CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Carthage to Perryville Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public Scoping Meetings, 2213-2216 [E6-286]
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hsrobinson on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 9 / Friday, January 13, 2006 / Notices
Power Agency et al. for Plumas-Sierra’s
60 kV Interconnection at Quincy
Substation.
Filed Date: 12/29/2005.
Accession Number: 20060103–0125.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. eastern time on
Thursday, January 19, 2006.
Docket Numbers: ER06–421–000.
Applicants: ISO New England Inc.
Description: ISO New England, Inc
submits the Coordination Agreement
with New York Independent System
Operator which includes a rate schedule
for Emergency Energy Pricing.
Filed Date: 12/29/2005.
Accession Number: 20051230–0096.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. eastern time on
Thursday, January 19, 2006.
Docket Numbers: ER06–422–000.
Applicants: Avista Corporation.
Description: Avista Corporation
submits revisions to its OATT, FERC
Electric Tariff, Volume No. 8 pursuant
to Interconnection for Wind Energy,
Order No. 661–A.
Filed Date: 12/29/2005.
Accession Number: 20051230–0089.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. eastern time on
Thursday, January 19, 2006.
Docket Numbers: ER06–423–000.
Applicants: Boston Edison Company.
Description: Boston Edison Co
submits executed Dewar Street
Interconnection Agreement with New
England Power Co and BECo dated as
of 12/22/05, effective date of 1/1/06.
Filed Date: 12/29/2005.
Accession Number: 20051230–0090.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. eastern time on
Thursday, January 19, 2006.
Docket Numbers: ER06–425–000.
Applicants: El Segundo Power, LLC.
Description: El Segundo Power, LLC
submits a Notice of Cancellation of Rate
Schedule FERC No. 2, the Must-Run
Service Agreement with the California
Independent System Operator.
Filed Date: 12/29/2005.
Accession Number: 20051230–0063.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. eastern time on
Thursday, January 19, 2006.
Docket Numbers: ER06–426–000.
Applicants: Cabrillo Power I LLC.
Description: Cabrillo Power I, LLC
submits revisions to the Reliability
Must-Run Service Agreement between
Cabrillo I and the California
Independent System Operator Corp.
Filed Date: 12/29/2005.
Accession Number: 20051230–0064.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. eastern time on
Tuesday, January 17, 2006.
Docket Numbers: ER06–427–000.
Applicants: Mystic Development,
LLC.
Description: Mystic Development, LLC
submits its proposed FERC Electric
Tariff, Original Volume No. 2, &
supporting cost data specifying Mystic’s
revenue requirement for providing costbased reliability services.
Filed Date: 12/29/2005.
Accession Number: 20051230–0107.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. eastern time on
Thursday, January 19, 2006.
Docket Numbers: ER06–428–000.
Applicants: Portland General Electric
Company.
Description: Portland General Electric
Co submits specific revisions to its Pro
Forma OATT pursuant to the applicable
tariff filing requirements.
Filed Date: 12/29/2005.
Accession Number: 20060103–0009.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. eastern time on
Thursday, January 19, 2006.
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.
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. E6–276 Filed 1–12–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. PF06–1–000]
CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission;
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed Carthage to Perryville
Project, Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues, and Notice of
Public Scoping Meetings
January 6, 2006.
The staff of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS)
that will address the environmental
impacts of the Carthage to Perryville
Project proposed by CenterPoint Energy
Gas Transmission (CEGT). The
Commission will use the EIS in its
decisionmaking process to determine
whether or not to authorize the project.
This notice explains the scoping process
we 1 will use to gather input from the
public and interested agencies on the
project. Your input will help us
determine the issues that need to be
evaluated in the EIS. Please note that
the scoping period will close on
February 10, 2006.
Comments may be submitted in
written form or verbally. Further details
on how to submit written comments are
provided in the Public Participation
section of this notice. In lieu of sending
written comments, we invite you to
attend the public scoping meetings we
have scheduled as follows:
1 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the
environmental staff of the FERC’s Office of Energy
Projects.
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 9 / Friday, January 13, 2006 / Notices
Date and time
Location
Tuesday, January 24, 2006, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. (CST) ...............................
Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, 300 West Panola Street, Carthage,
TX 75633. Telephone: (903) 693–3869.
Quitman High School Auditorium, 181 Wolverine Drive, Quitman, LA
71268. Telephone: (318) 259–2698.
Delhi Civic Center, 232 Denver Street, Delhi, LA 71232. Telephone:
(318) 878–3792.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. (CST) ..........................
Thursday, January 26, 2006, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. (CST) ..............................
hsrobinson on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
This notice is being sent to affected
landowners; Federal, State, and local
government agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest
groups; Native American tribes; other
interested parties; and local libraries
and newspapers. We encourage
government representatives to notify
their constituents of this planned
project and encourage them to comment
on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this
notice, you may be contacted by a CEGT
representative about the acquisition of
an easement to construct, operate, and
maintain the proposed project facilities.
The pipeline company would seek to
negotiate a mutually acceptable
agreement. However, if the project is
approved by the FERC, 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?’’ is available for viewing on
the FERC Internet Web site (https://
www.ferc.gov). This fact sheet addresses
a number of typically asked questions,
including the use of eminent domain
and how to participate in the FERC’s
proceedings.
Summary of the Proposed Project
CEGT proposes to construct, own,
operate, and maintain a natural gas
pipeline to provide new pipeline
capacity to transport domestic onshore
gas supplies from the Barnett Shale and
Bossier Sand production areas in
eastern Texas, as well as the Elm Grove
and Vernon Field production areas in
Louisiana. CEGT indicates that the
proposed facilities would facilitate the
transport of natural gas to the Midwest
and Northeastern regions of the United
States and help satisfy demand in those
markets. The proposed pipeline would
originate from receipt points near
Carthage in Panola County, Texas, and
extend to a terminus at interconnections
with four existing interstate pipelines
located within CEGT’s Perryville Hub,
near Delhi in Richland Parish,
Louisiana. The general location of the
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proposed pipeline is shown in the figure
included as Appendix 1.2
The Carthage to Perryville Project
facilities under FERC jurisdiction would
include:
• 171.6 miles of 42-inch-diameter
natural gas pipeline in Panola County,
Texas, and Caddo, De Soto, Red River,
Bienville, Jackson, Ouachita, and
Richland Parishes, Louisiana;
• Two compressor stations, the
Panola and Vernon Compressor
Stations, located in Panola County,
Texas, and Jackson Parish, Louisiana,
respectively (phased construction with
initially installed gas turbine-driven
compression of 10,310 horsepower (hp)
to be expanded to 20,620 hp at each
station by October 2008);
• Two meter and regulator stations at
receipt points with three intrastate
pipelines, including:
—Energy Transfer Fuels Meter/
Regulator Station in Panola County,
Texas
—Duke Energy Field Services-Enbridge
Meter/Regulator Station in Panola
County, Texas;
• Four new meter and regulator
stations at interconnects with existing
interstate pipelines, including:
—Texas Gas Meter/Regulator Station in
Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
—ANR Meter/Regulator Station in
Richland Parish, Louisiana
—Trunkline Meter/Regulator Station in
Richland Parish, Louisiana
—Columbia Gulf Meter/Regulator
Station in Richland Parish, Louisiana;
and
• 10 mainline valves.
The project would be designed and
constructed to receive and transport
about 1.2 billion cubic feet of natural
gas per day. CEGT proposes to have the
project constructed and operational by
February 2007.
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 Public
Participation section of this notice. Copies of the
appendices were sent to all those receiving this
notice in the mail. Requests for detailed maps of the
proposed facilities should be made directly to
CEGT.
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Land Requirements for Construction
As proposed, the typical construction
right-of-way for the project pipeline
would be 100 feet wide. Following
construction, CEGT would retain a 60foot-wide permanent right-of-way for
operation of the project. Additional,
temporary extra workspaces beyond the
typcial construction right-of-way limits
would be required at certain feature
crossings (e.g., roads, railroads,
wetlands, or waterbodies), in areas with
steep side slopes, or in association with
special construction techniques.
