Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Weaver, Medina, and Coco Storage Field Well Abandonment Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 44618-44620 [E5-4177]
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44618
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 148 / Wednesday, August 3, 2005 / Notices
comments and our analysis. Our
preliminary list includes the following:
• Augmentation of the harbor,
including dredging of the new berthing
area, and placement of dredged material
within the Alcoa/Lavaca Bay Superfund
Site in Lavaca Bay
• Surface waterbodies, including the
Navidad and Lavaca Rivers
• About 26 acres of wetlands
• State and/or federally-listed
threatened and endangered species and
essential fish habitat
• Consistency with coastal zone
management area guidelines
• LNG ship traffic on the Port of Port
Lavaca
• Archaeological sites at the LNG
terminal and along the pipeline
• Air and noise quality
• Reliability and safety, including
assessment of the transport, unloading,
storage, and vaporization of LNG and
security associated with LNG ship
traffic and an LNG import terminal
• Alternative sites for the LNG
terminal and pipeline route
• Cumulative impacts of the proposed
project when combined with other past,
present, or reasonably foreseeable future
actions in the project area
Public Participation
You can make a difference by
providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project.
By becoming a commentor, your
concerns will be addressed in the EIS
and considered by the Commission. You
should focus on the potential
environmental effects of the proposal,
alternatives to the proposal (including
alternative terminal locations or
pipeline routes), and measures to avoid
or lessen environmental impact. The
more specific your comments, the more
useful they will be. 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 letter to: Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First St., NE., Room
1A, Washington, DC 20426.
• Label one copy of the comments for
the attention of Gas Branch 2.
• Reference Docket Nos. CP05–91–
000 and CP05–380–000
• Mail your comments so that they
will be received in Washington, DC on
or before August 8, 2005.
Please note that the Commission
strongly 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
https://www.ferc.gov under the
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15:22 Aug 02, 2005
Jkt 205001
‘‘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.’’ You will be asked to select
the type of filing you are making. This
filing is considered a ‘‘Comment on
Filing.’’
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EIS
scoping process, you may want to
become an official party to the
proceeding known as an ‘‘intervenor.’’
Intervenors play a more formal role in
the process. Among other things,
intervenors have the right to receive
copies of case-related Commission
documents and filings by other
intervenors. Likewise, each intervenor
must send one electronic copy (using
the Commission’s eFiling system) or
provide 14 copies of its filings to the
Secretary of the Commission and must
send a copy of its filings to all other
parties on the Commission’s service list
for this proceeding. 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). 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
environmental comments considered.
Additional Information
Additional information about the
project is available from the
Commission’s Office of External Affairs,
at 1–866–208–FERC (3372) or on the
FERC Internet Web site (https://
www.ferc.gov)using the eLibrary link.
Click on the eLibrary link, click on
‘‘General Search’’ and enter the docket
number excluding the last three digits in
the Docket Number field. Be sure you
have selected an appropriate date range.
For assistance with eLibrary, the
eLibrary helpline can be reached at 1–
866–208–3676, TTY (202) 502–8659, or
at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. The
eLibrary link on the FERC Internet Web
site also provides access to the texts of
formal documents issued by the
Commission, such as orders, notices,
and rulemakings.
In addition, the Commission now
offers a free service called eSubscription
which allows you to keep track of all
PO 00000
Frm 00066
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
formal issuances and submittals in
specific dockets. This can reduce the
amount of time you spend researching
proceedings by automatically providing
you with notification of these filings,
document summaries and direct links to
the documents. To register for this
service, go tohttps://www.ferc.gov/
esubscribenow.htm.
Finally, public meetings or site visits
will be posted on the Commission’s
calendar located at https://www.ferc.gov
/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along
with other related information.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 05–15383 Filed 8–2–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–U
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP05–389–000]
Columbia Gas Transmission
Corporation; Notice of Intent To
Prepare an Environmental Assessment
for the Proposed Weaver, Medina, and
Coco Storage Field Well Abandonment
Project and Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues
July 27, 2005.
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 Weaver, Medina, and Coco Storage
Field Well Abandonment Project
involving abandonment of facilities by
Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation
(Columbia) in Richland and Medina
Counties, Ohio and Kanawha County,
West Virginia.1 The project facilities
would consist of plugging and
abandonment of six gas storage wells
and related appurtenances,
abandonment in place of five segments
of 3- and 4-inch-diameter pipeline
totaling about 7,867 feet, and
abandonment by removal of ten
segments of 3- and 4-inch-diameter
pipeline totaling 357 feet. 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.
