[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 162 (Tuesday, August 22, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43592-43593]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-20710]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-505-000]
Southern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed North Main Line System
Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
August 16, 1995.
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 North Main Line System Expansion
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.
\1\ Southern Natural Gas Company'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
Southern Natural Gas Company (Southern) proposes to construct,
install, modify, and operate compressor stations, meter stations, and
related appurtenant facilities. Specifically, Southern requests
Commission authorization to:
Construct a new 5,680-horsepower (hp) East Tuscaloosa
Compressor Station at milepost 286.24 of the North Main Line at the
border of Tuscaloosa and Jefferson Counties, Alabama;
Add a 1,452-hp turbine compressor to the existing Pell
City Compressor Station at milepost 352.478 of the North Main Line in
St. Clair County, Alabama;
Uprate an existing turbine compressor from 1,080 hp to
1,200 hp at the existing DeArmanville Compressor Station at milepost
380.629 of the North Main Line in Calhoun County, Alabama;
Add compressor unloaders to two engine units at the
existing Tarrant Compressor Station at milepost 321.947 of the North
Main in Jefferson County, Alabama;
Increase operating pressure at the (1) Dora Meter Station
at milepost 11.281 of the Cordova Branch Line in Walker County,
Alabama, and (2) Gadsden Branch Line in St. Clair County, Alabama; and
Install overpressure protection at the existing:
1. Ashville Meter Station at milepost 16.2 of the Gadsden Branch
Line in St. Clair County, Alabama;
2. Boaz No. 2 Meter Station at milepost 25.12 of the Gadsden Branch
Line in Etowah County, Alabama;
3. Gadsden No. 5 Meter Station at milepost 25.12 of the Gadsden
Branch Line in Etowah County, Alabama;
4. Marshall No. 1 Meter Station at milepost 27.42 of the Gadsden
Branch Line in Etowah Country, Alabama;
5. Gadsden No. 4 Meter Station at milepost 31.292 of the Gadsden
Branch Line in Etowah County, Alabama; and
6. Gadsden No. 1 Meter Station at milepost 33.309 of the Gadsden
Branch Line in Etowah County, Alabama.
7. Ragland Branch Line Tie-in at milepost 9.233 and Siberton Tap
Line Tie-in at milepost 27.318 of the Gadsden Branch Line in St. Clair
and Etowah Counties, Alabama.
The general location of the project facilities and specific
locations for facilities 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, NE., Washington, DC 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
Southern indicates that 65 to 70 acres of additional and would be
required for the new compressor station. All other construction
activities would occur within the existing rights-of-way and existing
compressor stations and would not require additional land.
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
proposed abandonment under these general headings:
Soils.
Cultural resources.
Water resources and wetlands.
Public safety.
Air and noise quality.
Endangered and threatened species.
Vegetation.
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
[[Page 43593]]
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 Issue
We have already identified one issue that we think deserves
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and
the environmental information provided by Southern:
The proposed compressor station and additional compression proposed
at the existing compressor stations may increase ambient noise levels.
Keep in mind that this is a preliminary issue. Issues may be added,
subtracted, or changed based on your comments and our analysis.
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:
Address your letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capital St., NE., Washington,
DC 20426;
Reference Docket No. CP95-505-000;
Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Herman K. Der, 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 September 15, 1995.
If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one from
Mr. Herman K. Der 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 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. Herman K. Der, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-0896.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-20710 Filed 8-21-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
