Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed North Lansing NSS Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 56679-56681 [E5-5204]
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 187 / Wednesday, September 28, 2005 / Notices
Docket Numbers: ER05–1483–000.
Applicants: Smarr EMC.
Description: Smarr EMC advises that
due to amendments to section 201(f) of
the Federal Power Act, it is no longer a
public utility.
Filed Date: 09/15/2005.
Accession Number: 20050916–0181.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. eastern time on
Thursday, October 06, 2005.
Docket Numbers: ER05–1484–000.
Applicants: Xcel Energy Services, Inc.
Description: Xcel Energy Services Inc
submits the Connection Agreements for
Great River Energy’s Eagle Creek,
Rockville, Oakwood, Westwood # 2 and
Northstar Ethanol Substations between
Northern States Power Company’s and
Great River Energy.
Filed Date: 09/15/2005.
Accession Number: 20050916–0182.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. eastern time on
Thursday, October 06, 2005.
Docket Numbers: ER05–1485–000.
Applicants: Alcoa Power Generating
Inc—Yadkin Division.
Description: Alcoa Power Generating
Inc submits revisions to its Open Access
Transmission Tariff—Yadkin Division
which owns and operates transmission
facilities in the Southeastern Electric
Reliability Council.
Filed Date: 09/16/2005.
Accession Number: 20050919–0099.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. eastern time on
Friday, October 07, 2005.
Docket Numbers: ER05–1486–000.
Applicants: Graham County Electric
Cooperative, Inc.
Description: Graham County Electric
Cooperative, Inc advises that due to
amendments to section 201(f) of the
Federal Power Act, it is no longer a
public utility.
Filed Date: 09/15/2005.
Accession Number: 20050919–0119.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. eastern time on
Thursday, October 06, 2005.
Docket Numbers: ER05–1487–000.
Applicants: Fall River Rural Electric
Cooperative, Inc.
Description: Fall River Rural Electric
Cooperative, Inc. advises that due to
amendments to section 201(f) of the
Federal Power Act, it is no longer a
public utility.
Filed Date: 09/16/2005.
Accession Number: 20050919–0118.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. eastern time on
Friday, October 07, 2005.
Docket Numbers: ER05–1488–000.
Applicants: Pacific Gas & Electric
Company.
Description: Pacific Gas & Electric Co
submits an executed Letter of
Agreement with the California
Department of Water Resources-State
Water Project.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:26 Sep 27, 2005
Jkt 205001
Filed Date: 09/16/2005.
Accession Number: 20050919–0117.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. eastern time on
Friday, October 07, 2005.
Docket Numbers: ER05–665–003.
Applicants: Barrick Goldstrike Mines
Inc.
Description: Barrick Goldstrike Mines
Inc submits Substitute Original Sheet
No. 4 to FERC Electric Tariff, Original
Volume No. 1 in compliance with
FERC’s 8/16/05 Order.
Filed Date: 09/15/2005.
Accession Number: 20050916–0176.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. eastern time on
Thursday, October 06, 2005.
Docket Numbers: ER05–939–002.
Applicants: Vesta Trading LP.
Description: Vesta Trading LP submits
Substitute Original Sheet No. 4 to FERC
Electric Tariff, Original Volume No. 1 in
compliance with FERC’s 8/18/05 Order.
Filed Date: 09/13/2005.
Accession Number: 20050919–0059.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. eastern time on
Tuesday, October 04, 2005.
Any person desiring to intervene or to
protest in any of the above proceedings
must file in accordance with Rules 211
and 214 of the Commission’s Rules of
Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211
and 385.214) on or before 5 p.m. eastern
time on the specified comment date. It
is not necessary to separately intervene
again in a subdocket related to a
compliance filing if you have previously
intervened in the same docket. Protests
will be considered by the Commission
in determining the appropriate action to
be taken, but will not serve to make
protestants parties to the proceeding.
Anyone filing a motion to intervene or
protest must serve a copy of that
document on the Applicant. In reference
to filings initiating a new proceeding,
interventions or protests submitted on
or before the comment deadline need
not be served on persons other than the
Applicant.
