Southern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Southern Natural Gas Company's 2006 Abandonment and Replacement Project Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 13380-13382 [E6-3669]
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13380
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 50 / Wednesday, March 15, 2006 / Notices
Environmental Mailing List
If you do not want to send comments
at this time, but still want to remain on
our mailing list, please return the
attached Mailing List Retention Form
(Appendix 3). If you do not return the
form, you will be taken off the mailing
list.
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 1–202–502–8659. 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. E6–3661 Filed 3–14–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
[Docket No. CP06–58–000]
Southern Natural Gas Company;
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the
Proposed Southern Natural Gas
Company’s 2006 Abandonment and
Replacement Project Request for
Comments on Environmental Issues
March 8, 2006.
The staff of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC or
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:27 Mar 14, 2006
Jkt 208001
Commission) will prepare an
environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of
Southern Natural Gas Company’s
(Southern) application for its 2006
Abandonment and Replacement Project.
Southern proposes to abandon, replace
and modify facilities associated with its
22-inch North Main Loop Line and
abandon its Pell City Compressor
Station Unit No. 3 as part of an
extensive pipeline integrity program.
Pipeline changes would occur on
Southern’s existing system in
Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.
Abandonment of a compressor station
would occur in St. Clair County,
Alabama.
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. Scoping comments are
requested by April 10, 2006.
With this notice, the staff of the FERC
is asking other Federal, State, local and
tribal agencies with jurisdiction and/or
special expertise with respect to
environmental issues to cooperate with
us in the preparation of the EA. These
agencies may choose to participate once
they have evaluated Southern’s proposal
relative to their responsibilities.
Agencies that would like to request
cooperating status should follow the
instructions for filing comments
described in Appendix 1.
This notice is being sent to potentially
affected landowners; Federal, state, and
local government agencies; elected
officials; environmental and public
interest groups; Native American Tribes,
other interested parties; local libraries
and newspapers. State and local
government representatives are asked 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
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?’’ is available for viewing on
the FERC Web site (https://
PO 00000
Frm 00049
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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
Commission’s proceedings. It is
available for viewing on the FERC
Internet Web site (https://www.ferc.gov).
Background
Pipeline Abandonment, Replacement
and Modification
Southern’s 22-inch McConnells North
Main Loop Line, which is part of its
North Main Line System in Tuscaloosa
County, Alabama, was commissioned in
1946 and is proposed for retirement as
part of the application. Because of a
reduction in contracted capacity in this
area due to capacity turnback and
capacity shift, this section of the line is
no longer needed. However, to continue
to provide reliable and safe gas supplies
to the western Alabama region,
Southern proposes to replace a section
of the abandoned 22-inch McConnells
North Main loop Line by extending the
existing 24-inch 2nd North Main Loop
Line.
Compressor Station Abandonment
The Pell City Compressor Station was
built in 1989 to deliver firm contract
volumes on the Gadsden Lateral Line.
Since the Gadsden Lateral Line has not
been operating at full contract capacity,
the Pell City Unit No. 3 has not been
required to deliver peak day demand on
the Gadsden Lateral Line. Recent
capacity turnback on the Gadsden
Lateral Line makes it possible to
abandon the Pell City Unit No. 3 since
it is no longer required to meet firm
peak day requirements.
Summary of the Proposed Project
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Abandon in place 4.55 miles of the
McConnells 22-inch North Main Loop
Segment from Milepost 260.74 to
Milepost 265.29. This portion of the
McConnells North Main Loop Segment
would be pigged, filled with nitrogen,
and capped before being abandoned in
place.
• Abandon and remove 6.36 miles
from Milepost 265.29 to Milepost
271.65. Southern proposes to remove all
pipeline and associated piping
assemblies along this 6.36 mile route,
with the exception of the North River
crossing at Milepost 269.45 and any
uncased road crossings. The uncased
road crossing would be cut and capped
on each side of the road crossing and
filled with grout for abandonment in
place. The cased road crossings that are
left void would also be filled with grout
and abandoned in place.
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 50 / Wednesday, March 15, 2006 / Notices
• Install a new anchor block and
blowoff/crossover assembly at Milepost
271.65, and, if necessary, continue
maintenance by installing sleeves on
coupled joints from Milepost 271.65 to
Milepost 271.73.
• Extend its 24-inch 2nd North Main
Loop Line by constructing, installing
and operating 6.1 miles of 24-inch
pipeline from Milepost 142.6 to
Milepost 148.7 (Tuscaloosa County,
Alabama). This segment of the 24-inch
2nd North Main Loop Line is parallel to
Milepost 265.3 to Milepost 271.6 of the
22-inch North Main Loop Line, which is
proposed to be abandoned above.
Installation of the proposed 2nd North
Main Loop Segment would be within
the same location and same ditch line
as Southern’s 22-inch North Main Loop
Line after the abandonment and removal
of the 6.36 miles described above.
• Connect the proposed 2nd North
Main Loop Segment to the existing 24inch 2nd North Main Loop Line by
removing the existing weld cap and
making a tie-in at Milepost 142.56. It
would also be necessary to install a new
blowoff/crossover assembly at Milepost
148.93, which would be connected to
the crossover assembly installed at
Milepost 271.65 on the 22-inch North
Main Loop Line as detailed above.
