E7-19790. Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Columbia Eastern Market Expansion Project

October 1, 2007.

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) on the natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation (Columbia) in the above-referenced docket.

The EA was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. The FERC staff concludes that approval of the proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures, would not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.

The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the construction and operation of Columbia's proposed Eastern Market Expansion Project (EME Project). The EME Project would consist of: (a) Expanding the existing Crawford Storage Field in Fairfield and Hocking Counties, Ohio; (b) expanding the existing Coco A and C Storage Fields in Kanawha County, West Virginia; (c) installing a total of 35,091 horsepower and upgrades at four existing compressor stations in West Virginia; and (d) constructing three sections of 26- to 36-inch-diameter pipeline looping totaling 15.26 miles in Clay and Randolph Counties, West Virginia, and Warren, Clarke, and Fauquier Counties, Virginia. The proposed expansion would provide an additional 97,050 dekatherms per day of storage deliverability and associated firm pipeline transportation capacity. Columbia also proposes abandonment by replacement of several appurtenant facilities associated with this project.

The EA has been placed in the public files of the FERC. A limited number of copies of the EA are available for distribution and public inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, [phone].

Copies of the EA have been mailed to federal, state, and local agencies, public interest groups, interested individuals, newspapers in the project area, and parties to this proceeding.

Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. To ensure consideration prior to a Commission decision on the proposal, it is important that we receive your comments before the date specified below.

Please note that the Commission strongly encourages electronic filing of any comments or interventions or protests to this proceeding. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the “e-Filing” link and the link to the User's Guide. Before you can file comments you will need to create a free account which can be created by clicking on “Sign-up.”

If you are filing written comments, please carefully follow these instructions to ensure that your comments are received in time and properly recorded:

• Send an original and two copies of your comments to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
• Reference Docket No. CP07-367-000;
• Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the Gas Branch 1, PJ-11.1; and
• Mail your comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before October 31, 2007.

Comments will be considered by the Commission but will not serve to make the commentor a party to the proceeding. 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).^[1] Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.

Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which would not be adequately represented by any other party. You do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered.

Additional information about the project is available from the Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208-FERC or on the FERC Internet Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on the eLibrary link, then on “General Search” and enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field (i.e., CP07-367). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at [e-mail] or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, contact [phone]. The eLibrary link also provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.

In addition, the Commission now 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/​esubscribenow.htm.

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.

Footnotes

1.  Interventions may also be filed electronically via the Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing comments electronically.