas 77002–2716, 

Joey.Mahmoud@energytransfer.com, 

281–714–2042. 

R. Leon Banta, ETC Tiger Pipeline, LLC, 

4300 Youree Drive, Building #1, 

Shreveport, LA 71105, 

leon.banta@energytransfer.com, 318– 

841–0266. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. E9–12075 Filed 5–22–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. CP08–465–000] 

ANR Pipeline Company; Notice of 

Availability of the Environmental 

Assessment for the Proposed 

Wisconsin 2009 Expansion Project 

May 15, 2009. 

The staff of the Federal Energy 

Regulatory Commission (FERC or 

Commission) has prepared an 

environmental assessment (EA) of the 

Wisconsin 2009 Expansion Project 

proposed by ANR Pipeline Company 

(ANR) in the above-referenced docket.