Document ID: FERC-2011-1826-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Environmental Assessments; Availability, etc.: Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co.; Northeast Upgrade Project
Posted Date: 2011-11-29T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 229 (Tuesday, November 29, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73618-73619]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-30692]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP11-161-000]

Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company; Notice of Availability of the 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Northeast Upgrade Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the 
Northeast Upgrade Project (Project) proposed by Tennessee Gas Pipeline 
Company (TGP) in the above-referenced docket. TGP requests 
authorization to construct and operate certain pipeline and compressor 
facilities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in order to expand the 
natural gas delivery capacity to the northeast region of the United 
States by up to 636,000 dekatherms per year.
    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Project in accordance with the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC 
staff concludes that approval of the proposed Project, with appropriate 
mitigating measures, would not constitute a major federal action 
significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.
    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
participated as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EA. 
Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by law or special expertise with 
respect to resources potentially affected by the proposal and 
participate in the NEPA analysis.
    The proposed Project includes the following facilities:
     Installation of approximately 40.3 miles of new 30-inch-
diameter pipeline loop \1\ in five separate segments in Bradford, 
Wayne, and Pike Counties, Pennsylvania; and Sussex, Passaic, and Bergen 
Counties, New Jersey;
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    \1\ A loop is a segment of pipe that is usually installed 
adjacent to an existing pipeline and connected to it at both ends. 
The loop allows more gas to be moved through the system.
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     Modifications of four existing compressor stations in 
Bradford, Susquehanna, and Pike Counties, Pennsylvania; and Sussex 
County, New Jersey;
     Abandonment of an existing meter station and construction 
of a new meter station in Bergen County, New Jersey;
     Installation of associated appurtenant aboveground 
facilities including mainline valves and pig \2\ launchers and 
receivers; and
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    \2\ A pig is an internal tool that can be used to clean and dry 
a pipeline and/or to inspect it for damage or corrosion.
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     Use of contractor/pipe yards and access roads.
    The EA has been placed in the public files of the FERC and is 
available for public viewing on the FERC's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using the eLibrary link. A limited number of copies of the 
EA are available for distribution and public inspection at: Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First Street 
NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
    Copies of the EA have been mailed to Federal, state, and local 
government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American tribes; 
potentially affected landowners and other interested individuals and 
groups; libraries in the Project area; and parties to this proceeding.
    Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. 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 properly recorded and considered prior to 
a Commission decision on the proposal, it is important that the FERC 
receives your comments in Washington, DC on or before December 21, 
2011.
    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 (CP11-161-000) 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 eComment 
feature, which is located on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the link to

[[Page 73619]]

Documents and Filings. An eComment is an easy method for interested 
persons to submit brief, 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 Web site at http://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 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.
    Although your comments will be considered by the Commission, simply 
filing comments will not serve to make the commenter a party to the 
proceeding. Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must 
file a motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's 
Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214).\3\ Only intervenors 
have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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    \3\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the 
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing 
comments electronically.
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    Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be 
granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they 
have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which would not be 
adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor 
status to have your comments considered.
    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., CP11-
161). 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 http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.

    Dated: November 21, 2011.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011-30692 Filed 11-28-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P