[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 41 (Thursday, March 2, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11662-11664]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-5111]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket Nos. CP95-61-000 and CP95-62-000]
Columbia Gas Transmission Corp.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Majorsville/Crawford Storage
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
February 24, 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
facilities proposed in the Majorsville/Crawford Storage Project.\1\
This EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process
to determine if an environmental impact statement is necessary and
whether to approve the project.
\1\Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation's applications in
Docket Nos. CP95-61-000 and CP95-62-000 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
In Docket No. CP95-61-000, Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation
(Columbia) requests Commission authorization to temporarily deactivate
the storage operations at its Majorsville-Heard Storage Complex to
allow coal mining operations by the Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company
and/or its affiliates. Columbia needs to deactivate its storage
facilities when the coal mining operation is nearby since ``long wall
mining'' typically causes surface subsidence which could result in
adverse impact on the wells and pipelines. Once mining has ended,
Columbia would determine if the facility can be reactivated or should
be permanently abandoned.
At the Majorsville/Heard Storage Complex in Greene and Washington
Counties, Pennsylvania and Marshall County, West Virginia, Columbia
proposes to temporarily deactivate portions of the storage field for at
least the next 13 years. This would include:
Abandoning up to 238 wells; and
Abandoning up to 60 miles of existing pipeline.
In Docket No. CP95-62-000, Columbia requests Commission
authorization to increase its natural gas storage capability and to
construct and operate additional facilities at its Crawford Storage
Field and Crawford Compressor Station to offset the temporary
deactivation of the Majorsville-Heard Storage Complex. Columbia
proposes to increase:
The storage capability of the Crawford Storage Field by 5
billion cubic feet (Bcf) to 52 Bcf;
The annual withdrawals by 8.15 Bcf to 17.65 Bcf; and
The design day deliverability by 67.2 million cubic feet
per day (MMcfd) to 232.2 MMcfd.
At the Crawford Storage Field in Hocking County, Ohio, Columbia
proposes to:
Drill four new wells;
Construct about 5.01 miles of pipeline, including:
--2.30 miles of 20-inch-diameter pipeline replacing 1.40 mile of 16-
inch-diameter pipeline and 0.90 mile of 10- and 8-inch-diameter
pipeline;
--0.80 mile of 10-inch-diameter pipeline replacing 0.80 mile of 4-inch-
diameter pipeline;
--0.76 mile of 10-inch-diameter new pipeline;
--0.36 mile of 8-inch-diameter pipeline replacing 0.40 mile of 4-inch-
diameter pipeline;
--0.45 mile of 8-inch-diameter new pipeline;
--0.32 mile of 6-inch-diameter pipeline replacing 0.30 mile of 4-inch-
diameter pipeline; and
--0.02 mile of 6-inch-diameter new pipeline.
Install other appurtenant facilities, including:
--Wellhead measurement stations at four new and two existing wells;
--Electric measurement cables within the right-of-way to the four new
wells;
--Up to 10 pig launching/receiving facilities; and
--Valve replacement sets at six existing and one new well.
[[Page 11663]] At the Crawford Compressor Station in Fairfield
County, Ohio, Columbia proposes to:
Add a third dehydration contactor and related reboiler and
piping;
Add a gas cooler to each of the three existing compressor
units;
Replace a compressor cylinder on one of the existing
compressor units; and
Add a gas cleaner and make other changes.
The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
1. Specific locations of the proposed Crawford Storage Field facilities
are shown in appendix 2.\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, NE., Washington, DC 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
Majorsville/Heard Storage Complex
The temporary deactivation of the Majorsville/Heard Storage Complex
facilities would require some construction activity. Abandonment of the
pipelines (either in place or by removal) would occur within the
existing right-of-way. Abandonment and plugging of the wells would
require some disturbance in the immediate area of the well.
Crawford Storage Field
Construction and operation of the four proposed new well sites
would disturb a total of about 2.8 acres of land.
columbia intends to use its existing 50-foot-wide right-of-way for
removal of the existing pipelines and construction of the small
diameter (less than 18-inch-diameter) replacement pipelines. All new
pipelines would be constructed within a 50-foot-wide right-of-way. For
the 20-inch-diameter replacement pipeline, Columbia proposes to use a
75-foot-wide construction right-of-way, of which 50 feet would be
existing right-of-way and 25 feet would be new temporary right-of-way.
All of the replacement pipelines would be built in about the same
location as the existing pipelines. All other appurtenant facilities
would be constructed within the right-of-way for the new and
replacement pipelines. Construction of the pipelines would affect about
43.1 acres of land.
Extra temporary work space would be also required for staging areas
for topsoil segregation; for road, wetland and stream crossings;
equipment mobilization; and contractor and pipe storage yards. Columbia
estimates that these extra work spaces would temporarily disturb about
7.1 acres of land.
Following construction, the new and replacement pipelines would be
within a 50-foot-wide permanent right-of-way centered on the pipeline.
All temporary construction right-of-way and extra workspaces would be
restored and allowed to revert to their former use. About 7.5 acres of
land would be required for the new permanent right-of-way.
Crawford Compressor Station
Construction of the additional facilities at the Crawford
Compressor Station would take place entirely within the existing
station fenceline.
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.
Air quality.
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 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 Columbia. 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:
Crawford Storage Field
The pipelines would cross three perennial waterbodies and
eight non-forested wetlands.
The pipelines may cross or be near historic structures and
archeological sites.
Two pipeline segments would cross a state scenic highway
(State Route 374).
Construction of one pipeline segment would take place
within 50 feet of three residences.
Some of the pipeline segments would possibly cross
potential habitat for the Indiana bat, a federally listed endangered
species.
Increasing the capacity of the storage field may increase
the potential for leakage.
Crawford Compressor Station
Some of the additional facilities would be within a 100-
year floodplain.
The reboiler for the dehydration contactor would slightly
increase the NOX emission levels of the 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 (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. [[Page 11664]]
Reference Docket Nos. CP95-61-000 and CP95-62-000.
Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Laura Turner, EA
Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North
Capitol Street., N.E., Room 7312, Washington, D.C. 20426.
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, D.C. on or before April 3, 1995.
If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one from
Ms. Turner at the above address.
Becoming and 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 3).
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
Ms. Laura Turner, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-0916.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-5111 Filed 3-1-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