Based on preliminary information,
construction of the proposed project
facilities would affect a total of about
2,398.4 acres of land. Following
construction, about 1,247.9 acres would
be maintained as permanent right-ofway, and about 56.8 acres of land would
be maintained as new aboveground
facility sites. The remaining 1,093.7
acres of temporary workspace
(including all temporary construction
rights-of-way, extra workspaces, and
pipe storage and contractor yards)
would be restored and allowed to revert
to its former use.
The EIS Process
NEPA requires the Commission to
take into account the environmental
impacts that could result from an action
when it considers whether or not an
interstate natural gas pipeline should be
approved. The FERC will use the EIS to
consider the environmental impact that
could result if the CEGT project is
authorized under section 7 of the
Natural Gas Act. NEPA also requires us
to discover and address concerns the
public may have about proposals to be
considered by the Commission. This
process is referred to as ‘‘scoping.’’ The
main goal of the scoping process is to
focus the analysis in the EIS on the
important environmental issues. With
this Notice of Intent, the Commission
staff is requesting public comments on
the scope of the issues to be addressed
in the EIS. All comments received will
be considered during preparation of the
EIS.
In the EIS we will discuss impacts
that could occur as a result of the
construction and operation of the
proposed project under these general
headings:
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• Geology and soils;
• Water resources;
• Wetlands and vegetation;
• Fish and wildlife;
• Threatened and endangered
species;
• Land use, recreation, and visual
resources;
• Air quality and noise;
• Cultural resources;
• Socioeconomics;
• Reliability and safety; and
• Cumulative impacts.
In the EIS, 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 affected
resources.
Our independent analysis of the
issues will be included in a draft EIS.
The draft EIS will be mailed to Federal,
State, and local government agencies;
elected officials; environmental and
public interest groups; Native American
tribes; affected landowners;
commentors; other interested parties;
local libraries and newspapers; and the
FERC’s official service list for this
proceeding. A 45-day comment period
will be allotted for review of the draft
EIS. We will consider all comments on
the draft EIS and revise the document,
as necessary, before issuing a final EIS.
We will consider all comments on the
final EIS before we make our
recommendations to the Commission.
To ensure that your comments are
considered, please follow the
instructions in the Public Participation
section of this notice.
Although no formal application has
been filed, the FERC staff has already
initiated its NEPA review under its
NEPA Pre-filing Process. The purpose of
the Pre-filing Process is to encourage the
early involvement of interested
stakeholders and to identify and resolve
issues before an application is filed with
the FERC.
With this notice, we are asking
Federal, State, and local governmental
agencies with jurisdiction and/or
special expertise with respect to
environmental issues, especially those
identified in Appendix 2, to express
their interest in becoming cooperating
agencies for the preparation of the EIS.
These agencies may choose to
participate once they have evaluated the
proposal relative to their
responsibilities. Agencies that would
like to request cooperating status should
follow the instructions for filing
comments provided in Appendix 2.
Currently Identified Environmental
Issues
The EIS will discuss impacts that
could occur as a result of the
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construction and operation of the
proposed project. We have already
identified several issues that we think
deserve attention based on a
preliminary review of the project site
and the facility information provided by
CEGT. This preliminary list of issues
may be changed based on your
comments and our analysis.
• Potential effects on prime farmland
soils and soils with a high potential for
compaction.
• Potential impacts to perennial and
intermittent streams and waterbodies.
• Potential effects on waterbodies
designated under Federal and/or State
programs, including Saline Bayou and
Black Lake Bayou.
• Evaluation of temporary and
permanent impacts on wetlands and
development of appropriate mitigation.
• Potential impacts to fish and
wildlife habitat, including waterbird
nesting areas along major river
crossings.
• Potential effect on federally and
State-listed species, including the redcockaded woodpecker, bald eagle, pallid
sturgeon, least tern, pine snake, and
Louisiana black bear.
• Potential impacts to existing land
uses, including agricultural and
managed forested lands.
• Potential visual effects of the
aboveground facilities on surrounding
areas.
• Potential impacts and potential
benefits of construction workforce on
local housing, infrastructure, public
services, and economy.
• Potential impacts to local air and
noise quality associated with
construction and operation.
• Assessment of potential cultural
resources along the pipeline route.
• Native American and tribal
concerns.