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC
entitled ‘‘An Interstate Natural Gas
Facility On My Land? What Do I Need
To Know?’’ was attached to the project
notice Columbia provided to affected
1 Columbia’s application was filed with the
Commission under section 7(b) of the Natural Gas
Act and part 157 of the Commission’s regulations.
E:\FR\FM\03AUN1.SGM
03AUN1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 148 / Wednesday, August 3, 2005 / Notices
landowners. This fact sheet addresses a
number of typically asked questions,
including the use of eminent domain
and how to participate in the
Commission’s proceedings. It is
available for viewing on the FERC
Internet Web site (https://www.ferc.gov).
Summary of the Proposed Project
Columbia wants to perform the
following abandonment-related
activities in the following gas storage
fields:
Weaver gas storage field in Richland
County, Ohio
• Plug and abandon the Weaver 3393
Well and abandon by removal a 23-footlong segment of the 3-inch-diameter SL–
W 3393 well pipeline and a 13-foot-long
segment of 6-inch-diameter portion of
the well pipeline, two blow-offs, and a
16-inch-diameter vertical drip, and
install a blind plate at the tie-in valve;
• Plug and abandon the Weaver 8560
Well and abandon by removal a 9-footlong segment of the aboveground
portion of the 3-inch-diameter SL–W
8560 pipeline and a tie-in valve, a 1inch blow-off, a 16-inch-diameter
vertical drip, and about 25 feet of the
buried portion the SL–W 8560 pipeline;
and
• Plug and abandon the Weaver 8853
Well, abandon by removal two segments
of the 3-inch-diameter aboveground SL–
W 8853 pipeline totaling 30 feet, two 1inch blow-offs, a 16-inch-diameter
vertical drip, a farm tap, cut and cap the
existing 3-inch-diameter well line and
install a blind plate at the tie-in valve
on Line SL–3390, and abandon in place
about 592 feet of the 3-inch-diameter
well line SL–W8853.
Medina gas storage field in Medina
County, Ohio
• Plug and abandon the Medina
10087 Well, abandon by removal two 1inch blow-offs, a 16-inch-diameter
vertical drip, about 14 feet of the
aboveground portion of the 4-inchdiameter SL–W 10087 pipeline, about
20 feet of aboveground 3-inch-diameter
section of the same pipeline, cut and
cap the existing 3-inch-diameter portion
of well line and install a blind plate at
the tie-in valve, and abandon in place
about 442 feet of the 4-inch-diameter
portion of the well line.
Coco gas storage field in Kanawha
County, West Virginia
• Plug and abandon the Coco 7332
Well, abandon by removal a methanol
tap, a meter building, about 100 feet of
the 4-inch-diameter X52C–W 7332
pipeline, and abandon in place about
3,439 feet of the same pipeline; and
VerDate jul<14>2003
15:22 Aug 02, 2005
Jkt 205001
• Plug and abandon the Coco 7334
Well, abandon by removal a methanol
tap, a meter building, two drip tanks, a
tie-in valve, about 123 feet of the 4-inchdiameter X52C–W 7334 pipeline, and
abandon in place about 2,470 feet of the
same pipeline.
The location of the project facilities is
shown in Appendix 1.2
Land Requirements for Construction
Abandonment of the proposed
facilities would require about 15.2 acres
of land for removal and capping of six
storage wells, removal of short segments
of well pipelines, and removal of
associated aboveground appurtenant
facilities. Following the abandonment
activities the entire 15.2 acres would be
allowed to revert to previous land uses
or other land uses intended by the
landowners.
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. This
process is referred to as ‘‘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 staff
requests public comments on the scope
of the issues to 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.
In the EA we 3 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.
• Land use.
• Water resources, and wetlands.
• Cultural resources.
• Vegetation and wildlife.
2 The appendices referenced in this notice are not
being printed in the Federal Register. Copies of all
appendices, other than Appendix 1 (maps), are
available on the Commission’s Web site at the
‘‘eLibrary’’ link or from the Commission(s Public
Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE., Washington,
DC 20426, or call (202) 502–8371. For instructions
on connecting to eLibrary refer to the last page of
this notice. Copies of the appendices were sent to
all those receiving this notice in the mail.
3 ’’We’’, ‘‘us’’, and ‘‘our’’ refer to the
environmental staff of the Office of Energy Projects
(OEP).
