[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 2, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10138-10142]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-5050]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP99-94-000]
Florida Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed FGT Phase IV Expansion
Project, Request For Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of
Public Scoping Meeting and Site Visit
February 24, 1999.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that
will discuss the environmental impacts of the FGT Phase IV Expansion
Project involving construction and operation of facilities by Florida
Gas Transmission Company (FGT) in Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama.\1\
These facilities would consist of about 205 miles of various diameter
pipeline, 48,570 horsepower (hp) of compression, four new delivery
points including three meter stations and a tap, and various other
miscellaneous facilities. This EIS will be used by the Commission in
its decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the
public convenience and necessity. The application and other
supplemental filings in this docket are available for viewing on the
FERC Internet website (www.ferc.fed.us). Click on the ``RIMS'' link,
select ``Docket #'' from the RIMS Menu, and follow the instructions.
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\1\ FGT'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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Similarly, the ``CIPS'' link on the FERC Internet website provides
access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such
as orders, notices, and rulemakings. From the FERC Internet website,
click on the ``CIPS'' link, select ``Docket #'' from the CIPS menu, and
follow the instructions.
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted
by a pipeline company representative about the acquisition of an
easement to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities.
The pipeline company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable
agreement. However, if the project is approved by the Commission, that
approval conveys with it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if
easement negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the pipeline
company could initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with
state law. A fact sheet addressing a number of typically asked
questions, including the use of eminent domain, is attached to this
notice as appendix 1.\2\
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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, 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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Additionally, with this notice we are asking a number of Federal
and state agencies (see appendix 2) with jurisdiction and/or special
expertise with respect to environmental issues to cooperate with us in
the preparation of the EIS. These agencies may choose to participate
once they have evaluated the proposal relative to their agencies'
responsibilities.
Summary of the Proposed Project
FGT wants to expand the capacity of its facilities in Florida,
Mississippi, and Alabama to transport an additional 272,000 million
British thermal units per day of natural gas to two private power
companies, two municipal utilities, two industrial customers, two
natural gas marketers and one local distribution company. See tables 1
and 2 for a listing of project facilities. The FGT Phase IV Expansion
Project would also include block valves and blowdown valves. The
locations of these facilities have not yet been determined.
[[Page 10139]]
Several nonjurisdictional facilities would be constructed in
Florida as a result of the FGT Phase IV Expansion Project. These
nonjurisdictional facilities include expansion of equipment and
technology resulting from fuel conversion of oil to natural gas at
Florida Power and Light Company's Ft. Myers plant in Lee County,
construction of the Duke Energy--New Smyrna Beach Power Project in
Volusia County, and a meter station to be constructed by Peoples Gas
System in Lee County. We have made a preliminary decision to not
address the impacts of the nonjurisdictional facilities. We will
describe their location and status in the Draft EIS.
The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
3. If you are interested in obtaining detailed maps of a specific
portion of the project, write to the Office of External Affairs and
include the form in appendix 5.
Table1.--Proposed Pipelines for the FGT Phase IV Expansion Project
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Pipeline Mileposts Segment
Segment name diameter County, State -------------------------- length
(inches) Begin End (miles)
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Mainline:
Mainline Loop Extension...... 36 George, MS............... 152.7 156.6 9.3
Greene, MS............... 156.6 162.0
Mainline Loop Downstream of 30 Suwannee, FL............. 515.3 518.9 5.5
the West Leg. Columbia, FL............. 518.9 520.8
Mainline Loop Downstream of 30 Bradford, FL............. 548.1 562.1 14.0
Compressor Station 16.
Mainline Loop Downstream of 30 Marion, FL............... 607.9 613.9 6.0
Compressor Station 17.
New Lateral
New Smyrna Beach--Duke Energy 16 Lake, FL................. 0.0 8.2 45.82
lateral. Seminole, FL............. 8.2 15.5
Volusia, FL.............. 15.5 45.82
Lateral Loops and Extension:
Sarasota Lateral Loop........ 12 Manatee, FL.............. 69.53 73.62 4.09
Lake Wales Lateral Loop 6 Polk, FL................. 2.5 3.4 0.9
Extension.
Tampa South Lateral Extension 4 Hillsborough, FL......... 16.53 22.15 5.62
Mainline:
West Leg Extension........... 30 Hillborough, FL.......... 0.0 22.0
Polk, FL................. 22.0 36.0
Hardee, FL............... 36.0
DeSoto, FL............... 61.3
61.3
75.6 75.6
26 De Soto, FL.............. 75.6 88.4
Charlotte, FL............ 88.4 107.0
Lee, FL.................. 107.0 113.6 38.0
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Total.................... 204.83
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Table 2.--Aboveground Facilities for the FGT Phase IV Expansion Project
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New Horsepower
Facility horsepower addition Milepost County, State Comments
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Compressor Stations:
11A....................... N/A N/A 190.8 Mobile, AL....... Restage two
compressor units and
add a gas scrubber
and gas cooler at
existing compressor
station.
12A....................... ........... 10,350 260.2 Santa Rosa, FL... Existing compressor
station.