The Commission encourages
electronic submission of protests and
interventions in lieu of paper, using the
FERC Online links at https://
www.ferc.gov. To facilitate electronic
service, persons with Internet access
who will eFile a document and/or be
listed as a contact for an intervenor
must create and validate an
eRegistration account using the
eRegistration link. Select the eFiling
link to log on and submit the
intervention or protests.
Persons unable to file electronically
should submit an original and 14 copies
of the intervention or protest to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First St., NE., Washington, DC
20426.
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
56679
The filings in the above proceedings
are accessible in the Commission’s
eLibrary system by clicking on the
appropriate link in the above list. They
are also available for review in the
Commission’s Public Reference Room in
Washington, DC. There is an
eSubscription link on the Web site that
enables subscribers to receive e-mail
notification when a document is added
to a subscribed docket(s). For assistance
with any FERC Online service, please email FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. or
call (866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY,
call (202) 502–8659.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5–5254 Filed 9–27–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP05–405–000]
Natural Gas Pipeline Company of
America; Notice of Intent To Prepare
an Environmental Assessment for the
Proposed North Lansing NSS Project
and Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues
September 16, 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 North Lansing NSS Project involving
construction and operation of facilities
by Natural Gas Pipeline Company of
America (Natural) in Harrison County,
Texas.1 The proposed facilities include
new storage wells, field pipelines and
appurtenances, storage well
recompletions, a new 30-inch-diameter
loop pipeline, 13,000 horsepower (hp)
of compression and related facilities.
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.
If you are a landowner receiving this
notice, you may be contacted by a
pipeline company representative about
the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the
proposed facilities. The pipeline
company would seek to negotiate a
mutually acceptable agreement.
However, if the project is approved by
1 Natural’s application was filed with the
Commission under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act
and Part 157 of the Commission’s regulations.
E:\FR\FM\28SEN1.SGM
28SEN1
56680
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 187 / Wednesday, September 28, 2005 / Notices
the Commission, that approval conveys
with it the right of eminent domain.
Therefore, if easement negotiations fail
to produce an agreement, the pipeline
company could initiate condemnation
proceedings in accordance with state
law.
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 Natural provided to 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
Natural is proposing to provide
additional cycled working gas capacity
at its North Lansing Storage Field in
Harrison County, Texas by increasing
the withdrawal rate during late season
conditions. Natural’s proposed
construction would allow 10 billion
cubic feet (Bcf) of cushion gas to be
converted into cycled working gas, for a
total working gas capacity of 95.2 Bcf in
the North Lansing Storage Field. In
addition, Natural seeks authority to
increase the field’s certificated peak day
withdrawal level from 1100 million
cubic feet (MMcf) to 1240 MMcf. There
would be no change in the maximum
inventory level of the field. Natural
seeks authority to:
• Drill twelve new injection/
withdrawal storage wells from seven
well pads;
• Recomplete sixteen existing
injection/withdrawal storage wells (non
jurisdictional);
• Install new pigging facilities and
modify existing pipeline and
compressor station appurtenances (non
jurisdictional);
• Install about 1.8 miles of 12-inchdiameter field pipelines and
appurtenances;
• Upgrade existing field pipelines,
meters, and appurtenances;
• Construct 8.7 miles of 30-inchdiameter loop pipeline;
• Add a 30-inch-diameter tap to the
Gulf Coast #3 mainline; and
• Add 13,000 hp of compression, gas
cooling, separation, metering, a
transformer, and related equipment at
the existing Compressor Station 388.
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 of all
appendices, other than Appendix 1 (maps), are
available on the Commission’s Web site at the
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:02 Sep 27, 2005
Jkt 205001
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of all project facilities,
including pipelines, well pads, access
roads, a pipe storage yard and extra
workspaces would impact
approximately 209 acres. Construction
disturbance includes a 100-foot-wide
construction right-of-way for the new
30-inch-diameter pipeline, an 80-footwide construction right-of-way for the
new field pipelines, one new well pad
and the expansion of six existing well
pads. The alignment of all new
pipelines would be adjacent to existing
maintained pipeline right-of-way.