• Public safety and potential hazards
associated with the transport of natural
gas.
• Alternative alignments for the
pipeline route and alternative sites for
the compressor stations.
• Assessment of the effect 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
proposed project. By becoming a
commentor, your concerns will be
addressed in the EIS and considered by
the Commission. Your comments
should focus on the potential
environmental effects, reasonable
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2215
alternatives (including alternative
facility sites and pipeline routes), and
measures to avoid or lessen
environmental impact. The more
specific your comments, the more useful
they will be. To ensure that your
comments are timely and properly
recorded, please carefully follow these
instructions:
• 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 your comments
for the attention of Gas Branch 3, DG2E.
• Reference Docket No. PF06–1–000
on the original and both copies.
• Mail your comments so that they
will be received in Washington, DC on
or before February 10, 2006.
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 in response to this Notice
of Intent. For information on
electronically filing comments, please
see 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, as well
as information in 18 CFR
385.2001(a)(1)(iii). Before you can
submit comments you will need to
create a free account, which can be
created on-line.
The public scoping meetings (dates,
times, and locations are listed above) are
designed to provide another opportunity
to offer comments on the proposed
project. Interested groups and
individuals are encouraged to attend the
meetings and to present comments on
the environmental issues they believe
should be addressed in the EIS. A
transcript of each meeting will be
generated so that your comments will be
accurately recorded.
Once CEGT formally files its
application with the Commission, you
may want to become an official party to
the proceeding known as an
‘‘intervenor.’’ Intervenors play a more
formal role in the process and are able
to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be
heard by the courts if they choose to
appeal the Commission’s final ruling.
An intervenor formally participates in a
Commission proceeding by filing a
request to intervene. Instructions for
becoming an intervenor are included in
the User’s Guide under the ‘‘e-filing’’
link on the Commission’s Web site.
Please note that you may not request
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 9 / Friday, January 13, 2006 / Notices
intervenor status at this time. You must
wait until a formal application is filed
with the Commission.
hsrobinson on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
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.
If you received this notice, you are on
the environmental mailing list for this
project. If you do not want to send
comments at this time, but still want to
remain on our mailing list, please return
the Information Request (Appendix 3). If
you do not return the Information
Request, you will be removed from the
Commission’s environmental mailing
list.
Availability of 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, select
‘‘General Search’’ and enter the project
docket number excluding the last three
digits (i.e., PF06–1) 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 TTY, contact
(202) 502–8659. 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 FERC now offers a
free service called eSubscription that
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. To register for this service,
go to https://www.ferc.gov/
esubscribenow.htm.
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.
Finally, CEGT has established an
Internet Web site for this project at
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https://www.centerpointenergy.com/
carthagetoperryville/. The Web site
includes a description of the project, a
map of the proposed pipeline route, and
answers to frequently asked questions.
You can also request additional
information or provide comments
directly to CEGT at 1–888–641–8326 or
carthagetoperryville@CenterPoint
Energy.com.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6–286 Filed 1–12–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP06–26–000]
Dominion Cove Point LNG, L.P.; Notice
of Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Assessment for the Proposed Cove
Point Air Separation Unit Project and
Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues
January 6, 2006.
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 Cove Point Air Separation Unit
Project involving construction and
operation of facilities by Dominion Cove
Point LNG, L.P. (Dominion) in Calvert
County, Maryland. These facilities
would consist of two air separation
units, a liquid nitrogen storage tank, a
gas turbine generator, a site rating
generator and associated
instrumentation and equipment at the
existing Cove Point Liquefied Natural
Gas (LNG) Terminal. This EA will be
used by the Commission in its decisionmaking process to determine whether
the project is in the public convenience
and necessity.
This notice announces the opening of
the scoping period that will be used to
gather environmental input from the
public and interested agencies on the
project. Please note that the scoping
period will close on February 6, 2006.
This notice is being sent to
landowners within 0.5 mile of the
project area; Federal, state, and local
government representatives and
agencies; environmental and public
interest groups; Native American tribes;
local libraries and newspapers in this
proceeding. Government representatives
are encouraged to notify their
constituents of this proposal and advise
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them to comment on their areas of
concern.
