[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 173 (Thursday, September 7, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46584-46586]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-22115]
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[[Page 46585]]
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-668-000]
CNG Transmission Corporation and Texas Eastern Transmission
Corporation; Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the
Proposed South Oakford Project and Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues
August 31, 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 Oakford 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\ CNG Transmission Corporation and 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
CNG Transmission Corporation (CNG) and Texas Eastern Transmission
Corporation (Texas Eastern) want to abandon by removal their Jeannette
Compressor Station, to add compression at their South Oakford
Compressor Station, to construct storage pipelines, and to install
related facilities at the South Oakford Gate and the Earhart Gate, all
in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. CNG and Texas Eastern request
authorization to abandon:
All buildings, parking lots, drive ways, equipment,
piping, and 7,980 horsepower (hp) of compression at the Jeanette
Compressor Station;
A pig receiver near the Jeannette Compressor station;
75 feet of Line JP-40 within the Earhart Gate; and
A 20-inch mainline gate setting for Line JP-250 at the
Earhart Gate.
CNG and Texas Eastern request authorization to construct and
operate:
10,000 hp of electric motor-driven compression at the
South Oakford Compressor Station;
A pig receiver and barrel dip at the Earhart Gate;
3,158 feet of 30-inch-diameter storage suction pipeline
(Line JP-296) between the South Oakford Compressor Station and the
South Oakford Gate;
3,158 feet of 20-inch-diameter storage discharge pipeline
(Line JP-297) between the South Oakford Compressor Station and the
South Oakford Gate; and
Facilities to interconnect new Lines JP-296 and JP-297 to
existing Lines JP-250 and JP-40, respectively, at the South Oakford
Gate.
A nonjurisdictional West Penn Power owned and operated substation
(100 feet by 100 feet) would be constructed at the South Oakford
Compressor Station.
CNG and Texas Eastern want to construct the proposed facilities
between May and November 1996. Removal of the abandoned facilities at
the Jeannette Compressor Station would begin in the spring of 1997.
The general location of the project facilities is 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 for Construction
Construction of the proposed facilities would disturb about 10
acres of land, all of which is on existing right-of-way or on property
owned by CNG and Texas Eastern. Construction of the pipelines would be
entirely within existing rights-of-way, but would disturb about 6.5
acres. All land disturbance at the South Oakford and Earhart Gates,
about 1 acre total, would be within the existing gate sites and
pipeline rights-of-way. The new West Penn Power substation would be
enclosed within the South Oakford Compressor Station by moving the
existing fence to surround the new substation. This would add about 2.5
acres to the existing 5-acre fenced site.
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 alternative 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 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 one issue that we think deserves
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and
the environmental information provided by CNG and Texas Eastern: The
addition of compression at the South Oakford Compressor Station may
increase noise levels at nearby residences.
Keep in mind that this is a preliminary issue. Issues may be added,
subtracted, or changed based on your comments and our analysis.
Also, we have made a preliminary decision to not address the
impacts of the nonjurisdictional facilities off the South Oakford
Compressor Station site. We will briefly describe their location and
status in the EA.
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), and measures to avoid
or lessen environmental impact. The more specific your comments, the
[[Page 46586]]
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. NE., Washington, DC
20426;
Reference Docket No. CP95-668-000;
Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Jennifer Goggin, 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 28, 1995.
If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one
from Ms. Goggin 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
fillings 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 timely motions to intervene as stated in the
Notice of Application issued on August 15, 1995, in this proceeding is
September 5, 1995. Parties 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. Jennifer Goggin, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-2226.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-22115 Filed 9-6-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
