02-19405. Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed South Texas Expansion Project

July 26, 2002.

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 Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company (Tennessee) in the above-referenced docket.

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 South Texas Expansion Project including:

• About 9.28 miles of a 30-inch-diameter lateral in Hidalgo County, Texas;
• A new meter station near the terminus of the new lateral in Hidalgo, Texas;
• About 7.58 miles of a 24-inch-diameter loop of Tennessee's existing Donna Line in Hidalgo County, Texas;
• A new 9,470 horsepower compressor station in Hidalgo County, Texas; and
• Minor modifications of Tennessee's existing Compressor Station 1 located in Nueces County, Texas, and existing Compressor Station 9 located in Victoria County, Texas.

Tennessee's proposed project also includes a border crossing facility at the International Boundary between the United States in Hidalgo County, Texas and Mexico in the State of Tamaulipas, which would consist of a 1,800-foot-long segment of 30-inch-diameter pipeline. The primary purpose of the South Texas Expansion Project is to provide up to 320,000 Decatherms per day of natural gas to a developing power generation complex located in the Northern Mexico Municipalities of Rio Bravo and Valle Hermoso, Tamaulipas.

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 and Files Maintenance Branch, 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, newspapers, 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. Please carefully follow these instructions to ensure that your comments are received in time and properly recorded:

• Send an original and two copies of your comments to: 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 Gas Branch 1, PJ11.1.
• Reference Docket Nos. CP02-116-000 and CP02-117-000; and
• Mail your comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before August 26, 2002.

Please note that we are continuing to experience delays in mail deliveries from the U.S. Postal Service. As a result, we will include all comments that we receive within a reasonable time frame in our environmental analysis of this project. However, the Commission encourages electronic filing of any comments or interventions or protests to this proceeding. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the “e-Filing” link and the link to the User's Guide. Before you can file comments you will need to create a free account which can be created by clicking on “Login to File” and then “New User Account.”

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 proposed project is available from the Commission's Office of External Affairs, at [phone] or on the FERC Internet website (www.ferc.gov) using the “RIMS” link to information in this docket number. Click on the “RIMS” link, select “Docket #” from the RIMS Menu, and follow the instructions. For assistance with access to RIMS, the RIMS helpline can be reached at [phone].

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. For assistance with access to CIPS, the CIPS helpline can be reached at [phone].

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Deputy Secretary.

Footnotes

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