2018-25922. Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Northern Natural Gas Company Northern Lights 2019 Expansion and Rochester Projects

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the Northern Lights 2019 Expansion Project and the Rochester Project, proposed by Northern Natural Gas Company (Northern) in the above-referenced docket. Considering both projects, Northern requests authorization to construct, operate, and maintain new natural gas facilities in Carver, Freeborn, Hennepin, Le Sueur, Morrison, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, and Wright Counties, Minnesota, and to uprate the maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) of a line segment. The projects would allow Northern to provide 138,504 dekatherms per day of new firm natural gas transportation service to serve increased markets for industrial, commercial, and residential uses.

The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the construction and operation of the Northern Lights 2019 Expansion Project and the Rochester Project 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 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency participated as a cooperating agency in the preparation of the EA. A cooperating agency has jurisdiction by law or special expertise regarding environmental impacts involved with the proposal, and is involved in the NEPA analysis.

The proposed projects includes the following facilities (all located in Minnesota):

Rochester Project

• Approximately 12.6 miles of new 16-inch-diameter pipeline in Olmsted County;
• Increase of MAOP on an existing 8-mile-long segment of 16-inch-diameter pipeline in Freeborn and Mower Counties;
• A new town border station with receiver in Olmsted County;
• Relocation of a regulator from Freeborn to Mower County; and
• Appurtenant facilities including two valves and a pig launcher at milepost 0.0 of the Rochester Greenfield Lateral.

Northern Lights 2019 Project

• Approximately 10.0 miles of new 24-inch-diameter pipeline in Hennepin and Wright Counties;
• Approximately 4.3 miles of new 8-inch-diameter pipeline loop extension in Morrison County;
• Approximately 1.6 miles of new 6-inch-diameter pipeline looping in Le Sueur County;
• Approximately 3.1 miles of new 24-inch-diameter pipeline extension in Carver County;
• Αa new 11,153-horsepower (hp) compressor station in Carver County;
• Αan additional 15,900 hp of compression at the existing Faribault Compressor Station in Rice County;
• An additional 15,900 hp of compression at the existing Owatonna Compressor Station in Steele County; and
• Appurtenant facilities including valves, pig launchers, and pig receivers.

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 areas. The EA is only available in electronic format. It may be viewed and downloaded from the FERC's website (www.ferc.gov), on the Environmental Documents page (https://www.ferc.gov/​industries/​gas/​enviro/​eis.asp). In addition, the EA may 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, excluding the last three digits (i.e. CP18-534). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at [e-mail] or toll free at [phone], or for TTY, contact [phone].

Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. Your comments should focus on 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 these projects, it is important that we receive your comments in Washington, DC on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on December 21, 2018.

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 [phone] or [e-mail]. 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 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 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 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 (CP18534-000) with your submission: 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). Motions to intervene are more fully described at http://www.ferc.gov/​resources/​guides/​how-to/​intervene.asp. Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or judicial review of the Commission's decision. The Commission may grant 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 projects 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 www.ferc.gov/​docs-filing/​esubscription.asp.

Dated: November 21, 2018.

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,

Deputy Secretary.