Document ID: FERC-2020-0235-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Environmental Impact Statements; Availability, etc.: Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co., LLC; Proposed Amendment of the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project
Posted Date: 2020-02-25T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 25, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10666-10668]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-03699]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP20-49-000]

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Document for a Proposed Amendment of the 
Northeast Supply Enhancement Project and Request for Comments on 
Environmental Issues

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental document that will discuss 
the environmental impacts of a proposed amendment to Transcontinental 
Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC's (Transco) Northeast Supply Enhancement 
Project. Transco seeks authorization to utilize and extend an existing 
road to access Compressor Station 206 in Somerset County, New Jersey in 
lieu of constructing the certificated access road. The Commission will 
use the environmental document in its decision-making process to 
determine whether the amendment 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 about issues regarding the proposed amendment/alternative 
access road. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the 
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could 
result from its action whenever it considers the issuance of a 
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires the 
Commission to discover 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 environmental document 
on the important environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission 
requests public comments on the scope of the 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 
March 20, 2020.
    You can make a difference by submitting your specific comments or 
concerns regarding the amendment. 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 filed 
comments during the preparation of the environmental document.
    If you sent comments on this amendment to the Commission before the 
opening of this docket on January 31, 2020, you will need to file those 
comments in Docket No. CP20-49-000 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 amendment. State and local government 
representatives should notify their constituents of the potential 
change in access to Compressor Station 206 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 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 amendment, that approval conveys with it the right of 
eminent domain. Therefore, if you and the company do not reach an 
easement agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation 
proceedings in court. In such instances, compensation would be 
determined by a judge in accordance with state law.
    Transco 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?'' 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. It is also available for viewing on 
the FERC website (www.ferc.gov) at https://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/gas/gas.pdf.

Public Participation

    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. To sign up go to www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic 
filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-
3676 or FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. Please carefully follow these 
instructions so that your comments are properly recorded.
    (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 Documents and Filings. 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 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

[[Page 10667]]

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 following address. Be sure to reference the projects' docket number 
(CP20-49-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, 
Washington, DC 20426.

Summary of the Proposed Amendment

    Transco proposes to amend the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project 
to utilize an alternative permanent access road to Compressor Station 
206 (Higgins Farm Access Road) that would involve the use and extension 
of an existing road rather than construction of the previously approved 
access road across property owned by Trap Rock Industries (Trap Rock 
Access Road). Transco states the proposal would enable it to comply 
with requirements from the New Jersey Department of Environmental 
Protection and reduce wetland impacts. The existing road crosses the 
Higgins Farm Superfund Site for approximately 1,819 feet, terminating 
at an enclosed groundwater remediation system operated by the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency. Transco would not modify the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency road but would extend the road 
approximately 1,213 feet to the compressor station site. Most of the 
extension would occur on land owned by Transco. The figure in appendix 
1 depicts the previously-approved Trap Rock Access Road and newly 
proposed Higgins Farm Access Road.\1\
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    \1\ The 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.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the Higgins Farm Access Road would disturb about 
5.4 acres of land, all of which would be permanently impacted during 
operation of Compressor Station 206.

The Environmental Review Process

    The environmental document will discuss impacts that could occur as 
a result of the construction and operation of the Higgins Farm Access 
Road under these general headings:
     geology and soils;
     water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
     vegetation and wildlife;
     threatened and endangered species;
     cultural resources; and
     land use.
    Commission staff will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the 
proposed amendment, and make recommendations on how to lessen or avoid 
impacts on the various resource areas.
    The environmental document will present Commission staffs' 
independent analysis of the issues. The environmental document will be 
available in electronic format in the public record through eLibrary 
\2\ and the Commission's website (https://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/enviro/eis.asp). If eSubscribed, you will receive instant email 
notification when the environmental document is issued. The 
environmental document may be issued for an allotted public comment 
period. Commission staff will consider all comments on the 
environmental document before making recommendations to the Commission. 
To ensure Commission staff has the opportunity to consider and address 
your comments, please carefully follow the instructions in the Public 
Participation section, beginning on page 2.
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    \2\ For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the 
last page of this notice.
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    With this notice, the Commission is asking agencies with 
jurisdiction by law and/or special expertise with respect to the 
environmental issues related to these projects 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.
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    \3\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing 
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
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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 New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office, 
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 will 
document findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize 
the status of consultations under section 106.
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    \4\ The 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 of Historic 
Places.
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Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    Commission staff has already identified several issues that deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the planned facility and the 
environmental information provided by Transco. This preliminary list of 
issues may change based on your comments and our analysis.
     water resources and wetlands;
     forested land;
     residences;
     special status species;
     agricultural land;
     special land uses; and
     pre-existing contamination.

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, and anyone who 
submits comments on the project. 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 planned amendment.
    If the Commission issues the environmental document for an allotted 
public comment period, a Notice of Availability of the environmental 
document will be sent to the environmental mailing list and will 
provide instructions to access the electronic document on the FERC's 
website (www.ferc.gov). If you need to make changes to your name/
address, or if you would like to remove your name from the mailing 
list, please return the attached ``Mailing List Update Form'' (appendix 
2).

Additional Information

    Additional information about the amendment/alternative access road 
is available from the Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 
208-FERC, or on the FERC website (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary 
link. Click on the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter 
the docket number(s) in the

[[Page 10668]]

``Docket Number'' field, excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP20-
49). 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 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 www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along 
with other related information.

    Dated: February 19, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-03699 Filed 2-24-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P