13A....................... ........... 10,350 324.0 Washington, FL... Existing compressor
station.
14A....................... ........... 10,350 394.7 Gadsden, FL...... Existing compressor
station.
15A....................... N/A N/A 468.7 Taylor, FL....... Restage one
compressor unit at
existing compressor
station.
24........................ 10,350 ........... 25.3 Gilchrist, FL.... New compressor
station.
26........................ ........... 7,170 89.8 Citrus, FL....... Existing compressor
station.
Meter Stations:
Duke Energy............... N/A N/A 45.82 Volusia, FL...... Located at end of the
New Smyrna Beach--
Duke Energy Lateral.
National Gypsum........... N/A N/A 22.15 Hillsborough, FL. Located at the end of
the Tampa South
Lateral Extension.
FPL Ft. Myers............. N/A N/A 113.6 Lee, FL.......... Located at the end of
the West Leg
Extension.
Associated Pipeline
Facilities:
Crossover................. N/A N/A 28.3 Polk, FL......... Crossover from the
proposed West Leg
Extension to the
existing Agricola
Lateral.
Agricola Lateral N/A N/A 28.3 Polk, FL......... Located at the
Interconnect. intersection of the
proposed West Leg
Extension and the
existing Agricola
Lateral.
[[Page 10140]]
Sarasota Lateral Regulator N/A N/A 28.3 Polk, FL......... Located at the
Station/Interconnect. intersection of the
proposed West Leg
Extension and the
existing Sarasota
Lateral.
Tap Valve and Tie-in N/A N/A 111.39 Lee, FL.......... Located near the end
pipeline. of the proposed West
Leg Extension to
deliver gas to the
TECO-PGS Ft. Myers
Meter Station.
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N/A=not applicable
Land Requirements for Construction
The pipeline route is adjacent to existing rights-of-way for
approximately 92 percent of its length. Where possible, FGT's right-of-
way would overlap its existing rights-of-way as much as 75 feet during
construction to minimize impacts. Table 3 lists the construction and
permanent right-of-way widths for each pipeline segment.
Construction of the FGT Phase IV Expansion Project would affect a
total of about 2,499 acres of land including 2,475 acres required for
pipeline construction and extra workspace and 24 acres for construction
of the aboveground facilities. Locations of contractor yards, pipe
storage yards, and access roads have not been determined. All these
acreage figures are subject to change. Total land requirements for the
permanent right-of-way would be about 1,275 acres. An additional 24
acres for the operation of the new aboveground facilities would be
required. The remaining 1,200 acres of land affected by construction
would be restored and allowed to revert to its former use.
The EIS 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 EIS 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 EIS. All comments received
are considered during the preparation of the EIS. 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 EIS 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.
Land use.
Cultural resources.
Air quality and noise.
Table 3.--Right-of-Way (ROW) Widths for the FGT Phase IV Expansion Project
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Permanent row Construction row overlap with
Facility Construction row (feet) (feet) New permanent row (feet) existing FGT row (feet)
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Mainline:
Mainline Loop Extension....... 110............................. 40 15.............................. 75
Mainline Loop Downstream of 110............................. 40 15.............................. 75
the West Leg.
Mainline Loop Downstream of 110............................. 40 15.............................. 75
Compressor Station 16.
Mainline Loop Downstream of 110............................. 40 15.............................. 75
Compressor Station 17.
New Lateral:
New Smyrna Beach--Duke Energy 75.............................. 30 0 to 30 a....................... 30b
Lateral.
Lateral Loop and Extension
Sarasota Lateral Loop......... 75.............................. 30 0............................... 30
Lake Wales Lateral Loop 60.............................. 40 0............................... Varies.
Extension.
Tampa South Lateral Extension. 45 to 50........................ 30 30.............................. Not applicable.
Mainline:
West Leg Extension............ 100 b........................... 50 50.............................. Not applicable.
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a FGT would require no new permanent right-of-way when paralleling the Sanford Lateral and 30 feet of new permanent right-of-way when not paralleling
the Sanford Lateral.
b FGT would use a 75-foot wide construction right-of-way in wetlands.
Endangered and threatened species.
Public safety.
Hazardous waste.