Modifications to the compressor station
would be performed completely within
Natural’s property at the station site,
with the exception of a 4-inch-diameter
water line that would run outside of the
station fencing. The sixteen well
recompletions and meter upgrades
would be performed on existing well
pads and would result in no new
disturbance areas.
Following construction, about 88
acres would be maintained as new
aboveground facility sites, access roads,
or 50-foot-wide permanent pipeline
right-of-way. The remaining 121 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. 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
‘‘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
Frm 00059
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
proposed project under these general
headings:
• Geology and soils
• Water resources and wetlands
• Fisheries, vegetation, and wildlife
• Endangered and threatened species
• Land use, recreation, and visual
resources
• Socioeconomics
• Cultural resources
• Air quality and noise
• Reliability and safety
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 in the public participation
section beginning on page 5.
Currently Identified Environmental
Issues
We have already identified several
issues that we think deserve attention
based on a preliminary review of the
proposed facilities and the
environmental information provided by
Natural. This preliminary list of issues
may be changed based on your
comments and our analysis.
• There are thirteen existing and
planned residences and out buildings
within 50 feet of the construction work
areas.
• The project would permanently
impact approximately 12 acres of soils
that are potentially prime farmland
soils.
• There are three private wells
located within 150 feet of the project
construction boundary.
• Five perennial streams, fourteen
intermittent streams, and ten wetlands
would be crossed by the proposed
project.
• Clearing of 83 acres of upland forest
would be necessary for well pad and
pipeline construction.
• Suitable habitat is present for the
federally listed threatened Louisiana
black bear, and Texas State listed
E:\FR\FM\28SEN1.SGM
28SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 187 / Wednesday, September 28, 2005 / Notices
threatened species including the
northern scarlet snake, timber/
canebrake rattlesnake, and Rafinesque’s
big-eared bat.
• Three noise sensitive areas (i.e.
residences) are located approximately
875 feet north, 1,210 feet northeast, and
837 feet northwest from the compressor
station.
Also, we have made a preliminary
decision to not address the impacts of
the nonjurisdictional facilities that do
not require clearing, grading or
excavation. We will briefly describe
their location and status in the EA.
Nonjurisdictional facilities that require
disturbance will be included in the
project analysis.
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 (including
alternative locations/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 3.
• Reference Docket No. CP05–405–
000.
• Mail your comments so that they
will be received in Washington, DC on
or before October 17, 2005.
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
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 ‘‘eFiling’’ 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
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:02 Sep 27, 2005
Jkt 205001
(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 at the address indicated
previously. 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 e-mail addresses may be served
electronically; others must be served a
hard copy of the filing.
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.
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)
PO 00000
Frm 00060
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
56681
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. E5–5204 Filed 9–27–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP05–396–000]
Sabine Pass LNG, L.P.; Notice of Intent
To Prepare an Environmental
Assessment for the Proposed Sabine
Pass LNG Terminal Phase II Project
and Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues
September 14, 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 Sabine Pass LNG Phase II Project
involving construction and operation of
liquefied natural gas (LNG) import
terminal facilities by Sabine Pass LNG,
L.P. (SPLNG) in Cameron Parish,
Louisiana.1 These facilities would
consist of three additional LNG storage
tanks and new and expanded LNG
vaporization systems. This EA will be
used by the Commission in its decision1 SPLNG’s application was filed with the
Commission under section 3 of the Natural Gas Act
and Part 153 of the Commission(s regulations.
E:\FR\FM\28SEN1.SGM
28SEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 187 (Wednesday, September 28, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56679-56681]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-5204]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP05-405-000]
Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America; Notice of Intent To
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed North Lansing NSS
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
September 16, 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 North Lansing NSS Project
involving construction and operation of facilities by Natural Gas
Pipeline Company of America (Natural) in Harrison County, Texas.\1\ The
proposed facilities include new storage wells, field pipelines and
appurtenances, storage well recompletions, a new 30-inch-diameter loop
pipeline, 13,000 horsepower (hp) of compression and related facilities.
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\ Natural's application was filed with the Commission under
section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission's
regulations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted
by a pipeline company representative about the acquisition of an
easement to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities.
