[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 115 (Monday, June 15, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36199-36201]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12830]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP20-460-000]


Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare An 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Clifton to Palmyra A-Line 
Abandonment Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the environmental impacts of the Clifton to Palmyra A-line 
Abandonment Project involving abandonment of pipeline facilities by 
Northern Natural Gas Company (Northern) in Clay and Washington 
Counties, Kansas, and Gage, Jefferson, Lancaster, and Otoe Counties, 
Nebraska, and construction and operation of facilities in Gage County, 
Nebraska. The Commission will use this EA in its decision-making 
process to determine whether the project 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 project. 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 EA on the important environmental issues. By this 
notice, the Commission requests public comments on the scope of issues 
to address in the EA. 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 
July 9, 2020.
    You can make a difference by submitting 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. Your input will help the Commission 
staff determine what issues they need to evaluate in the EA. Commission 
staff will consider all filed comments during the preparation of the 
EA.
    If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the 
opening of this docket on May 21, 2020, you will need to file those 
comments in Docket No. CP20-460-000 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 project. State and local government 
representatives should notify their constituents of this proposed 
project 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 proposed 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 project, 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.
    Northern 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

[[Page 36200]]

(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. Go to https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ferconline.asp to register for eSubscription.
    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 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 project docket number 
(CP20-460-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, 
Washington, DC 20426

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Northern proposes to abandon in-place a total of approximately 
115.9 miles of its M600A and M590A 24-inch-diameter pipeline and M600J 
20-inch-diameter pipeline (collectively referred to as the A-line) from 
Clifton, Kansas to Palmyra, Nebraska. Northern also would increase 
compression capacity at its existing Beatrice Compressor Station to 
replace the lost capacity from the proposed abandonment. According to 
Northern, the purpose of this project is to enhance the safety, 
security, and operational efficiency of Northern's pipeline system. 
Northern stated that its M600A and M590A pipelines, which were 
originally placed in service in the 1930s, have substantially 
escalating maintenance demands, and the abandonment of this segment of 
the A-line would improve reliability and provide for the safer long-
term operation of its system.
    The Clifton to Palmyra A-line Abandonment Project would consist of 
the following activities:
     Disconnect the 24-inch-diameter M600A and the 20-inch-
diameter M600J at Northern's existing Clifton Compressor Station;
     disconnect the 24-inch-diameter M590A and the 24-inch-
diameter M600A at Northern's existing Beatrice Compressor Station;
     disconnect the 24-inch-diameter M590A at Northern's 
existing Palmyra Compressor Station;
     abandon in-place 54.3 miles of 24-inch-diameter M600A 
mainline in Gage and Jefferson Counties, Nebraska, and Washington and 
Clay Counties, Kansas;
     abandon in-place 19.9 miles of 20-inch-diameter M600J 
mainline in Clay and Washington Counties, Kansas;
     abandon in-place 41.7 miles of 24-inch-diameter M590A in 
Otoe, Lancaster, and Gage Counties, Nebraska, between Palmyra and 
Beatrice, Nebraska; and
     construct a new 15,900-horsepower turbine driven 
compressor unit at Northern's existing Beatrice Compressor Station near 
Beatrice, Nebraska.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
1.\1\ Following abandonment activities, a non-jurisdictional third-
party salvage company would purchase the pipeline.
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in 
the Federal Register. Copies of 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 phone (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

    Northern would disturb approximately 46.2 acres of land to 
disconnect the pipeline and install the additional compressor unit. To 
abandon the pipeline in-place, Northern would disconnect and cap the A-
line at six interconnections where it is linked to other system 
facilities. The disconnect locations are proposed within existing 
compressor station facilities owned by Northern. Northern would 
construct the additional turbine at the Beatrice Compressor Station 
within the current facility fenceline. No new land would be obtained or 
required for the project. The A-line is collocated with other Northern 
pipelines, which Northern would continue to operate and maintain.

The EA Process

    The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the 
construction and operation of the proposed project under these general 
headings:
     Geology and soils;
     water resources and wetlands;
     vegetation and wildlife;
     threatened and endangered species;
     cultural resources;
     land use;
     air quality and noise;
     public safety; and
     cumulative impacts
    Commission staff will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the 
proposed project or portions of the project, and make recommendations 
on how to lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    The EA will present Commission staff's independent analysis of the 
issues. The EA 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 EA is issued. The EA may be 
issued for an allotted public comment period. Commission staff will 
consider all comments on the EA before making recommendations to the 
Commission. To ensure Commission staff have the opportunity to 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 of this project to formally cooperate in the 
preparation of the EA.\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

[[Page 36201]]

106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the Commission is using 
this notice to initiate consultation with the applicable State Historic 
Preservation Offices, 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 EA for this 
project 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's 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 have already identified issues that deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Northern. This preliminary 
list of issues may change based on your comments and our analysis.
     Air quality and noise impacts; and
     cumulative impacts.

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. 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 proposed project.
    If the Commission issues the EA for an allotted public comment 
period, a Notice of Availability of the EA 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 project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the 
FERC website at www.ferc.gov using the eLibrary link. Click on the 
eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket number 
in the ``Docket Number'' field, excluding the last three digits (i.e., 
CP20-460). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For 
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or (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: June 9, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-12830 Filed 6-12-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