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
44619
• Endangered and threatened species.
We will not discuss impacts to the
following resource areas since they are
not present in the project area, or would
not be affected by the proposed
activities.
• Fisheries.
• Air quality and noise.
• Hazardous waste.
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
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 make
our recommendations to the
Commission.
To ensure your comments are
considered, please carefully follow the
instructions below.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by
providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project.
By becoming a commentor, your
concerns will be addressed in the EA
and considered by the Commission. 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 carefully follow
these instructions to ensure that your
comments are received in time and
properly recorded:
• Send an original and two copies of
your letter to: Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First St., NE., Room
1A, Washington, DC 20426.
• Label one copy of the comments for
the attention of Gas Branch 3.
• Reference Docket No. CP05–389–
000.
• Mail your comments so that they
will be received in Washington, DC on
or before August 29, 2005.
The Commission strongly 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
E:\FR\FM\03AUN1.SGM
03AUN1
44620
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 148 / Wednesday, August 3, 2005 / Notices
https://www.ferc.gov under the
‘‘Documents & Filing, 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 on-line.
We may mail the EA for comment. If
you are interested in receiving it, please
return the Information Request
(Appendix 3). If you do not return the
Information Request, you will be taken
off the mailing list.
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA
scoping process, you may want to
become an official party to the
proceeding, or ‘‘intervenor’’. 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). Intervenors
have the right to seek rehearing of the
Commission’s decision. Motions to
Intervene should be electronically
submitted using the Commission’s
eFiling system at https://www.ferc.gov.
Persons without Internet access should
send an original and 14 copies of their
motion to the Secretary of the
Commission. Persons filing Motions to
Intervene on or before the comment
deadline indicated above must send a
copy of the motion to the Applicant. All
filings, including late interventions,
submitted after the comment deadline
must be served on the Applicant and all
other intervenors identified on the
Commission’s service list for this
proceeding. Persons on the service list
with email addresses may be served
electronically.
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
environmental comments considered.
Environmental Mailing List
An effort is being made to send this
notice to all individuals, organizations,
and government entities interested in
and/or potentially affected by the
proposed project. This includes all
landowners who are potential right-ofway grantors, whose property may be
used temporarily for project purposes,
or who own homes within distances
defined in the Commission’s regulations
of certain aboveground facilities. By this
notice we are also asking governmental
agencies, especially those in Appendix
2, to express their interest in becoming
cooperating agencies for the preparation
of the EA.
VerDate jul<14>2003
15:22 Aug 02, 2005
Jkt 205001
Additional Information
Additional information about the
project is available from the
Commission’s Office of External Affairs,
at 1–866–208–FERC or on the FERC
Internet Web site (https://www.ferc.gov)
using the eLibrary link. Click on the
eLibrary link, click on ‘‘General Search’’
and enter the docket number excluding
the last three digits in the Docket
Number field. Be sure you have selected
an appropriate date range. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online
Support at FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov
or toll free at 1–866–208–3676, or for
TTY, contact (202) 502–8659. The
eLibrary link also provides access to the
texts of formal documents issued by the
Commission, such as orders, notices,
and rulemakings.
In addition, the Commission now
offers a free service called eSubscription
which allows you to keep track of all
formal issuances and submittals in
specific dockets. This can reduce the
amount of time you spend researching
proceedings by automatically providing
you with notification of these filings,
document summaries and direct links to
the documents. Go to https://
www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
Finally, public meetings or site visits
will be posted on the Commission’s
calendar located at https://www.ferc.gov/
EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along
with other related information.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5–4177 Filed 8–2–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Notice of Application Accepted for
Filing and Soliciting Comments,
Protests, and Motions To Intervene
July 25, 2005.
Take notice that the following
hydroelectric application has been filed
with the Commission and is available
for public inspection:
a. Type of Application: Preliminary
Permit.
b. Project No.: 12603–000.
c. Date filed: July 8, 2005.
d. Applicant: Energy Recycling
Company.
e. Name and Location of Project: The
proposed Klamath County Pump
Storage Project would be located in
Klamath County, Oregon and would
occupy lands administered by the
Bureau of Land Management.
PO 00000
Frm 00068
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
f. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power
Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r).
g. Applicant contact: Mr. Douglas
Spaulding, Manager, Energy Recycling
Company, 1433 Utica Avenue South,
Suite 162, Minneapolis, MN 55416.
h. FERC Contact: Tom Papsidero,
(202) 502–6002.
i. Deadline for filing comments,
protests, and motions to intervene: 60
days from the issuance date of this
notice.
