[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 115 (Tuesday, June 16, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34452-34453]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-14714]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R2-R-2015-N042; FXRS12610200000-156-FF02R06000]
Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, Brazoria County, TX; Notice of
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment or an Environmental
Impact Statement on a Proposed Right-of-Way Permit Application for
Pipelines Crossing the Refuge
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are in the
process of considering an application from Praxair, Inc. (Praxair) for
a right-of-way (ROW) permit to construct, operate, and maintain two
pipelines within an existing maintained pipeline corridor crossing the
Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Brazoria County, Texas. The
Service requests comments on environmental issues and announces the
opening of the scoping process, which will inform the decision to
prepare either an environmental assessment (EA) or environmental impact
statement (EIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended. This notice provides an opportunity for
input from other Federal and State agencies, local government, Native
American Tribes, nongovernmental organizations, the public, and other
interested parties on the scope of the NEPA analysis, pertinent issues
which should be addressed, and the alternatives to be analyzed.
DATES: To ensure consideration of written comments on the issues and
possible alternatives to be addressed in the documents, they must be
received no later than July 16, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Comments, questions, and requests for further information
may be submitted by U.S. mail to Project Leader, Texas Mid-coast NWR
Complex, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2547 County Road 316,
Brazoria, TX 77422; by email at jennifer_sanchez@fws.gov; by phone at
(979) 964-4011; or by fax to (979) 964-4021.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We are in the process of considering an
application from Praxair, Inc. (Praxair) for a right-of-way (ROW)
permit to construct, operate, and maintain a 24-inch carbon steel
pipeline for transport of nitrogen, and a 14-inch carbon steel pipeline
for transport of hydrogen, within an existing maintained 4.25-mile
pipeline corridor crossing the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)
in Brazoria County, Texas. We request comments on environmental issues
and announce the opening of the scoping process, which will inform our
decision to prepare either an environmental assessment (EA) or
environmental impact statement (EIS) pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, in conjunction
with preparation of a plan of operations for the proposed new
pipelines. The decision to initially prepare an EA or EIS will be, in
part, contingent on the complexity of issues identified during, and
following, the scoping phase of the NEPA process.
This notice provides an opportunity for input from other Federal
and State agencies, local government, Native American Tribes,
nongovernmental organizations, the public, and other interested parties
on the scope of the NEPA analysis, pertinent issues which should be
addressed, and the alternatives to be analyzed. The NEPA document will
include an analysis of environmental consequences of the proposed
action and alternatives, including direct and indirect impacts, as well
as an assessment of the overall cumulative effects resulting from the
incremental impact of the proposed action when added to other past,
present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions. The NEPA document
will also include proposed measures for avoiding or minimizing adverse
impacts to refuge resources during construction and operations, as well
as a proposal for compensatory mitigation for replacement of lost
habitat values through land conservation and protection as part of the
NWR. We will use this NEPA document in our decision-making process to
determine whether the proposed new pipelines are an appropriate and
compatible use of lands in the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS),
as well as whether processing of the application for a Pipeline ROW
Permit should proceed to the next step. The public will also have a
chance to review and comment on the draft EA or EIS when it is
available (a notice of availability will be published in the Federal
Register).
[[Page 34453]]
Proposed Project
Praxair proposes to use a combination of conventional, open
trenching, and subsurface Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) in its
construction methods to cross the Refuge lands. The proposed two
pipelines would be constructed at the same time, near the center of an
existing maintained 4.25-mile pipeline corridor and between existing
pipelines. The existing pipeline corridor pre-dates Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS) ownership of the land in fee title, and extends from
Farm-to-Market Road 2004 on the northeast end to Austin Bayou on the
southwest end. Construction of the proposed pipelines would require a
100-foot-wide temporary right-of-way, including 70 feet of temporary
workspace used during construction activities, and a 30-foot-wide
right-of-way after construction is complete. Praxair is working with
Service staff in the development of its proposed plan of operations in
order to determine construction methods and develop measures to avoid
or minimize potential adverse impacts during construction activities.
However, some impacts are unavoidable and can reasonably be anticipated
during pipeline construction, operations, and maintenance activities.
Conventional trenching for simultaneous construction of the proposed
two pipelines would require excavation of an open trench approximately
5.5 to 6 feet deep, 8 feet wide at the bottom, and 19 feet wide at the
surface, with an approximately 45-degree slope on the sides, depending
on soil conditions. Workspace required for HDD sites would be 300 feet
by 300 feet.
Other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions
occurring on the Brazoria NWR that could contribute to cumulative
impacts include: (1) Construction of a 12-inch propane pipeline within
the same corridor, completed in May 2014; (2) construction of a 12-inch
ethane pipeline within the same corridor, tentatively scheduled to
begin May 2015; (3) a 3-D seismic survey which will encompass the
entire refuge, tentatively scheduled to begin second or third quarter
of 2016. These actions have been previously approved and permitted.
Refuge Background
The Refuge System is the only system of federally owned lands
managed chiefly for the conservation of wildlife. Most national
wildlife refuges are strategically located along major bird migration
corridors, ensuring that ducks, geese, and songbirds have rest stops on
their annual migrations. The Refuge System is the world's largest
collection of lands and waters set aside specifically for the
conservation of wildlife and ecosystem protection.
The mission of the Refuge System is ``to administer a national
network of lands and waters for the conservation, management and, where
appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and
their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and
future generations of Americans'' (National Wildlife Refuge System
Improvement Act of 1997, Pub. L. 105-57).
The Brazoria NWR encompasses approximately 44,500 acres and
includes the largest contiguous salt marsh and coastal prairie habitats
and managed fresh water wetlands on the Texas Mid-coast NWR Complex
(Complex). The Complex is comprised of three refuges: Brazoria NWR, San
Bernard NWR, and Big Boggy NWR, which consist of a vital complex of
salt and freshwater marshes, sloughs, ponds, coastal prairies, and
bottomland hardwood forests that provide habitat for a wide variety of
resident and migratory wildlife.
The goals established for the Complex include the following:
To contribute to conservation efforts and to foster the
ecological integrity of the Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes Ecoregion
through proven and innovative management practices across the Complex.
To conserve, restore, enhance, and protect Complex
habitats by implementing appropriate management programs to benefit
native flora and fauna, including threatened and endangered species and
other species of concern.
To protect, maintain, and enhance populations of migratory
birds and resident fish and wildlife, including Federal and State
threatened and endangered species.
To develop and implement quality wildlife-dependent
recreation programs that are compatible with each refuge's purposes and
foster enjoyment and understanding of the Complex's unique wildlife and
plant communities.
To provide administrative and public use facilities needed
to carry out each refuge's purposes and meet management objectives.
Public Involvement
The public's ideas and comments are an important part of the
planning process, and we invite public participation. We encourage the
public to provide comments, which will help us determine the issues and
formulate alternatives. We will be accepting comments via U.S. mail,
email, and telephone during the open comment period (see DATES and
ADDRESSES), as well as through personal contacts throughout the
planning process. However, written comments are preferred.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Authorities
NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations; and
the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (Refuge
Administration Act), as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System
Improvement Act of 1997 (Refuge Improvement Act).
Dated: June 5, 2015.
Joy Nicholopoulos,
Acting Regional Director, Southwest Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-14714 Filed 6-15-15; 8:45 am]
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