The purpose of the Project is to add
facilities to the terminal that would
increase the capability of the LNG
import terminal to process high British
Thermal Unit (BTU) content LNG in
order to assure that the resulting natural
gas meets the gas quality specifications.
The proposed facilities would also
enhance the reliability of service at the
terminal and provide more flexibility to
acquire and schedule cargoes of LNG
from a wider variety of supply sources.
Dominion seeks authority to construct
and operate:
• Two air separation units;
• One 62,825 gallon liquid nitrogen
storage tank;
• Two electric substations and
associated automation and electric
facilities;
• One 20,500 horsepower (HP)
International Standards Organization
(ISO) rating Solar Titan simple cycle gas
turbine generator;
• One 13,800 volt, 13.2 megawatt
(MW) site rating generator;
• Fuel gas equipment and piping;
• Associated instrumentation; and
• Fiber optic and electrical duct
banks.
All construction activities would take
place within the existing Cove Point
Terminal. No additional land would be
required for construction.
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, 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. By
this notice, we are also asking Federal,
state, and local agencies with
jurisdiction and/or special expertise
with respect to environmental issues to
formally cooperate with us in the
preparation of the EA. Agencies that
would like to request cooperating status
should follow the instructions for filling
comments provided below.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 9 (Friday, January 13, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2213-2216]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-286]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PF06-1-000]
CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission; Notice of Intent To Prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Carthage to
Perryville Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and
Notice of Public Scoping Meetings
January 6, 2006.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that
will address the environmental impacts of the Carthage to Perryville
Project proposed by CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission (CEGT). The
Commission will use the EIS in its decisionmaking process to determine
whether or not to authorize the project. This notice explains the
scoping process we \1\ will use to gather input from the public and
interested agencies on the project. Your input will help us determine
the issues that need to be evaluated in the EIS. Please note that the
scoping period will close on February 10, 2006.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments may be submitted in written form or verbally. Further
details on how to submit written comments are provided in the Public
Participation section of this notice. In lieu of sending written
comments, we invite you to attend the public scoping meetings we have
scheduled as follows:
[[Page 2214]]
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Date and time Location
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Tuesday, January 24, 2006, 7 p.m. to 9 Texas Country Music Hall of
p.m. (CST). Fame, 300 West Panola Street,
Carthage, TX 75633. Telephone:
(903) 693-3869.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006, 7 p.m. to Quitman High School Auditorium,
9 p.m. (CST). 181 Wolverine Drive, Quitman,
LA 71268. Telephone: (318) 259-
2698.
Thursday, January 26, 2006, 7 p.m. to 9 Delhi Civic Center, 232 Denver
p.m. (CST). Street, Delhi, LA 71232.
Telephone: (318) 878-3792.
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This notice is being sent to affected landowners; Federal, State,
and local government agencies; elected officials; environmental and
public interest groups; Native American tribes; other interested
parties; and local libraries and newspapers. We encourage government
representatives to notify their constituents of this planned project
and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted
by a CEGT representative about the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the proposed project facilities. The
pipeline company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable
agreement. However, if the project is approved by the FERC, 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?'' is available for
viewing on the FERC Internet Web site (https://www.ferc.gov). This fact
sheet addresses a number of typically asked questions, including the
use of eminent domain and how to participate in the FERC's proceedings.
Summary of the Proposed Project
CEGT proposes to construct, own, operate, and maintain a natural
gas pipeline to provide new pipeline capacity to transport domestic
onshore gas supplies from the Barnett Shale and Bossier Sand production
areas in eastern Texas, as well as the Elm Grove and Vernon Field
production areas in Louisiana. CEGT indicates that the proposed
facilities would facilitate the transport of natural gas to the Midwest
and Northeastern regions of the United States and help satisfy demand
in those markets. The proposed pipeline would originate from receipt
points near Carthage in Panola County, Texas, and extend to a terminus
at interconnections with four existing interstate pipelines located
within CEGT's Perryville Hub, near Delhi in Richland Parish, Louisiana.
The general location of the proposed pipeline is shown in the figure
included as Appendix 1.\2\
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\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
Public Participation section of this notice. Copies of the
appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in the mail.