All documents (original and eight
copies) should be filed with Magalie R.
Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First
Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
Comments, protests and interventions
may be filed electronically via the
Internet in lieu of paper; see 18 CFR
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions
on the Commission’s Web site under the
‘‘e-Filing’’ link. The Commission
strongly encourages electronic filings.
Please include the project number (P–
12603–000) on any comments or
motions filed.
The Commission’s Rules of Practice
and Procedure require all intervenors
filing documents with the Commission
to serve a copy of that document on
each person in the official service list
for the project. Further, if an intervenor
files comments or documents with the
Commission relating to the merits of an
issue that may affect the responsibilities
of a particular resource agency, they
must also serve a copy of the document
on that resource agency.
j. Description of Existing Facilities
and Proposed Project: The proposed
project would consist of the following
new facilities: (1) An upper reservoir
with a maximum storage capacity of
14,300 acre-feet and a surface area of
199 acres at maximum normal water
surface elevation of 5,523 feet above
mean sea level (msl), impounded by two
earth and rockfill embankments, 178
and 50-foot-high, respectively, with a
crest elevation of 5,533 feet msl; (2) a
24-foot-diameter, 1,326-foot-long
vertical shaft; (3) a 24-foot-diameter,
3,200-foot-long concrete-lined tunnel:
(4) four, 12-foot-diameter, 355-foot-long,
steel-lined penstocks; (5) a powerhouse
with four 250-megawatt pump/turbines;
(6) a 1,500-foot-long by 38-foot-wide Dshaped tailrace tunnel; (7) a lower
reservoir with a maximum storage
capacity of 16,900 acre-feet and an area
of 405 acres at maximum water surface
elevation of 4,191 feet msl, impounded
by a 49-foot-high earth and rockfill
embankment, with a crest elevation of
4,200 feet msl; (8) a 4-mile-long, 500kilovolt transmission line connecting
the project to Captain Jack substation;
and (9) appurtenant facilities. The
E:\FR\FM\03AUN1.SGM
03AUN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 148 (Wednesday, August 3, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44618-44620]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-4177]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP05-389-000]
Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation; Notice of Intent To
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Weaver, Medina,
and Coco Storage Field Well Abandonment Project and Request for
Comments on Environmental Issues
July 27, 2005.
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 Weaver, Medina, and Coco
Storage Field Well Abandonment Project involving abandonment of
facilities by Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation (Columbia) in
Richland and Medina Counties, Ohio and Kanawha County, West
Virginia.\1\ The project facilities would consist of plugging and
abandonment of six gas storage wells and related appurtenances,
abandonment in place of five segments of 3- and 4-inch-diameter
pipeline totaling about 7,867 feet, and abandonment by removal of ten
segments of 3- and 4-inch-diameter pipeline totaling 357 feet. 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Columbia's application was filed with the Commission under
section 7(b) of the Natural Gas Act and part 157 of the Commission's
regulations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' was attached to the
project notice Columbia provided to affected
[[Page 44619]]
landowners. This fact sheet addresses a number of typically asked
questions, including the use of eminent domain and how to participate
in the Commission's proceedings. It is available for viewing on the
FERC Internet Web site (https://www.ferc.gov).
Summary of the Proposed Project
Columbia wants to perform the following abandonment-related
activities in the following gas storage fields:
Weaver gas storage field in Richland County, Ohio
Plug and abandon the Weaver 3393 Well and abandon by
removal a 23-foot-long segment of the 3-inch-diameter SL-W 3393 well
pipeline and a 13-foot-long segment of 6-inch-diameter portion of the
well pipeline, two blow-offs, and a 16-inch-diameter vertical drip, and
install a blind plate at the tie-in valve;
Plug and abandon the Weaver 8560 Well and abandon by
removal a 9-foot-long segment of the aboveground portion of the 3-inch-
diameter SL-W 8560 pipeline and a tie-in valve, a 1-inch blow-off, a
16-inch-diameter vertical drip, and about 25 feet of the buried portion
the SL-W 8560 pipeline; and
Plug and abandon the Weaver 8853 Well, abandon by removal
two segments of the 3-inch-diameter aboveground SL-W 8853 pipeline
totaling 30 feet, two 1-inch blow-offs, a 16-inch-diameter vertical
drip, a farm tap, cut and cap the existing 3-inch-diameter well line
and install a blind plate at the tie-in valve on Line SL-3390, and
abandon in place about 592 feet of the 3-inch-diameter well line SL-
W8853.
