[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 118 (Tuesday, June 20, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32147-32148]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-14974]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket Nos. CP95-289-000 and CP95-292-000]
Southern Natural Gas Company; Notice of intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Settlement Facilities
Projects and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
June 14, 1995.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental impacts of the construction
and operation of the facilities proposed in the Settlement Facilities
Project.\1\ This EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-
making process to determine whether an environmental impact statement
is necessary and whether to approve the project.
Summary of the Proposed Project
Southern Natural Gas Company (Southern) wants to construct and/or
replace and operate its facilities in Georgia and Alabama. The project
description follows below:
Project 1
Replacement of 6.1 miles of its existing 14-inch-diameter
Ocmulgee-Atlanta Loop Line with a 30-inch-diameter pipeline from
milepost (MP) 50.5 in Henry County, Georgia to MP 56.6 in Clayton
County, Georgia; and
Replacement of 5.7 miles of its existing 12-inch-diameter
Macon Branch Line with a 30-inch-diameter pipeline from MPs 15.7 to
10.0, located in Clayton County, Georgia. Southern also proposes to
make the following meter station modifications: (1) Modify
miscellaneous piping at the South Atlanta Regulator Station and South
Atlanta #1 Meter Station; (2) rebuild the Marietta Meter Station with
three 8-inch orifice meter runs; and (3) replace the existing metering
facilities at the Dallas #2 Meter Station with a 6-inch turbine meter
run and appurtenant facilities.
The Project 1 facilities would provide Atlanta Gas Light Company
(AGL) with about 100,000 Mcfd of firm transportation service. Southern
indicates that the above-described modifications do not provide
additional firm capacity to the meter stations serving the Atlanta
area; however they do provide additional peak hour capability and
enhanced operational flexibility to better serve AGL in the Atlanta
area.
Project 2
Construction of 7.8 miles of 20-inch-diameter South Main
2nd Loop Line from MP 452.1 in Glascock County, Georgia to MP 459.9 in
Jefferson County, Georgia.
Construction of 3.1 miles of 20-inch-diameter South Main
2nd Loop Line from Mps 417.1 to 420.2 located in Baldwin County,
Georgia.
The Project 2 facilities would provide an additional 28,000 Mcfd of
service to South Carolina Pipeline Corporation (SCPL).
Project 3
Construction of 7.1 miles of 30-inch-diameter South Main
3rd Loop Line from MP 265.1 in Macon County, Alabama to MP 272.2 in Lee
County, Alabama.
The Project 3 facilities would provide an additional 8,000 Mcfd of
service to SCPL's affiliate, SCANA Hydrocarbons Inc.
Southern also proposes to abandon by sale to AGL about 122 miles of
its 12-inch-diameter Brunswick Line, including six meter stations and
one regulator station, more specifically described
below. [[Page 32148]]
122 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline in Laurens,
Wheeler, Jeff Davis, Appling, Wayne and Glynn Counties, Georgia. The
Brunswick Line begins at MP 53.8 in Laurens County and extends to MP
175.3 in Glynn County;
Six meter stations: Eastman, Alamo, Hazelhurst, Baxley,
Jesup, and Brunswick, which exist in the counties listed above; and
The Belle Vista Regulator Station.
Southern also seeks authorization to construct a meter station in
order to provide a new delivery point to AGL at the existing Eastman
Meter Station site near MP 53.8 in Laurens County, Georgia. All work
proposed for the construction of the new meter station would be
performed within the existing Eastman Meter Station site.
The general location of the project facilities and specific
locations for facilities on new sites 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.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
Construction of the proposed facilities would require a total of
50.38 acres of land. Following construction, about 0.71 acre would be
maintained as new right-of-way. The remaining 49.67 acres of land would
be restored and allowed to revert to its former 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 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 projects 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 and noise.
Public safety.
We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed
projects or portions of the projects, 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:
7 residences are within 50 feet of the construction right-
of-way;
13 federally listed or proposed threatened and endangered
species may occur along the proposed project area;
24 perennial waterbodies would be crossed by the proposed
pipelines; and
4.88 acres of wetlands would be affected by the proposed
pipelines.
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 locations) 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 Nos. CP95-289-000 and CP95-292-000;
Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Kari Schank, 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 July 21, 1995.
If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one
from Ms. Schank 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 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 2).
The date for filing of 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. Kari Schank, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-0116.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-14974 Filed 6-19-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
