[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 3, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 391-392]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-28385]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R2-R-2017-N138]; FXRS12610200000-189-FF02RTTM00]
Application for Right of Way Permit for an Ethane Pipeline and
Approved Compatibility Determination; San Bernard National Wildlife
Refuge
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received an
application for a 30-year right-of-way (ROW) permit under the Migratory
Bird Conservation Act from Lavaca Pipeline Company. The applicant
wishes to install, own, and operate a natural gas pipeline within an
existing ROW easement crossing 203 feet on San Bernard National
Wildlife Refuge in Brazoria County, Texas. We request public comment on
the permit application.
DATES: We must receive any written comments regarding the permit
application on or before February 2, 2018.
ADDRESSES: If you wish to review documents and submit comments, you may
request documents by U.S. mail, email, or phone (see below). Documents
are also available for public inspection by appointment during normal
business hours at the Texas Mid-coast Complex office below (open 8 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m.). Send your comments or requests by any one of the
following methods.
Email: jennifer_sanchez@fws.gov (use ``Lavaca ROW'' as
your message subject line).
Fax: 979-964-4021 (``Lavaca ROW'' subject line).
U.S. mail: Project Leader, Texas Mid-coast Complex, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, 2547 County Road 316, Brazoria, TX 77422.
In-person drop-off: You may drop off information during
regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the above office
address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Sanchez, 979-964-4011
(phone), or jennifer_sanchez@fws.gov (email).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: There is also an approved compatibility
determination available for review. Comments regarding the
compatibility determination will be received and filed, but we will not
be amending the document.
[[Page 392]]
Applicant's Proposal
Lavaca Pipeline Company has requested to purchase a 30-foot-wide
pipeline easement across a 203-foot-long section of the San Bernard
National Wildlife Refuge NWR in Brazoria County, Texas. The (ROW)
permit would enable the applicant to install, own, and operate a 16-
inch-diameter steel pipeline to transport ethane gas. The requested ROW
overlies an existing ROW easement, and the pipeline would be laid
parallel to an already existing pipeline. The applicant's pipeline
would be installed by means of a conventional bore technique under
refuge land; therefore, the process would not require trenching on
refuge lands. No additional easement boundaries beyond the existing ROW
are required. The bore holes will be located 300 feet outside the
refuge property line on adjacent private lands.
Background
Lavaca Pipeline Company is constructing a 16-inch-diameter pipeline
for the transportation of ethane through Galveston, Brazoria,
Matagorda, and Wharton Counties in Southeast Texas. Lavaca Pipeline is
making efforts to co-locate the pipeline within existing pipeline ROW
corridors. Lavaca Pipeline has requested to cross the San Bernard NWR
along an existing ROW. Although a new ROW is being requested, an
existing ROW and pipeline are already in place. The existing pipeline
ROW is not an exclusive easement; therefore, additional ROWs and
pipelines can be installed within the same cleared corridor. The
requested permit would allow for the pipeline to cross a narrow (203-
foot-wide) strip of refuge that connects two larger parcels and is
commonly referred to as the Sulfur Ditch.
Compatibility Determination
In our compatibility determination, which was approved on July 26,
2017, we determined that placing the pipeline across this narrow (203-
foot-wide) strip would minimize the impact to other refuge lands.
Several options were evaluated, but it was determined that they would
have resulted in greater impact than this proposal.
Public Availability of Comments
Written comments we receive become part of the public record
associated with this action. 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 may request in your comment that we withhold
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so. We will not consider anonymous
comments. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from
individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses, will be made available for public
disclosure in their entirety.
Authority
We provide this notice under the Migratory Bird Conservation Act
(16 U.S.C. 715d).
Dated: November 6, 2017.
Lueders,
Regional Director, Southwest Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-28385 Filed 1-2-18; 8:45 am]
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