[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 12, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-25134]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: October 12, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP94-6-001; CP94-89-000]
Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation; CNG Transmission
Corporation; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment
for the Proposed Flex-X/CNG Project and Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues
October 5, 1994.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of the construction and operation of
facilities proposed in the Flex-X/CNG Project.\1\ This EA will be used
by the Commission in its decision-making process to determine whether
an environmental impact statement is necessary and whether to approve
the project.
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\1\Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation's and CNG Transmission
Corporation's applications were 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
Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation (Texas Eastern) has an
existing natural gas pipeline system consisting of various diameter
pipe that extends from the State of Texas and offshore Louisiana
through the Appalachian area to the Eastern Seaboard in the
Philadelphia and New York area. Texas Eastern wants to expand and
modify its facilities to transport an additional 105,000 dekatherms of
natural gas per day (Dthd) to CNG Transmission Corporation (CNG) and
wants Commission authorization to construct and operate the following
facilities needed to transport those volumes:
13.9 miles of 36-inch-diameter replacement pipeline in two
segments in Pennsylvania:
Uniontown Discharge mileposts (Mps) 1048.47 to 1058.18 for 9.7
miles in Fayette and Somerset Counties.
Bedford Discharge Mps 1106.65 to 1110.87 for 4.2 miles in Bedford
County.
6,500 horsepower (hp) of compression at its existing
Uniontown Compressor Station in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.
The Texas Eastern pipeline facilities were originally proposed as
part of the Liberty Pipeline Project in Docket Nos. CP92-720-000 and
CP92-720-001. These facilities were discussed in our Notices of Intent
dated January 22 and December 22, 1993. The Liberty Project
applications were dismissed by the Commission without prejudice on
August 12, 1994.
CNG wants to provide transportation of 105,000 Dthd from Texas
Eastern to three utilities, an electric generation plant, and a
cogeneration developer. To provide this transportation, CNG wants
Commission authorization to construct and operate about 8,000 hp of
compression (two 4,000-hp electric motor-driven compressor units) at a
new station to be known as CNG's Chambersburg Compressor Station, in
Franklin County, Pennsylvania.
The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
1.\2\
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\1\The appendices referenced in this notice are not being
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available from the
Commission's Public Reference Room, Room 3104, 941 North Capitol
Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20246, 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
Texas Eastern's proposed replacements would be built adjacent and
parallel to existing rights-of-way. Texas Eastern intends to use an 85-
foot-wide construction right-of-way. About 60 feet of the planned 85-
foot width would use existing right-of-way. Consequently, about 25 feet
of new clearing would be required in most areas. Following
construction, the disturbed area would be restored and the 25 feet of
new clearing would be allowed to revert to its former land use.
Additional working space would be required adjacent to the planned
construction right-of-way at areas of steep side slopes, and in most
areas where topsoil would be segregated (agricultural and residential
areas). Additional working space would also be required adjacent to
road and stream crossings.
The EA Process
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts 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 constituents
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
Vegetation and wildlife
Endangered and threatened species
Land use
Cultural resources
Hazardous waste
Air quality and noise
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 Commission's 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
recommend that the Commission approve or not approve the project.
Currently Identified Environmental Issues
We have already identified several issues that we think deserve
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and
the environmental information provided by Texas Eastern and CNG. Keep
in mind that this is a preliminary list. The list of issues may be
added to, subtracted from, or changed based on your comments and our
analysis. Issues are:
The proposed pipelines would cross five perennial
waterbodies.
The proposed pipelines would cross 15 wetlands, 3 of which
are greater than 500 feet wide at the crossing location.
The proposed new compressor station would convert about
17.0 acres of agricultural land to industrial use.
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 follow the instructions below to ensure
that your comments are received and properly recorded:
Address your letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol Street NE., Washington,
D.C. 20426;
Reference Docket Nos. CP94-6-001, et al.;
Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Jeffrey Gerber, EA
Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North
Capitol Street NE., Room 7312 Washington, D.C. 20426; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, D.C. on or before November 4, 1994.
If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one
from Mr. Gerber at the above address.
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) attached
as 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 scoping comments considered.
Additional information about the proposed project is available from
Mr. Jeffrey Gerber, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1121.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 94-25134 Filed 10-11-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
