[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 212 (Monday, November 3, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59353-59354]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-28974]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP97-626-000]
Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation, Notice of Intent To
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 1998 Lebanon
Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
October 28, 1997.
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
an additional 17,070 horsepower (hp) of compression, proposed in the
1998 Lebanon Expansion Project.\1\ This EA will be 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\ Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation'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
Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation (Texas Eastern) proposed to
expand the capacity of its facilities in Indiana and Ohio to transport
an additional 302,290 dekatherms per day of natural gas for Spectrum
Interstate Pipeline Corporation. Texas Eastern seeks authority to
construct and operate:
One reciprocating gas engine rated at 3,400 hp and one
reciprocating gas engine rated at 5,500 hp at the existing Gas City
Compressor Station in Grant Country, Indiana;
An expansion to the compressor building and associated
ancillary facilities and piping at the existing Gas City Compressor
Station;
One 8,170 hp gas turbine-driven centrifugal compressor at
its existing Glen Karn meter station site in Darke County, Ohio;
Compressor station buildings and associated ancillary
facilities and piping at the existing Glen Karn meter station site;
A modification at the existing Lebanon Meter Station by
adding two 12-inch orifice meters and the associated instrumentation in
Warren County, Ohio; and
A modification at the existing Glen Karn Meter Station by
adding one additional 12-inch turbine meter and the associated
instrumentation.
The location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.\2\
If you are interested in obtaining 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
Commission'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 be within the
boundaries of existing station properties.
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 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.
Land use.
Cultural resources.
Vegetation and wildlife.
Endangered and threatened species.
Public safety.
Air quality and noise.
Hazardous waste.
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 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 Texas Eastern. Addition
issues may be included based on your comments and our analysis.
Potential impacts to noise-sensitive areas that are near
the Gas City Compressor Station and Glen Karn Meter Station.
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, and
[[Page 59354]]
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:
Lois Cashell, 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 II, PR-11.2;
Reference Docket No. CP97-626-000; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before November 28, 1997.
Becoming an Intervenor
Besides 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.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-28974 Filed 10-31-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