Requests for detailed maps of the proposed facilities should be made
directly to CEGT.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Carthage to Perryville Project facilities under FERC
jurisdiction would include:
171.6 miles of 42-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline in
Panola County, Texas, and Caddo, De Soto, Red River, Bienville,
Jackson, Ouachita, and Richland Parishes, Louisiana;
Two compressor stations, the Panola and Vernon Compressor
Stations, located in Panola County, Texas, and Jackson Parish,
Louisiana, respectively (phased construction with initially installed
gas turbine-driven compression of 10,310 horsepower (hp) to be expanded
to 20,620 hp at each station by October 2008);
Two meter and regulator stations at receipt points with
three intrastate pipelines, including:
--Energy Transfer Fuels Meter/Regulator Station in Panola County, Texas
--Duke Energy Field Services-Enbridge Meter/Regulator Station in Panola
County, Texas;
Four new meter and regulator stations at interconnects
with existing interstate pipelines, including:
--Texas Gas Meter/Regulator Station in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
--ANR Meter/Regulator Station in Richland Parish, Louisiana
--Trunkline Meter/Regulator Station in Richland Parish, Louisiana
--Columbia Gulf Meter/Regulator Station in Richland Parish, Louisiana;
and
10 mainline valves.
The project would be designed and constructed to receive and
transport about 1.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. CEGT
proposes to have the project constructed and operational by February
2007.
Land Requirements for Construction
As proposed, the typical construction right-of-way for the project
pipeline would be 100 feet wide. Following construction, CEGT would
retain a 60-foot-wide permanent right-of-way for operation of the
project. Additional, temporary extra workspaces beyond the typcial
construction right-of-way limits would be required at certain feature
crossings (e.g., roads, railroads, wetlands, or waterbodies), in areas
with steep side slopes, or in association with special construction
techniques.
Based on preliminary information, construction of the proposed
project facilities would affect a total of about 2,398.4 acres of land.
Following construction, about 1,247.9 acres would be maintained as
permanent right-of-way, and about 56.8 acres of land would be
maintained as new aboveground facility sites. The remaining 1,093.7
acres of temporary workspace (including all temporary construction
rights-of-way, extra workspaces, and pipe storage and contractor yards)
would be restored and allowed to revert to its former use.
The EIS Process
NEPA requires the Commission to take into account the environmental
impacts that could result from an action when it considers whether or
not an interstate natural gas pipeline should be approved. The FERC
will use the EIS to consider the environmental impact that could result
if the CEGT project is authorized under section 7 of the Natural Gas
Act. NEPA also requires us to discover and address concerns the public
may have about proposals to be considered by the Commission. This
process is referred to as ``scoping.'' The main goal of the scoping
process is to focus the analysis in the EIS on the important
environmental issues. With this Notice of Intent, the Commission staff
is requesting public comments on the scope of the issues to be
addressed in the EIS. All comments received will be considered during
preparation of the EIS.
In the EIS we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of
the construction and operation of the proposed project under these
general headings:
[[Page 2215]]
Geology and soils;
Water resources;
Wetlands and vegetation;
Fish and wildlife;
Threatened and endangered species;
Land use, recreation, and visual resources;
Air quality and noise;
Cultural resources;
Socioeconomics;
Reliability and safety; and
Cumulative impacts.
In the EIS, 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 affected resources.
Our independent analysis of the issues will be included in a draft
EIS. The draft EIS will be mailed to Federal, State, and local
government agencies; elected officials; environmental and public
interest groups; Native American tribes; affected landowners;
commentors; other interested parties; local libraries and newspapers;
and the FERC's official service list for this proceeding. A 45-day
comment period will be allotted for review of the draft EIS. We will
consider all comments on the draft EIS and revise the document, as
necessary, before issuing a final EIS. We will consider all comments on
the final EIS before we make our recommendations to the Commission. To
ensure that your comments are considered, please follow the
instructions in the Public Participation section of this notice.
Although no formal application has been filed, the FERC staff has
already initiated its NEPA review under its NEPA Pre-filing Process.
The purpose of the Pre-filing Process is to encourage the early
involvement of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve
issues before an application is filed with the FERC.
