[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 243 (Thursday, December 17, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81920-81921]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-27798]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP20-479-000]


Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Availability of the 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 2021 Auburn A-Line 
Abandonment and Capacity Replacement Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the 2021 
Auburn A-Line Abandonment and Capacity Replacement Project, proposed by 
Northern Natural Gas Company (Northern), in the above-referenced 
docket. Northern requests authorization to construct, own, and operate 
a pipeline loop \1\ and appurtenant aboveground facilities, and 
abandon-in-place a segment of its A-line pipeline in Nebraska. 
Northern's purpose for the project is to improve reliability, enable 
safer long-term operation of Northern's system, and serve the needs of 
its shippers more effectively by eliminating inefficiencies associated 
with the operation and maintenance of the A-line segment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ A loop is a pipeline that is constructed adjacent to another 
pipeline for the purpose of increasing capacity in this portion of 
the system.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction, operation, and abandonment activities associated with the 
2021 Auburn A-Line Abandonment and Capacity Replacement 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 proposed 2021 Auburn A-Line Abandonment and Capacity 
Replacement Project includes the following:
     Construction of approximately 4.4 miles of new 8-inch-
diameter pipeline loop in Lancaster and Otoe Counties, Nebraska 
(proposed B-line);
     installation of a pig \2\ launcher and valve station in 
Lancaster County, Nebraska;
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ A pig is a tool that is inserted into and pushed through the 
pipeline for cleaning the pipeline, conducting internal inspections, 
or other purposes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     installation of a regulation station in Otoe County, 
Nebraska; and
     abandonment in-place of approximately 31.7 miles of 4- and 
6-inch-diameter A-line in Lancaster, Otoe, Johnson, and Nemaha 
counties, Nebraska.
    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability 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 project 
area. The EA 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-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents). In addition, the EA 
may be accessed by using the eLibrary link on the FERC's website. Click 
on the eLibrary link (https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search), 
select General Search and enter the docket number in the Docket Number 
field, excluding the last three digits (i.e. CP20-479). 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 EA 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 EA may do so. Your comments should 
focus on the EA's disclosure and discussion of 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 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 11, 2021.
    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 Commission. Be sure to reference the project docket number (CP20-
479) on your letter. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must 
be addressed to: 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.
    Filing environmental comments will not give you intervenor status, 
but you do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered. 
Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or judicial review of 
the Commission's decision. At this point in this proceeding, the 
timeframe for filing timely intervention requests has expired. Any 
person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a motion 
to intervene out-of-time pursuant to Rule 214(b)(3) and (d) of the 
Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214(b)(3) and 
(d)) and show good cause why the time

[[Page 81921]]

limitation should be waived. Motions to intervene are more fully 
described at https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/ferc-online/how-guides.
    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: December 11, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-27798 Filed 12-16-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