Medina gas storage field in Medina County, Ohio
Plug and abandon the Medina 10087 Well, abandon by removal
two 1-inch blow-offs, a 16-inch-diameter vertical drip, about 14 feet
of the aboveground portion of the 4-inch-diameter SL-W 10087 pipeline,
about 20 feet of aboveground 3-inch-diameter section of the same
pipeline, cut and cap the existing 3-inch-diameter portion of well line
and install a blind plate at the tie-in valve, and abandon in place
about 442 feet of the 4-inch-diameter portion of the well line.
Coco gas storage field in Kanawha County, West Virginia
Plug and abandon the Coco 7332 Well, abandon by removal a
methanol tap, a meter building, about 100 feet of the 4-inch-diameter
X52C-W 7332 pipeline, and abandon in place about 3,439 feet of the same
pipeline; and
Plug and abandon the Coco 7334 Well, abandon by removal a
methanol tap, a meter building, two drip tanks, a tie-in valve, about
123 feet of the 4-inch-diameter X52C-W 7334 pipeline, and abandon in
place about 2,470 feet of the same pipeline.
The 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 of all appendices, other
than Appendix 1 (maps), are available on the Commission's Web site
at the ``eLibrary'' link or from the Commission(s Public Reference
Room, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202)
502-8371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary refer to the
last page of this notice. Copies of the appendices were sent to all
those receiving this notice in the mail.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Land Requirements for Construction
Abandonment of the proposed facilities would require about 15.2
acres of land for removal and capping of six storage wells, removal of
short segments of well pipelines, and removal of associated aboveground
appurtenant facilities. Following the abandonment activities the entire
15.2 acres would be allowed to revert to previous land uses or other
land uses intended by the landowners.
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.
This process is referred to as ``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 staff
requests public comments on the scope of the issues to 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.
In the EA we \3\ will discuss impacts that could occur as a result
of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these
general headings:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ ''We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Geology and soils.
Land use.
Water resources, and wetlands.
Cultural resources.
Vegetation and wildlife.
Endangered and threatened species.
We will not discuss impacts to the following resource areas since
they are not present in the project area, or would not be affected by
the proposed activities.
Fisheries.
Air quality and noise.
Hazardous waste.
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 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 make
our recommendations to the Commission.
To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the
instructions below.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission.
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 carefully follow these instructions to ensure that
your comments are received in time and properly recorded:
Send an original and two copies of your letter to: Magalie
R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First
St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas
Branch 3.
Reference Docket No. CP05-389-000.
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before August 29, 2005.
The Commission strongly 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
[[Page 44620]]
https://www.ferc.gov under the ``Documents & Filing, 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 on-line.
We may mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in receiving
it, please return the Information Request (Appendix 3). If you do not
return the Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing list.
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want
to become an official party to the proceeding, or ``intervenor''. 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). Intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the
Commission's decision. Motions to Intervene should be electronically
submitted using the Commission's eFiling system at https://www.ferc.gov.
Persons without Internet access should send an original and 14 copies
of their motion to the Secretary of the Commission. Persons filing
Motions to Intervene on or before the comment deadline indicated above
must send a copy of the motion to the Applicant. All filings, including
late interventions, submitted after the comment deadline must be served
on the Applicant and all other intervenors identified on the
Commission's service list for this proceeding. Persons on the service
list with email addresses may be served electronically.
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 environmental comments considered.
Environmental Mailing List
An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals,
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially
affected by the proposed project. This includes all landowners who are
potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used temporarily
for project purposes, or who own homes within distances defined in the
Commission's regulations of certain aboveground facilities. By this
notice we are also asking governmental agencies, especially those in
Appendix 2, to express their interest in becoming cooperating agencies
for the preparation of the EA.
Additional Information
Additional information about the project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on the
FERC Internet Web site (https://www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link.
Click on the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the
docket number excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number
field. Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY,
contact (202) 502-8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the
texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders,
notices, and rulemakings.
In addition, the Commission now offers a free service called
eSubscription which allows you to keep track of all formal issuances
and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time
you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with
notification of these filings, document summaries and direct links to
the documents. Go to https://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the
Commission's calendar located at https://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/
EventsList.aspx along with other related information.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-4177 Filed 8-2-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P