Document ID: FERC-2021-1457-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Environmental Impact Statements; Availability, etc.: Florida Gas Transmission, LLC; Big Bend Project
Posted Date: 2021-11-24T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 224 (Wednesday, November 24, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67051-67052]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-25678]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP21-45-000]

Florida Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Availability of the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Big Bend Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental impact statement (EIS) for 
the Big Bend (Project), proposed by Florida Gas Transmission Company, 
LLC (FGT) in the above-referenced docket. The Project would increase 
FGT's certificated capacity by 29,000 million British thermal units per 
day (MMBtu/d) and is designed to serve the expanding need for 
additional firm transportation service in Hillsborough County, Florida 
for current and future electricity generation.
    FGT also requests approval to construct/modify certain mainline 
pipeline and appurtenant facilities including installation of new 
pipeline loops located on FGT's existing pipeline system in Calhoun and 
Jefferson Counties, Florida, and compression facilities located in 
Gadsden, Gilchrist, Santa Rosa, and Taylor Counties, Florida.
    The draft EIS 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). As 
described in the draft EIS, the FERC staff concludes that approval of 
the Project would result in some adverse environmental impacts; 
however, with the exception of climate change impacts, these impacts 
would be reduced to less-than-significant levels because of the impact 
avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures proposed by FGT and 
those recommended by staff in the EIS. FERC staff is unable to 
determine significance with regards to climate change impacts.
    The Project would consist of the following facilities in Florida:
     West Loop--installing approximately 1.7 miles of 36-inch-
diameter pipe looping \1\ in Calhoun County;
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    \1\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed parallel to 
an existing pipeline to increase capacity.
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     East Loop--installing approximately 1.5 miles of 36-inch-
diameter pipe looping in Jefferson County;
     Calhoun Receiver Station Relocation--remove the existing 
36-inch-diameter mainline pig \2\ receiver located at the beginning of 
the West Loop and relocate to a proposed pig receiver site to be 
installed at the terminus of the proposed West Loop in Calhoun County;
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    \2\ A ``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.
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     Jefferson Receiver Station Relocation--remove the existing 
36-inch-diameter mainline loop pig receiver located at the beginning of 
the East Loop and relocate to a proposed pig

[[Page 67052]]

receiver site to be installed at the terminus of the proposed East Loop 
in Jefferson County;
     Compressor Station 12--upgrade an existing natural gas-
fired compressor turbine (Unit 1207) from 15,000 horsepower (HP) 
to16,000 HP at FGT's existing Compressor Station 12, located in Santa 
Rosa County;
     Compressor Station 14--upgrade an existing natural gas-
fired compressor turbine (Unit 1409) from 20,500 HP to 23,500 HP at 
FGT's existing Compressor Station 14, located in Gadsden County;
     Compressor Station 15--upgrade an existing natural gas-
fired compressor turbine (Unit 1507) from 15,000 HP to 16,000 HP at 
FGT's existing Compressor Station 15, located in Taylor County; and
     Compressor Station 24--upgrade an existing natural gas-
fired compressor turbine (Unit 2403) from 20,500 HP to 23,500 HP at 
FGT's existing Compressor Station 24, located in Gilchrist County.
    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability of the 
draft EIS to federal, state, and government representatives and 
agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; 
Native American tribes; potentially affected landowners; other 
interested individuals and groups; and newspapers and libraries in the 
project area. The EIS is only available in electronic format. It may be 
viewed and downloaded from the FERC's website (www.ferc.gov), on the 
natural gas environmental documents page https://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/enviro/eis.asp). In addition, the EIS can be accessed by 
using the eLibrary link on the FERC's website. Click on the eLibrary 
link (https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp), click on General 
Search, and enter the docket number in the ``Docket Number'' field 
(i.e., CP21-45). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. 
For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or toll free at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY, 
contact (202) 502-8659.
    The EIS is not a decision document. It presents Commission staff's 
independent analysis of the environmental issues for the Commission to 
consider when addressing the merits of all issues in this proceeding. 
Any person wishing to comment on the EIS may do so. Your comments 
should focus on the EIS's disclosure and discussion of potential 
environmental effects, measures to avoid or lessen environmental 
impacts, and the completeness of the submitted alternatives, 
information and analyses. The more specific your comments, the more 
useful they would be. To ensure that the Commission has the opportunity 
to consider your comments prior to making its decision on this project, 
it is important that we receive your comments in Washington, DC on or 
before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 10, 2022.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to file 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic 
filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-
3676 or [email protected]. Please carefully follow these 
instructions so that your comments are properly recorded.
    (1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment 
feature on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to 
FERC Online. This is an easy method for submitting brief, text-only 
comments on a project;
    (2) You can also file your comments electronically using the 
eFiling feature on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under the 
link to FERC Online. 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. Be sure to reference the project docket number 
(CP21-45-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, 
Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be 
addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
    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 part 385.214). Motions to intervene are 
more fully described at https://www.ferc.gov/how-guides. Only 
intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or judicial review of the 
Commission's decision. The Commission grants affected landowners and 
others with environmental concerns intervenor status upon showing good 
cause by stating that they have a clear and direct interest in this 
proceeding which no other party can adequately represent. Simply filing 
environmental comments will not give you intervenor status, but 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 website (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. The eLibrary link 
also provides access to the texts of all 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 https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to 
register for eSubscription.

    Dated: November 18, 2021.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-25678 Filed 11-23-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P