[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 163 (Wednesday, August 23, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43788-43789]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-20838]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-540-000]
South Georgia Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed South Georgia Expansion
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
August 17, 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 South Georgia Expansion Project.\1\ This
EA will be
[[Page 43789]]
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\ South Georgia 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
South Georgia Natural Gas Company (South Georgia) wants to expand
the capacity of its facilities in Alabama and Georgia to transport an
additional 6,000 thousand cubic feet per day of natural gas to Procter
& Gamble Paper Products Company (Procter & Gamble) to meet the gas
requirements resulting from an expansion of Procter & Gamble's Albany
plant. South Georgia requests Commission authorization, in Docket No.
CP95-540-000, to construct and operate 7.1 miles of 16-inch-diameter
pipeline loop on its existing system from about milepost (MP) 27.9 in
Russell County, Alabama to MP 34.9 in Stewart County, Georgia. See
appendix 1 for a map of the proposed facilities.\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 Capital 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 about 26.9
acres of land. Following construction, about 15.2 acres would be
maintained as new right-of-way. The remaining 11.7 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 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
or portions of the project, and made 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 of
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 deserves
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and
the environmental information provide by South Georgia. 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:
The proposed pipeline would cross the Chattahoochee River
and would require a temporary work space area of 150 feet by 100 feet.
Eleven wetlands would be crossed by the proposed project.
Ten federally or proposed listed endangered or threatened
species may occur in the proposed project area.
A total of 23.7 acres of forest land would convert to
permanent pipeline right-of-way.
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 locations/routes), 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 No. CP95-540-000;
Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Alisa Lykens, EA
Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North
Capitol St., N.E., Room 7312, Washington, D.C. 20426; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, D.C. on or before September 22, 1995.
If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one
from Ms. Lykens 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 if 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
Ms. Alisa Lykens, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-0766.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-20838 Filed 8-22-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