The pipeline company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable
agreement. However, if the project is approved by
[[Page 56680]]
the Commission, that approval conveys with it the right of eminent
domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to produce an
agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation proceedings
in accordance with state law.
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 Natural provided to 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
Natural is proposing to provide additional cycled working gas
capacity at its North Lansing Storage Field in Harrison County, Texas
by increasing the withdrawal rate during late season conditions.
Natural's proposed construction would allow 10 billion cubic feet (Bcf)
of cushion gas to be converted into cycled working gas, for a total
working gas capacity of 95.2 Bcf in the North Lansing Storage Field. In
addition, Natural seeks authority to increase the field's certificated
peak day withdrawal level from 1100 million cubic feet (MMcf) to 1240
MMcf. There would be no change in the maximum inventory level of the
field. Natural seeks authority to:
Drill twelve new injection/withdrawal storage wells from
seven well pads;
Recomplete sixteen existing injection/withdrawal storage
wells (non jurisdictional);
Install new pigging facilities and modify existing
pipeline and compressor station appurtenances (non jurisdictional);
Install about 1.8 miles of 12-inch-diameter field
pipelines and appurtenances;
Upgrade existing field pipelines, meters, and
appurtenances;
Construct 8.7 miles of 30-inch-diameter loop pipeline;
Add a 30-inch-diameter tap to the Gulf Coast 3
mainline; and
Add 13,000 hp of compression, gas cooling, separation,
metering, a transformer, and related equipment at the existing
Compressor Station 388.
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 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
Construction of all project facilities, including pipelines, well
pads, access roads, a pipe storage yard and extra workspaces would
impact approximately 209 acres. Construction disturbance includes a
100-foot-wide construction right-of-way for the new 30-inch-diameter
pipeline, an 80-foot-wide construction right-of-way for the new field
pipelines, one new well pad and the expansion of six existing well
pads. The alignment of all new pipelines would be adjacent to existing
maintained pipeline right-of-way. Modifications to the compressor
station would be performed completely within Natural's property at the
station site, with the exception of a 4-inch-diameter water line that
would run outside of the station fencing. The sixteen well
recompletions and meter upgrades would be performed on existing well
pads and would result in no new disturbance areas.
Following construction, about 88 acres would be maintained as new
aboveground facility sites, access roads, or 50-foot-wide permanent
pipeline right-of-way. The remaining 121 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.
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
Water resources and wetlands
Fisheries, vegetation, and wildlife
Endangered and threatened species
Land use, recreation, and visual resources
Socioeconomics
Cultural resources
Air quality and noise
Reliability and safety
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 in the public participation section beginning on page 5.
Currently Identified Environmental Issues
We have already identified several issues that we think deserve
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and
the environmental information provided by Natural. This preliminary
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
There are thirteen existing and planned residences and out
buildings within 50 feet of the construction work areas.
The project would permanently impact approximately 12
acres of soils that are potentially prime farmland soils.
There are three private wells located within 150 feet of
the project construction boundary.
Five perennial streams, fourteen intermittent streams, and
ten wetlands would be crossed by the proposed project.
Clearing of 83 acres of upland forest would be necessary
for well pad and pipeline construction.
Suitable habitat is present for the federally listed
threatened Louisiana black bear, and Texas State listed
[[Page 56681]]
threatened species including the northern scarlet snake, timber/
canebrake rattlesnake, and Rafinesque's big-eared bat.
Three noise sensitive areas (i.e. residences) are located
approximately 875 feet north, 1,210 feet northeast, and 837 feet
northwest from the compressor station.
Also, we have made a preliminary decision to not address the
impacts of the nonjurisdictional facilities that do not require
clearing, grading or excavation. We will briefly describe their
location and status in the EA. Nonjurisdictional facilities that
require disturbance will be included in the project analysis.
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 (including alternative
locations/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 3.
Reference Docket No. CP05-405-000.
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before October 17, 2005.
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
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 ``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 at the address
indicated previously. 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 e-mail addresses may be
served electronically; others must be served a hard copy of the filing.
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. E5-5204 Filed 9-27-05; 8:45 am]
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