Currently Identified Environmental Issues
The EIS will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the
construction and operation of the proposed project. We have already
identified a number of issues that we think deserve attention based on
a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the environmental
information provided by FGT. These issues are listed below. This is a
preliminary list of issues and may be changed based on your comments
and
[[Page 10141]]
our analysis. Currently identified environmental issues for the FGT
Phase IV Expansion Project include:
--Potential for sinkhole formation and flooding;
--Construction through or along the edge of active or inactive surface
mines;
--Effect of construction on 85 perennial waterbody crossings, including
19 waterbodies 100 feet wide or greater;
--Erosion control and potential for sediment transport to waterbodies
and wetlands;
--Effect of construction on groundwater and surface water supplies;
--Effect of construction on 208 wetland crossings, including about 70
acres of permanent alteration of wetlands;
--Clearing of about 718 acres of forest;
--Effect on wildlife, fisheries and rare plant habitats;
--Impacts on 11 federally endangered and threatened species including
the bald eagle, Britton's beargrass, eastern indigo snake, Florida
bonamia, Florida scrub jay, gopher tortoise, pigeon-wing, red-cockaded
woodpecker, sand skink, West Indian manatee, and wood stork;
--Effect on historic and prehistoric archaeological sites and historic
structures;
--Impact on about 175 residences potentially within 50 feet of the
construction right-of-way;
--Potentially contaminated sites may be crossed by the pipeline;
--Effect on public lands and special use areas including the Ocala
National Forest, the Seminole State Forest, the Hell Ranch, Lake
Manatee State Recreation Area, Wekiva Aquatic Preserve, Medard Park and
Bicentennial Conservation Park;
--Crossing the Wekiva River, a designated Wild and Scenic River, and an
Outstanding Florida Water;
--Consistency with local land use plans and zoning;
--Visual effect of aboveground facilities on surrounding areas;
--Effect on local air quality and noise environment as a result of
compressor station operations; and
--Assessment of the combined effect of the proposed project with other
projects, including other natural gas pipelines, which have been or may
be proposed in the same region and similar time frames.
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 Draft EIS
which will be mailed to Federal, state, and local agencies, public
interest groups, affected landowners and other interested individuals,
newspapers, libraries, and the Commission's official service list for
this proceeding. A 45-day comment period will be allotted for review of
the Draft EIS. We will consider all comments on the Draft EIS and
revise the document, as necessary, before issuing a Final EIS. The
Final EIS will include our response to each comment received and will
be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to determine
whether to approve the project.
To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the
instructions in the public participation section below.
Public Participation and Scoping Meetings
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your
concerns will be addressed in the EIS and considered by the Commission.
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 carefully follow
these instructions to ensure that your comments are received in time
and properly recorded:
Send two copies of your letter to: David P. Boergers, Secretary,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE, Room 1A,
Washington, DC 20426.
Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the
Environmental Review and Compliance Branch, PR-11.2;
Reference Docket No. CP99-94-000;
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before March 26, 1999.
In addition to or in lieu of sending written comments, we invite
you to attend the public scoping meetings the FERC will conduct in the
project area. The locations and times for these meetings are listed
below.
Schedule of Public Scoping Meetings for the FGT Phase IV Expansion
Project Environmental Impact Statement
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Date Time Location
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March 15, 1999.......................... 7:00 pm.................... Sheraton Hotel, 2900 SW 13th Street,
Gainesville, Florida, (352) 377-4000.
March 16, 1999.......................... 7:00 pm.................... Holiday Inn, 350 E. International
Speedway Blvd. De Land, Florida, (904)
738-5200.
March 17, 1999.......................... 7:00 pm.................... Holiday Inn Select, 13051 Bell Tower
Drive, Fort Myers, Florida, (941) 482-
2900.
March 18, 1999.......................... 7:00 pm.................... Carver Recreation Center, 520 South
Idlewood Avenue, Bartow, Florida, (941)
534-0161.
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The public meetings are designed to provide you with more detailed
information and another opportunity to offer your comments on the
proposed project. FGT representatives will be present at the scoping
meetings to describe their proposal. Interested groups and individuals
are encouraged to attend the meetings and to present comments on the
environmental issues they believe should be addressed in the Draft EIS.
A transcript of each meeting will be made so that your comments will be
accurately recorded.
On the dates of the meetings, the staff will also be visiting some
project areas. Anyone interested in participating in a site visit may
contact the Commission's Office of External Affairs identified at the
end of this notice for more details and must provide their own
transportation.
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EIS scoping process, you may want
to become an official party to the proceeding known as an
``intervenor''. Intervenors play a more formal role in the process.
Among other things, intervenors have the right to receive copies of
case-related Commission documents and filings by other intervenors.
Likewise, each intervenor
[[Page 10142]]
must provide 14 copies of its filing to the Secretary of the Commission
and must send a copy of its filings to all other parties on the
Commission's service list for this proceeding. 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 4). Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the
Commission's decision.
The date for filing timely motions to intervene in this proceeding
has passed. Therefore, parties now seeking to file later 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 environmental comments considered.
Environmental Mailing List
This notice is being sent to individuals, organizations, and
government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the
proposed project. It is also being sent to all identified potential
right-of-way grantors. As details of the project become established,
representatives of FGT may also separately contact landowners,
communities, and public agencies concerning project matters, including
acquisition of permits and rights-of-way.
All commentors will be retained on our mailing list. If you do not
want to send comments at this time but still want to keep informed and
receive copies of the Draft and Final EISs, you must return the
Information Request (appendix 5). If you do not send comments or return
the Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing list.
Additional information about the proposed project is available from
Mr. Paul McKee of the Commission's Office of External Affairs at (202)
208-1088 or on the FERC website (www.ferc.fed.us) using the ``RIMS''
link to information in this docket number. For assistance with access
to RIMS, the RIMS helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2222. Access to
the tests of formal documents issued by the Commission with regard to
this docket, such as orders and notices, is also available on the FERC
website using the ``CIPS'' link. For assistance with access to CIPS,
the CIPS helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2474.
David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 99-5050 Filed 3-1-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
