
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 183 (Friday, September 22, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44400-44401]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-20197]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP15-499-000, CP15-499-001 and CP17-26-000]


Texas Eastern Transmission, LP; Pomelo Connector Pipeline, LLC; 
Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 
South Texas Expansion Project and Pomelo Connector Pipeline Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the 
proposed South Texas Expansion Project (STEP), proposed by Texas 
Eastern Transmission, LP (Texas Eastern) and the Pomelo Connector 
Pipeline Project (Pomelo Project), proposed by Pomelo Connector, LLC 
(Pomelo) in the above referenced dockets. Collectively, the STEP and 
Pomelo Project, are referred to as the Projects. The Pomelo Project 
would provide up to 400,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of firm 
transportation service from an interconnection with Texas Eastern at 
the proposed Pomelo Petronila Compressor Station in Nueces County, 
Texas, to the Nueces Header pipeline system. STEP would provide 
approximately 400,000 Dth/d of firm natural gas transportation service 
to an interconnection with the Nueces Header.
    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Projects in accordance with the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC 
staff concludes that approval of the proposed Projects, with 
appropriate mitigating measures, would not constitute a major federal 
action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.
    The proposed Pomelo Project would consists of construction and 
operation of approximately 14 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipeline, a new 
5,000 horsepower (hp) compressor station, approximately 0.2 mile of new 
30-inch-diameter pipeline, and associated aboveground facilities in 
Nueces County, Texas. Pomelo would engage in certain construction, 
operation, maintenance, and abandonment activities under blanket 
construction certificate authorization, and abandon all of the capacity 
of the Pomelo Connector Pipeline by lease to Texas Eastern. The 
proposed STEP consists of construction and operation of a new 8,400 hp 
gas turbine unit in Nueces County, Texas; piping modifications at its 
existing Angleton Station property in Brazoria County, Texas; a new 
8,400 hp gas turbine unit at its existing Blessing Compressor Station 
in Matagorda County, Texas; clean burn emission work and piping 
modifications at its existing Mont Belvieu Compressor Station in 
Chambers County, Texas; and piping modifications at its existing Vidor 
Compressor Station in Orange County, Texas.
    The FERC staff mailed copies of the EA 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; and newspapers and libraries in the Projects areas. In 
addition, the EA is available for public viewing on the FERC's Web site 
(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.
    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 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 October 
18, 2017.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to file 
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the 
project docket number (CP17-26-000 and CP15-499) with your submission. 
The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert 
staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or 
FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov.
    (1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment 
feature on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link to 
Documents and Filings. 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 Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the 
link to Documents and Filings. With eFiling, you can provide comments 
in a variety

[[Page 44401]]

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.
    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).\1\ Only intervenors have the 
right to seek rehearing 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.
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    \1\ See the previous discussion on the methods for filing 
comments.
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    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., CP17-
26 and CP15-499). 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.

    Dated: September 18, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-20197 Filed 9-21-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


