[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 122 (Wednesday, June 25, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34254-34255]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-16622]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP97-276-000]
Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation; Notice of Intent To
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Line 1-A
Reactivation Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
June 19, 1997.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of the construction and operation of
the facilities proposed in the Line 1-A Reactivation Project.\1\ This
EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to
determine whether the project is in the public convenience and
necessity.
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\1\ Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation'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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Summary of the Proposed Project
Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation (Texas Eastern) proposes to
reactivate an existing inactive pipeline, Line 1-A, and to construct
new facilities associated with operation of the reactivated Line 1-A in
Chester and Delaware Counties, Pennsylvania. This would enable Texas
Eastern to deliver on a firm basis up to 120,000 dekatherms per day
(Dth/d) of natural gas to PECO Energy Company (PECO) and 8,000 Dth/d to
Mobil Oil Corporation (Mobil). Texas Eastern seeks authority to:
Reactivate about 22.7 miles of the 20-inch-diameter Line
1-A in Chester and Delaware Counties, which includes:
--Investigation and repair, if needed, of 180 anomaly sites
(irregularities in the pipe wall which are typically caused by
mechanical damage or corrosion); and
--Hydrostatically test the pipeline.
Install the following:
--New regulating facilities and a pig launcher at the Eagle Compressor
Station (milepost (MP) 0.0);
--Delivery tap off of Line 1-A for Texas Easterns existing Planebrook
Measurement and Regulation (M&R) Station (MP 6.8) \2\
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\2\ Mileposts are approximate.
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--Mainline valves at MP 6.8, MP 12.6, and MP 16.0;
--Delivey taps off Lines 1-H and 1-A (MP 10.0) for the Hershey Mills
M&R to be constructed by PECO; and
--Delivery taps off Line 1-A and 1-H, and a pig receiver at the new
Brookhaven M&R Station at Chester Junction (MP 22.7).
The proposed facilities would cost about $12,800,000.
The location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.\3\
If you are interested in obtaining procedural information, please write
to the Secretary of the Commission.
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\3\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available from the
Commission Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First
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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Nonjurisdictional Facilities
PECO plans to construct a new meter station near MP 10 on Line 1-A,
regulation and heating facilities at the new Brookhaven M&R Station,
and a new 24-inch-diameter distribution line, of an unspecified length,
downstream from the Brookhaven M&R Station to connect its existing
distribution pipeline.
Land Requirements for Construction
a. Line 1-A Upgrading
The repair of the anomaly sites would temporarily disturb 91 areas
within the existing permanent right-of-way, totaling about 30.94 acres.
Hydrostatic testing of Line 1-A would disturb six manifold sites within
the existing permanent right-of-way, totaling about 2.04 acres. Each of
these 97 areas would be about 75-feet-wide and 200-feet-long.
A 5.2-acre staging area, a 3.0-acre wareyard, and a 0.12-acre
staging area would be required at off-right-of-way locations. These
areas would be temporarily disturbed, and would be restored to their
original grade and reseeded.
b. Aboveground Facilities
Regulating and pig launching facilities would be installed at the
existing Eagle Compressor Station. A 150-foot by 150-foot area (0.52
acre) would be disturbed to install the Brookhaven M&R Station, that
includes a pig receiver, within the existing Chester Junction Facility
aboveground site. The proposed mainline valves would require 20 feet by
30 feet within the existing right-of-way (0.014 acre each).
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
public safety
land use
cultural resources
air quality and noise
hazardous waste
We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed
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 Commissions 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 make
our recommendations to the Commission.
Currently Identified Environmental Issues
We have already identified several issues that we think deserve
attention
[[Page 34255]]
based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the
environmental information provided by Texas Eastern. This preliminary
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
Three state designated high-quality coldwater fisheries
and three waterbodies used by migratory fishes would be crossed.
A total of 12.03 acres of wetlands would be temporarily
affected and 0.2 acre of wetlands would be permanently affected.
Certain anomaly locations possess a high probability of
containing prehistoric or historic archaeological sites or historic
structures.
Line 1-A is part of the War Emergency Pipeline System
which has been determined to be eligible for the National Register of
Historic Places.
Twenty-eight residences are within 100 feet of the
pipeline centerline.
The Ridley State Park and a private golf course associated
with the Hershey Mills Retirement Community would be crossed.
The bog turtle (a candidate for Federal listing) may be
affected.
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, 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:
Send two copies of your letter to: Lois Cashell,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE.,
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
Reference Docket No. CP97-276-000; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC, on or before July 21, 1997.
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). You do not need intervenor status to have your comments
considered.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-16622 Filed 6-24-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
