Wyckoff Gas Storage Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Amended Wyckoff Gas Storage Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 3086-3088 [E6-495]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 12 (Thursday, January 19, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3086-3088]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-495]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP03-33-002]


Wyckoff Gas Storage Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Amended Wyckoff Gas Storage 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

January 10, 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 Amended Wyckoff Gas Storage 
Project involving construction and operation of facilities by Wyckoff 
Gas Storage Company, LLC (Wyckoff) in Steuben County, New York.\1\ The 
FERC Staff issued a notice of intent to prepare an EA on the original 
Wyckoff Gas Storage Project on February 10, 2003. The EA was issued for 
public comment on August 26, 2003. The certificate order was issued on 
October 6, 2003.
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    \1\ Wyckoff's application was filed with the Commission under 
Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission's 
regulations.
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    The amended project requests authorization to: (1) Relocate certain 
of the approved facilities at its certificated storage field; (2) 
downsize certain of the approved facilities; (3) permit phasing of the 
construction of certain of the approved facilities; and (4) confirm the 
previously approved maximum reservoir pressure for the field. This EA 
will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to 
determine whether the amended 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 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 Wyckoff provided to landowners. This fact sheet 
addresses a number of

[[Page 3087]]

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 website (www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Wyckoff's current authorization is to construct and operate a 
natural gas storage facility in two nearly depleted reservoirs in 
Steuben County, New York, capable of storing up to 6 billion cubic feet 
of natural gas (CP03-33-000). Wyckoff is asking for authorization to:
    1. Relocate the compressor station about 900 feet to the southern 
end of the Wyckoff parcel.
    2. Construct 1.2 miles of 6-inch-diameter lateral called the Chase 
Lateral; 0.5 mile of 6-inch-diameter lateral called the Banks Lateral; 
and 0.7 mile 8-inch-diameter lateral called the Banks/Cornell Lateral.
    3. Install two 2,370 horsepower (hp) units for a total of 4,740 hp 
and one dehydration unit, instead of two 4,735 hp compressor units and 
two dehydration units. Wyckoff intends to install the remaining 4,735 
hp of approved compression and the additional dehydration unit within a 
few years.
    4. Defer the construction of the 7.7-mile southern pipeline to 
Dominion Transmission, Inc. (Dominion) Interconnect for three years. 
Wyckoff would assume ownership of National Fuel Gas Supply 
Corporation's (National Fuel) Line Z-67 being abandoned by National 
Fuel, and would continue Line Z-67 in operation for transporting gas 
between the storage field and National Fuel's system.
    5. Directionally drill six new injection/withdrawal wells rather 
than vertically drilling each well.
    6. Reduce the diameter of the 3.6-mile northern pipeline, the 0.07 
mile of pipeline interconnection with Tennessee Gas Pipe Line Company, 
and the 0.15 mile of pipeline interconnection with Columbia Gas 
Transmission Corporation from 20-inch-diameter to 16-inch-diameter.
    7. Phase facilities: Phase I would include 3 existing wells to be 
converted to injection/withdrawal wells, the six new injection/
withdrawal wells and the observation wells, the associated lateral 
piping, the initial 4,740 hp of compression, the single dehydration 
unit and the 3.6-mile northern 16 inch-diameter pipeline.
    8. Phase II would consist of the additional 4,735 hp compression, 
the additional dehydration unit, and the southern pipeline consisting 
of 7.7 miles of 20-inch-diameter southern pipeline to the point of 
interconnection with pipeline facilities operated by Dominion.
    Wyckoff would also like confirmation that the authorized maximum 
reservoir pressure of 1,790 pounds per square inch is the maximum 
authorized wellhead pressure for the Wyckoff facility as stated in the 
Commission's October 6, 2003 Order.
    There are no nonjurisdictional facilities identified for the 
project.
    The location of the project facilities is shown in 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 website 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.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction affecting the amended facilities that include the well 
laterals, injection withdrawal wells, and compressor station would 
require about 21.1 acres of land. Following construction, about 13.6 
acres would be maintained as new permanent right-of-way and aboveground 
facility sites. The remaining 7.5 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).
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 Soils
 Land use
 Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands
 Cultural resources
 Vegetation and wildlife
 Air quality and noise
 Endangered and threatened species
    We will not discuss impacts to the following resource areas since 
they are not changed from the original application or would not be 
affected by the proposed facilities.
 Geology
 Hazardous waste
 Public 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 below.

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 Wyckoff. This preliminary 
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     The compressor station would be moved about 900 feet south 
of the original location. Two nearby residences and one church would be 
impacted by noise from the new compressor station (the same impacted by 
the original project).
     About 1.7 miles of new 6-inch-diameter lateral pipeline 
and about 0.6 mile of 8-inch-diameter pipeline would be constructed.
     Eight intermittent streams would be crossed by the new 
laterals.
     Seven wetlands would be affected by the amended lateral 
pipeline changes affecting about 0.7 acre.

[[Page 3088]]

     Minor route changes have been proposed for the northern 
pipeline route between about milepost (MP) 1.19 and MP 1.58 and along 
the southern pipeline route.
     Endangered species may be affected by the project's 
modifications.
     The land use impacts would be changed by the amended 
facilities.
     New York Department of Agriculture and Markets has 
commented that topsoil stripping and stockpiling problems in early 
spring through the spring thaw would destroy the topsoil and hamper 
effective sediment and runoff controls.

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 2.
     Reference Docket No. CP03-33-002.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before February 9, 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 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.
    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 
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 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. E6-495 Filed 1-18-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P