With this notice, we are asking Federal, State, and local
governmental agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with
respect to environmental issues, especially those identified in
Appendix 2, to express their interest in becoming cooperating agencies
for the preparation of the EIS. These agencies may choose to
participate once they have evaluated the proposal relative to their
responsibilities. Agencies that would like to request cooperating
status should follow the instructions for filing comments provided in
Appendix 2.
Currently Identified Environmental Issues
The EIS will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the
construction and operation of the proposed project. We have already
identified several issues that we think deserve attention based on a
preliminary review of the project site and the facility information
provided by CEGT. This preliminary list of issues may be changed based
on your comments and our analysis.
Potential effects on prime farmland soils and soils with a
high potential for compaction.
Potential impacts to perennial and intermittent streams
and waterbodies.
Potential effects on waterbodies designated under Federal
and/or State programs, including Saline Bayou and Black Lake Bayou.
Evaluation of temporary and permanent impacts on wetlands
and development of appropriate mitigation.
Potential impacts to fish and wildlife habitat, including
waterbird nesting areas along major river crossings.
Potential effect on federally and State-listed species,
including the red-cockaded woodpecker, bald eagle, pallid sturgeon,
least tern, pine snake, and Louisiana black bear.
Potential impacts to existing land uses, including
agricultural and managed forested lands.
Potential visual effects of the aboveground facilities on
surrounding areas.
Potential impacts and potential benefits of construction
workforce on local housing, infrastructure, public services, and
economy.
Potential impacts to local air and noise quality
associated with construction and operation.
Assessment of potential cultural resources along the
pipeline route.
Native American and tribal concerns.
Public safety and potential hazards associated with the
transport of natural gas.
Alternative alignments for the pipeline route and
alternative sites for the compressor stations.
Assessment of the effect 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 proposed project. By becoming a
commentor, your concerns will be addressed in the EIS and considered by
the Commission. Your comments should focus on the potential
environmental effects, reasonable alternatives (including alternative
facility sites and pipeline routes), and measures to avoid or lessen
environmental impact. The more specific your comments, the more useful
they will be. To ensure that your comments are timely and properly
recorded, please carefully follow these instructions:
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 your comments for the attention of Gas
Branch 3, DG2E.
Reference Docket No. PF06-1-000 on the original and both
copies.
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before February 10, 2006.
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 in response to
this Notice of Intent. For information on electronically filing
comments, please see 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, as well as information in 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii).
Before you can submit comments you will need to create a free account,
which can be created on-line.
The public scoping meetings (dates, times, and locations are listed
above) are designed to provide another opportunity to offer comments on
the proposed project. Interested groups and individuals are encouraged
to attend the meetings and to present comments on the environmental
issues they believe should be addressed in the EIS. A transcript of
each meeting will be generated so that your comments will be accurately
recorded.
Once CEGT formally files its application with the Commission, you
may want to become an official party to the proceeding known as an
``intervenor.'' Intervenors play a more formal role in the process and
are able to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be heard by the courts
if they choose to appeal the Commission's final ruling. An intervenor
formally participates in a Commission proceeding by filing a request to
intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are included in the
User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web site.
Please note that you may not request
[[Page 2216]]
intervenor status at this time. You must wait until a formal
application is filed with the Commission.
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.
If you received this notice, you are on the environmental mailing
list for this project. If you do not want to send comments at this
time, but still want to remain on our mailing list, please return the
Information Request (Appendix 3). If you do not return the Information
Request, you will be removed from the Commission's environmental
mailing list.
Availability of 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, select ``General Search'' and enter
the project docket number excluding the last three digits (i.e., PF06-
1) 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 TTY, contact (202) 502-8659. 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 FERC now offers a free service called
eSubscription that 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. To register for this service, go to https://www.ferc.gov/
esubscribenow.htm.
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.
Finally, CEGT has established an Internet Web site for this project
at https://www.centerpointenergy.com/carthagetoperryville/. The Web site
includes a description of the project, a map of the proposed pipeline
route, and answers to frequently asked questions. You can also request
additional information or provide comments directly to CEGT at 1-888-
641-8326 or carthagetoperryville@CenterPoint Energy.com.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-286 Filed 1-12-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
