[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 6 (Friday, January 9, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1451-1452]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-521]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
East Tennessee Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent to Prepare
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Virginia Expansion Project
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
January 5, 1998.
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 construction and operation of
the facilities proposed in the Virginia Expansion Project.\1\ This EA
will be
[[Page 1452]]
used by the Commission in its decision-making process to determine
whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity.
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\1\ East Tennessee Natural Gas Company's application was filed
with the Commission under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and part
157 of the Commission's regulations.
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Summary of the Proposed Project
East Tennessee Natural Gas Company (East Tennessee) proposes to
expand the capacity of its facilities in Tennessee and Virginia to
transport an additional 10,300 dekatherms (Dth) per day of natural gas
to Roanoke Gas Company. Specifically, East Tennessee seeks authority
to:
Construct about 9.95 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline in
Washington, Smyth and Wythe Counties, Virginia;
Hydrostatically test piping at three compressor stations
in Robertson, Trousdale, and Putnam Counties, Tennessee, 10.88 miles of
22-inch-diameter pipeline in Smith and Overton Counties, Tennessee, and
20.95 miles of 8-inch diameter pipeline in Washington County, Virginia;
and
Construct 20 feet of 22-inch-diameter pipeline at six
manifold locations for tie-ins in Smith and Overton Counties,
Tennessee, and Washington County, Virginia.
The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
1.\2\ If you are interested in obtaining detailed maps of a specific
portion of the project, or procedural information, please write to the
Secretary of the Commission.
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\2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available from the
Commision's Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First
Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, or call (202) 208-1371. Copies
of the appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in
the mail.
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Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 153.3
acres of land. Following construction, about 60.3 acres would be
maintained as new permanent right-of-way. The remaining 93.0 acres of
land would be restored and allowed to revert to its former use.
The EA Process
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the
Commission to take into account the environmental impact that could
result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of a
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us
to discover and address concerns the public may have about proposals.
We call this ``scoping.'' The main goal of the scoping process is to
focus the analysis in the EA on the important environmental issues. By
this Notice of Intent, the Commission requests public comments on the
scope of the issues it will address in the EA. All comments received
are considered during the preparation of the EA. State and local
government representatives are encouraged to notify their constituent
of this proposed action and encourage them to comment on their areas of
concern.
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, fisheries, and wetlands
endangered and threatened species
vegetation and wildlife
land use
cultural resources
air quality and noise
public safety
We will also evaluate possible 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.
Our independent analysis of the issues will be in the EA. Depending
on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA may be
published and mailed to Federal, state, and local agencies, public
interest groups, interested individuals affected landowners,
newspapers, libraries, and the Commissions' official service list for
this proceeding. A comment period will be allotted for review if the EA
is published. We will consider all comments on the EA before we make
our recommendations to the Commission.
Currently Identified Environmental Issues
We have already identified one issue that we think deserves
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and
the environmental information provided by East Tennessee. This
preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and
our analysis.
Four residences are located within 50 feet of the proposed
construction right-of-way
Public Participation
You can make a difference by sending a letter addressing your
specific comments or concerns about the project. You should focus on
the potential environmental effects of the proposal, alternatives to
the proposal (including alternative routes), and measures to avoid or
lessen environmental impact. The more specific your comments, the more
useful they will be. Please carefully follow these instructions to
ensure that your comments are received in time and properly recorded:
Send two copies of your letter to: Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., N.E., Room 1A, Washington,
DC 20426;
Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the
Environmental Review and Compliance Branch, PR-11.1
Reference Docket No. CP98-40-000; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before February 11, 1998.
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want
to become an official party to the proceeding or become an
``intervenor.'' Among other things, intervenors have the right to
receive copies of case-related Commission documents and filings by
other intervenors. Likewise, each intervenor must provide copies of its
filings to all other parties. If you want to become an intervenor you
must file a motion to intervene according to Rule 214 of the
commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.214) (see
appendix 2).
The date for filing timely motions to intervene in this proceeding
has passed. Therefore, parties now seeking to file late interventions
must show good cause, as required by section 385.214(b)(3), why this
time limitation should be waived. Environmental issues have been viewed
as good cause for late intervention.
You do not need intervenor status to have your comments
considered.
David P. Boergers,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-521 Filed 1-8-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
