[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 29 (Monday, February 13, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8230-8231]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-3467]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-118-000]
East Tennessee Natural Gas Co.; Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Roanoke Expansion Project and
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
February 7, 1995.
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
the facilities proposed in the Roanoke Expansion Project.\1\ This EA
will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to
determine whether an environmental impact statement is required and
whether or not to approve the project.
\1\East Tennessee Natural Gas Company's application was filed
with the Commission under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act.
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Summary of the Proposed Project
East Tennessee Natural Gas Company (East Tennessee) wants
Commission authorization to construct and operate 5.2 miles of pipeline
loop to provide Roanoke Gas Company, in Roanoke, Virginia, with up to
9,789 decatherms per day of continued firm transportation service. East
Tennessee's proposed facilities would consist of:
5.2 miles of 12-inch-diameter loops in Washington county,
Virginia (3.06 miles of loop between milepost (MP) 3311-1+0.04 and MP
3311-1+3.10 and 2.14 miles of loop between MP 3310-1+8.82 and MP 3310-
1+10.96); and
A 980-horsepower uprate of existing compressor units at
East Tennessee's Compressor Station 3110 in Wartburg, Morgan County,
Tennessee.
The locations of these facilities are shown in appendix 1.\2\
\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, Room
3104, 941 North Capitol Street, N.W., 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
The proposed loops would be built adjacent to existing pipeline
rights-of-way (ROW). The construction ROW would typically be 75 feet
wide consisting of a 50-foot-wide permanent ROW and a 25-foot-wide
temporary ROW. Following construction, the disturbed area would be
restored and the 25 feet of temporary ROW would be allowed to revert to
its former land use.
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 taken into account 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 East Tennessee. Keep in mind
that this is a preliminary list; the list of issues will be added to,
subtracted from, or changed based on your comments and our own
analysis. Issues are:
One wetland (palustrine forested/scrub-shrub/emergent) and
six small perennial streams would be affected.
There is one residence and one cemetery located within 50
feet of the construction ROW.
There may be additional noise impact on nearby noise-
sensitive areas from the uprate in compression at Compressor Station
3110.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by sending a letter with 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 St., N.E., Washington,
D.C. 20426;
Reference Docket No. CP95-118-000;
Send a copy of your letter to:
Mr. John Wisniewski, EA Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 825 North Capitol St., N.E. Room 7312, Washington, D.C.
20426; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, D.C. on or before March 10, 1995.
If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one
from Mr. Wisniewski at the above address. [[Page 8231]]
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 Sec. 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. John Wisniewski, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1073.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-3467 Filed 2-10-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
