Document ID: FERC-2015-0218-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Environmental Assessments; Availability, etc.: Dalton Expansion Project, Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co., LLC
Posted Date: 2015-02-24T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9710-9712]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-03648]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF14-10-000]

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC; Supplemental Notice 
of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Planned Dalton 
Expansion Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues Related 
to a New Route Variation Under Consideration, and Notice of Public 
Scoping Meeting

    In response to concerns raised about the Dalton Expansion Project 
planned by the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC, (Transco), 
a new route variation is being considered. The Georgia Department of 
Natural Resources--Wildlife Resources Division, the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, and the Nature Conservancy requested a route 
variation in northern Paulding County, Georgia. Transco reviewed the 
requested variation and incorporated some changes for engineering and 
other considerations. The variation, referred to herein as the Raccoon 
Creek Watershed Variation (Transco Major Route Alternative H), is being 
considered to avoid and minimize potential environmental impacts on the 
biologically sensitive Raccoon Creek Watershed.
    This variation, which is described in further detail below, would 
affect new landowners; therefore, the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission (FERC or Commission) is issuing this supplemental notice 
(Notice) to provide these new landowners and other interested parties 
an opportunity to comment on the merits of the route variation.
    The FERC is the lead federal agency responsible for conducting the 
environmental review of the Dalton Expansion Project (Project). The 
Commission's staff will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that 
discusses the environmental impacts of the Project. This EA will be 
used to inform the Commission as it determines whether the Project is 
in the public convenience and necessity.
    This Notice announces the opening of an additional scoping period 
the Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested 
agencies. Specifically, we are requesting comments on the Raccoon Creek 
Watershed Variation. Please note that comments on this Notice should be 
filed with the Commission by March 16, 2015.
    Comments on the route variation may be submitted in writing as 
described in the public participation section of this notice. In lieu 
of, or in addition to, submitting written comments, you are invited to 
attend a public scoping meeting on March 4, 2015 at the Dallas Civic 
Center in Dallas, Georgia.

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             Date and time                           Location
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March 4, 2015, 7:00 p.m. EST...........  Dallas Civic Center, 121 E
                                          Griffin Street, Dallas, GA
                                          30132, (770) 445-5180.
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    You have been identified as a landowner or an interested party that 
may be affected by the Raccoon Creek Watershed Variation or by the 
corresponding segment of the currently planned route. Information in 
this notice was prepared to familiarize you with this new route 
variation, the Project as a whole, the Commission's environmental 
review process, and instruct you on how to submit comments about the 
route variation under consideration. This notice is also being sent to 
federal, state, and local government agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American tribes; other 
interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. State and local 
government representatives should notify their constituents of this 
proposed route variation and encourage them to comment on their areas 
of concern.
    If you are a landowner receiving this Notice, a pipeline company 
representative may have already contacted you or may contact you soon 
about surveys associated with the Raccoon Creek Watershed Variation. If 
the company ultimately decides to

[[Page 9711]]

incorporate this route variation it would contact you again to acquire 
an easement to construct, operate, and maintain the pipeline. The 
company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. 
However, if the Commission approves the Project and the route 
variation, 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.
    To help potentially affected landowners and other interested 
parties better understand the Commission and its environmental review 
process, the ``For Citizens'' section of the FERC Web site 
(www.ferc.gov) provides information about getting involved in FERC 
jurisdictional projects. A citizens' guide entitled ``An Interstate 
Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need to Know?'' is also 
available in this section of the Commission's Web site. This guide 
addresses a number of frequently asked questions, including the use of 
eminent domain and how to participate in the Commission's proceedings.

Dalton Expansion Project

    Transco plans to construct and operate about 111 miles of new 
natural gas pipeline and associated facilities in Coweta, Carroll, 
Douglas, Paulding, Bartow, Gordon, and Murray Counties, Georgia and a 
new compressor station in Carroll County, Georgia. Additionally, 
Transco plans to modify existing facilities along its mainline 
transmission system in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina to 
accommodate bidirectional flow. Transco has indicated that the Project 
would provide 448,000 dekatherms per day of incremental firm 
transportation service to markets in northwest Georgia.

Summary of the Raccoon Creek Watershed Variation

    As stated previously, the Raccoon Creek Watershed Variation was 
created to avoid and minimize potential environmental impacts on the 
biologically sensitive Raccoon Creek Watershed. The Raccoon Creek 
Watershed covers about 35,000 acres, includes several high priority 
streams, significant wetlands, and provides habitat for numerous 
federally-listed threatened and endangered species. The route variation 
would originate at approximately milepost (MP) 44 of the planned route 
in northern Paulding County. The variation would extend in a 
northeasterly direction for approximately 9.0 miles before joining an 
existing utility easement and then extending northwest for another 1.5 
miles, rejoining the planned route at approximately MP 53 near the 
Paulding and Bartow County line.
    The general location of the Project facilities and the Raccoon 
Creek Watershed Variation are shown in appendix 1.\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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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 
\2\ 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.
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    \2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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    In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the Project under these general 
headings:
     Geology and soils;
     water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
     vegetation and wildlife;
     endangered and threatened species;
     land use;
     socioeconomics;
     cultural resources;
     air quality and noise; and
     public safety.
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the 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, we began our NEPA 
review under the Commission's pre-filing process on April 25, 2014. The 
purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage the 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 
contacted federal and state agencies to discuss preparation of the EA. 
During the process, the Raccoon Creek Watershed Variation was proposed. 
Transco will provide additional environmental data to present the 
potential impacts of the variation at a later date.
    The EA will present our independent analysis of the issues. The EA 
will be available in the public record through eLibrary. We will 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 of this notice.

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 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.\3\ We will define the Project-specific Area of 
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO 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.
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    \3\ 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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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

[[Page 9712]]

recorded, please send your comments so that the Commission receives 
them in Washington, DC on or before March 16, 2015.
    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 (PF14-10-000) with your submission. The 
Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert 
staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or efiling@ferc.gov.
    (1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment 
feature located on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the 
link to Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for interested 
persons to submit brief, text-only comments on a project;
    (2) You can file your comments electronically using the eFiling 
feature located on the Commission's Web site (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 must select the type of filing you are making. If 
you are filing a comment on a particular project, please select 
``Comment on a Filing''; or
    (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to 
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. 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.
    Copies of the EA 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 Transco 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., PF14-
10). 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 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/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.
    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: February 13, 2015.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-03648 Filed 2-23-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P