E9-14452. Southern Natural Gas Company, Southeast Supply Header, LLC; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed South System Expansion III Project and Joint Pipeline Expansion Phase II Project

June 12, 2009.

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) on the natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Southern Natural Gas Company (SNG) for the South System Expansion III Project (SSE III Project) and by Southeast Supply Header, LLC (SESH) for the Joint Pipeline Expansion Phase II Project (JPE Phase II Project) in the above-referenced dockets.

The EA was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. The staff concludes that approval of the proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures, would not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.

The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the construction and operation of the proposed natural gas pipeline facilities including:

SSE III Project

• The Thomaston-Griffin Branch Third Loop (Thomaston-Griffin Loop), 31.2 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline loop in Upson, Lamar, and Spalding Counties, Georgia;
• The South Atlanta-Austell Replacement, replacement of 10.9 miles of the existing 18-inch-diameter pipeline with 30-inch-diameter pipeline in Fulton and Clayton Counties, Georgia, and construction of the Plant McDonough Meter Station in Fulton County;
• The South Main Third Loop Line (Gwinville Loop), 12.0 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline loop in Jefferson Davis and Simpson Counties, Mississippi;
• The South Main Third Loop Line (Enterprise Loop), 7.7 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline loop in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, and Choctaw and Sumter Counties, Alabama;
• An additional 10,310 horsepower (hp) of compression and associated ancillary facilities installed at SNG's existing Bay Springs Compressor Station in Jasper County, Mississippi;
• The South Main Third Loop Line (Bay Springs Loop), 2.4 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline in Clarke County, Mississippi;
• The South Main Fourth Loop Line (Gallion Loop), 5.2 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline loop in Hale and Perry Counties, Alabama;
• The South Main Replacement (Elmore Replacement), replacement of 11.7 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline with 42-inch-diameter pipeline in Elmore County, Alabama; and
• An additional 7,000 hp of compression and associated ancillary facilities at the existing Ellerslie Compressor Station in Harris County, Georgia.

SNG would construct its proposed facilities in three phases beginning in the first quarter of 2010, and all facilities would be in service by the second quarter of 2012.

JPE Phase II Project

• An additional 12,891 hp (15,000 hp nominal) of compression and associated ancillary facilities at the existing Delhi Compressor Station near Delhi, Richland Parish, Louisiana; and
• An additional 12,712 hp (15,000 hp nominal) of compression and associated ancillary facilities at the existing Gwinville Compressor Station near Gwinville, Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi.

SESH would begin construction in October 2009, and proposes an in-service date in July 2010.

The EA has been placed in the public files of the FERC. A limited number of copies of the EA are available for distribution and public inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, [phone].

Copies of the EA have been mailed to Federal, State, and local agencies; public interest groups; interested individuals and affected landowners; Native American tribes; newspapers and libraries; and parties to this proceeding.

Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. To ensure consideration prior to a Commission decision on the proposal, it is important that we receive your comments before the date specified below.

You can make a difference by providing us with your specific comments or concerns about the SSE III Project or the JPE Phase II Project. Your comments should focus on the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. The more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. To ensure that your comments are timely and properly recorded, please send in your comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before July 13, 2009.

For your convenience, there are three methods which you can use to submit your comments to the Commission. In all instances please reference the project docket numbers CP09-36-000 or CP09-40-000 with your submission. The docket numbers can be found on the front of this notice. The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has dedicated eFiling expert staff available to assist you at 202-502-8258 or [e-mail].

(1) You may file your comments electronically by using the Quick Comment feature, which is located on the Commission's Internet Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. A Quick Comment is an easy method for interested persons to submit text-only comments on a project;

(2) You may file your comments electronically by using the eFiling feature, which is located on the Commission's Internet Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. eFiling involves preparing your submission in the same manner as you would if filing on paper, and then saving the file on your computer's hard drive. You will attach that file as your submission. New eFiling users must first create an account by clicking on “Sign up” or “eRegister.” You will be asked to select the type of filing you are making. A comment on a particular project is considered a “Comment on a Filing;” or

(3) You may file your comments via mail to the Commission by sending an original and two copies of your letter to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.

Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas Branch 2, PJ11.2.

Comments will be considered by the Commission but will not serve to make the commentor a party to the proceeding. Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214).^[1] Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.

Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which would not be adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered.

Additional information about the project is available from the Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on the eLibrary link, click on “General Search” and enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field. Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at [e-mail] or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, contact [phone]. The eLibrary link also provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.

In addition, the Commission now offers a free service called eSubscription which allows you to keep track of all formal issuances and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with notification of these filings, document summaries and direct links to the documents. Go to http://www.ferc.gov/​esubscribenow.htm.

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.

Footnotes

1.  Interventions may also be filed electronically via the Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing comments electronically.