[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 91 (Thursday, May 11, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25211-25212]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-11632]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-143-000]
Southern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for Southern Natural Gas Company's Proposed
Graniteville Line Project and Request for Comments on Environmental
Issues
May 5, 1995.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss environmental impacts of the construction and operation of the
facilities proposed in the Graniteville Line Project. This EA will be
used by the Commission in its decisionmaking process to determine
whether an environmental impact statement is necessary and whether to
approve the project.\1\
\1\Southern Natural Gas Company's application was filed with the
Commission pursuant to section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157
of the Commission's regulations.
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Summary of the Proposed Projects
Southern Natural Gas Company (Southern) proposes to:
Construct approximately 3.5 miles of 8-inch-diameter
natural gas pipeline in Aiken County, South Carolina, which would
replace approximately 3.5 miles of 4-inch-diameter pipeline. This
proposed pipeline, referred to as the ``Graniteville Line'', would
commence at a tie-in at milepost (MP) 501.0 on Southern's existing
South Main Line and proceed in a northwesterly direction to a proposed
interconnection with Southern's new Graniteville Mills Meter Station;
Construct a new meter station at the Graniteville Mills
interconnect to replace the existing Graniteville Mills meter station
in Aiken County, South Carolina. The proposed meter station would
consist of two 4-inch-diameter meter runs, a pressure regulator, and
approximately 125 feet of miscellaneous buried piping. This facility
would require a site approximately 150 feet by 150 feet for
construction and operation. This construction would occur on the
Graniteville Company's plant site in Graniteville, South Carolina;
Construct a regulator station near MP 2.6 approximately
100 feet by 100 feet and an odorization facility at the take-off point
on an approximate area of 50 feet by 50 feet; and
Abandon in place the existing 4-inch-diameter
Graniteville Line, except for approximately 0.5 mile of pipeline
between MP 2.810 and MP 2.317, which [[Page 25212]] would remain in
service to serve existing customers.
Southern indicates that the proposed pipeline facilities would
deliver an additional total firm transportation service of 3,625
thousand cubic feet (Mcf) of natural gas per day to Graniteville
Company.
The general location of the project facilities is 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.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
Southern proposes to use a 70-foot-wide construction right-of-way
in nonagricultural areas and a 90-foot-wide construction right-of-way
in agricultural areas. Following construction, a 50-foot-wide easement
would be permanently maintained; the remaining 20 feet in
nonagricultural areas and 40 feet in agricultural areas would be
restored and revert back to prior use. About 30 acres would be affected
by construction.
Additional working space would be required adjacent to the planned
construction right-of-way at areas of steep side slopes, road,
railroad, waterbody crossings, and wetlands. No new access roads would
be required.
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
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 Southern. 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:
The proposed project would cross five waterbodies, four of
which are perennial. The perennial waterbodies are Horse Creek (crossed
twice), an unnamed tributary to Horse Creek, and the Sand River. These
waterbodies support valuable riparian vegetation, which helps stabilize
soil to prevent erosion and provides habitat for wildlife. These
waterbodies may also support fishery resources.
The pipeline would cross 0.35 mile of wetlands. These
wetlands are classified as palustrine forested.
The federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker may exist
within the immediate vicinity of the proposed pipeline right-of-way.
About 17 acres of upland forest would be disturbed.
Residences may be located within 50 feet of the edge of
the proposed construction right-of-way.
Right-of-way widths.
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;
Reference Docket No. CP95-143-000;
Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. David Gallo, EA Project
Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St.,
NE., Room 7312, Washington, DC 20426; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before June 12, 1995.
If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one
from Mr. Gallo at the above address.
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want
to become an official party to the proceedings 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 scoping comments considered.
Additional information about the proposed project is available from
Mr. David Gallo, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-2066.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-11632 Filed 5-10-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