St. Clair County, Alabama
• Abandon in place its Pell City
Compressor Station Unit No. 3 (St. Clair
County, Alabama) at Milepost 352.8 on
Southern’s North Main and North Main
Loop Lines. All existing gas piping
systems would be disconnected
including fuel gas and blind flanges
would be installed at these points.
Additionally, electric power would be
disconnected from the unit such that all
control systems would be inoperable.
The unit would then be purged with
nitrogen and prepared for long term
storage in place.
The location of the project facilities is
shown in Appendix 2.1
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
Land Requirements
Abandonment, replacement and
modification of the proposed facilities
would require the temporary
disturbance of about 105.24 acres of
land, the majority of which is within
Southern’s existing 100-foot right-ofway. Additional extra work spaces of
1 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 Commissions 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.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:27 Mar 14, 2006
Jkt 208001
10.32 acres) would be required at road
and waterbody crossings.
Following construction, permanent
land acquisition of 0.16 acres would be
maintained as part of the right-of-way
for the maintenance of the 24-inch 2nd
North Main Loop Line Replacement
section. The remaining acreage required
during construction would be restored
and allowed to revert to its former land
uses.
The EA Process
We 2 are preparing this EA to comply
with the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) which 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. 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 filing comments
below.
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 Commissions 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.
Currently Identified Environmental
Issues
In the EA, we will discuss impacts
that could occur as a result of the
construction and operation of the
project. We will also evaluate
2 ‘‘We’’, ‘‘us’’, and ‘‘our’’ refer to the
environmental staff of the Office of Energy Projects
(OEP).
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13381
reasonable alternatives to the proposed
project or portions of the project.
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
Southern. This preliminary list of issues
may be changed based on your
comments and our analysis.
Project-related impact on:
• 7 residences/structures within 50
feet of the construction workspace.
• 1 active private well within 32 feet
of the construction workspace.
• 2.6 acres of upland forest.
• Four federally-listed threatened and
endangered species potentially in the
project area.
• 9 emergent wetland crossings 3.5
acres.
• 23 water body crossings.
• Road crossings.
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 and 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 Number CP06–
58–000.
• Mail your comments so that they
will be received in Washington, DC on
or before April 10, 2006.
Please note that the Commission
encourages electronic filing of
comments. See 18 Code of Federal
Regulations (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. Prepare
your submission in the same manner as
you would if filing on paper and save
it to a file on your hard drive. Before
you can file comments you will need to
create an account by clicking on ‘‘Login
to File’’ and then ‘‘New User Account.’’
You will be asked to select the type of
E:\FR\FM\15MRN1.SGM
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13382
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 50 / Wednesday, March 15, 2006 / Notices
filing you are making. This filing is
considered a ‘‘Comment on Filing.’’
The determination of whether to
distribute the EA for public comment
will be based on the response to this
notice. If you are interested in receiving
it, please return the Information
Requested (Appendix 3). An effort is
being made to send this notice to all
individuals 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.
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA
scoping process, you may want to
become an official party to the
proceeding known as an ‘‘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 electtronically 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 email 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.
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
Environmental Mailing List
If you wish to remain on our
environmental mailing list, please
return the Information Request Form
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:27 Mar 14, 2006
Jkt 208001
included in Appendix 3. If you do not
return this form, you will be removed
from our mailing list.
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 TYY,
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.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6–3669 Filed 3–14–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
Transmission Company’s prior-period
adjustments to its gas compressor fuel
and lost and unaccounted for balances,
as discussed in the February 15, 2006
order.1
FERC conferences are accessible
under section 508 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973. For accessibility
accommodations please send an e-mail
to accessibility@ferc.gov or call toll free
(866) 208–3372 (voice) or 202–502–8659
(TTY), or send a fax to 202–208–2106
with the required accommodations.
All interested persons are permitted
to attend. For further information please
contact Abraham Silverman at (202)
502–6444 or e-mail
abraham.silverman@ferc.gov.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6–3664 Filed 3–14–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Meetings; Sunshine Act
March 9, 2006.
The following notice of meeting is
published pursuant to section 3(a) of the
government in the Sunshine Act (Pub.
L. No. 94–409), 5 U.S.C 552b:
Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission.
AGENCY HOLDING MEETING:
DATE AND TIME:
March 16, 2006, 10 a.m.
Room 2C, 888 First Street NE.,
Washington DC 20426.
PLACE:
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
STATUS:
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Agenda.
*Note—Items listed on the agenda
may be deleted without further notice.
[Docket No. RP06–151–000]
Kern River Gas Transmission
Company; Notice of Technical
Conference
March 8, 2006.
Take notice that the Commission will
convene a technical conference on
Tuesday, March 21, 2006, at 9:30 a.m.
(EST), in a room to be designated at the
offices of the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street, NE.,
Washington DC 20426.
The technical conference will deal
with issues related to Kern River Gas
PO 00000
Frm 00051
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Sfmt 4703
Open.
MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED:
CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Telephone
(202) 502–8400. For a recorded listing
item stricken from or added to the
meeting, call (202) 502–8627.
This is a list of matters to be
considered by the Commission. It does
not include a listing of all papers
relevant to the items on the agenda;
however, all public documents may be
examined in the Public Reference Room.
1 Kern River Gas Transmission Co., 114 FERC
¶61,162 (2006).
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 15, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13380-13382]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-3669]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP06-58-000]
Southern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Southern Natural Gas
Company's 2006 Abandonment and Replacement Project Request for Comments
on Environmental Issues
March 8, 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 Southern Natural Gas Company's
(Southern) application for its 2006 Abandonment and Replacement
Project. Southern proposes to abandon, replace and modify facilities
associated with its 22-inch North Main Loop Line and abandon its Pell
City Compressor Station Unit No. 3 as part of an extensive pipeline
integrity program. Pipeline changes would occur on Southern's existing
system in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. Abandonment of a compressor
station would occur in St. Clair County, Alabama.
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. Scoping comments are requested by April 10,
2006.
With this notice, the staff of the FERC is asking other Federal,
State, local and tribal agencies with jurisdiction and/or special
expertise with respect to environmental issues to cooperate with us in
the preparation of the EA. These agencies may choose to participate
once they have evaluated Southern's proposal relative to their
responsibilities. Agencies that would like to request cooperating
status should follow the instructions for filing comments described in
Appendix 1.
This notice is being sent to potentially affected landowners;
Federal, state, and local government agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes, other
interested parties; local libraries and newspapers. State and local
government representatives are asked 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 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?'' is available for
viewing on the FERC 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 Commission's proceedings.
It is available for viewing on the FERC Internet Web site (https://
www.ferc.gov).
Background
Pipeline Abandonment, Replacement and Modification
Southern's 22-inch McConnells North Main Loop Line, which is part
of its North Main Line System in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, was
commissioned in 1946 and is proposed for retirement as part of the
application. Because of a reduction in contracted capacity in this area
due to capacity turnback and capacity shift, this section of the line
is no longer needed. However, to continue to provide reliable and safe
gas supplies to the western Alabama region, Southern proposes to
replace a section of the abandoned 22-inch McConnells North Main loop
Line by extending the existing 24-inch 2nd North Main Loop Line.
Compressor Station Abandonment
The Pell City Compressor Station was built in 1989 to deliver firm
contract volumes on the Gadsden Lateral Line. Since the Gadsden Lateral
Line has not been operating at full contract capacity, the Pell City
Unit No. 3 has not been required to deliver peak day demand on the
Gadsden Lateral Line. Recent capacity turnback on the Gadsden Lateral
Line makes it possible to abandon the Pell City Unit No. 3 since it is
no longer required to meet firm peak day requirements.
Summary of the Proposed Project
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Abandon in place 4.55 miles of the McConnells 22-inch
North Main Loop Segment from Milepost 260.74 to Milepost 265.29. This
portion of the McConnells North Main Loop Segment would be pigged,
filled with nitrogen, and capped before being abandoned in place.
Abandon and remove 6.36 miles from Milepost 265.29 to
Milepost 271.65. Southern proposes to remove all pipeline and
associated piping assemblies along this 6.36 mile route, with the
exception of the North River crossing at Milepost 269.45 and any
uncased road crossings. The uncased road crossing would be cut and
capped on each side of the road crossing and filled with grout for
abandonment in place. The cased road crossings that are left void would
also be filled with grout and abandoned in place.
[[Page 13381]]
Install a new anchor block and blowoff/crossover assembly
at Milepost 271.65, and, if necessary, continue maintenance by
installing sleeves on coupled joints from Milepost 271.65 to Milepost
271.73.
Extend its 24-inch 2nd North Main Loop Line by
constructing, installing and operating 6.1 miles of 24-inch pipeline
from Milepost 142.6 to Milepost 148.7 (Tuscaloosa County, Alabama).
This segment of the 24-inch 2nd North Main Loop Line is parallel to
Milepost 265.3 to Milepost 271.6 of the 22-inch North Main Loop Line,
which is proposed to be abandoned above. Installation of the proposed
2nd North Main Loop Segment would be within the same location and same
ditch line as Southern's 22-inch North Main Loop Line after the
abandonment and removal of the 6.36 miles described above.
Connect the proposed 2nd North Main Loop Segment to the
existing 24-inch 2nd North Main Loop Line by removing the existing weld
cap and making a tie-in at Milepost 142.56. It would also be necessary
to install a new blowoff/crossover assembly at Milepost 148.93, which
would be connected to the crossover assembly installed at Milepost
271.65 on the 22-inch North Main Loop Line as detailed above.
St. Clair County, Alabama
Abandon in place its Pell City Compressor Station Unit No.
3 (St. Clair County, Alabama) at Milepost 352.8 on Southern's North
Main and North Main Loop Lines. All existing gas piping systems would
be disconnected including fuel gas and blind flanges would be installed
at these points. Additionally, electric power would be disconnected
from the unit such that all control systems would be inoperable. The
unit would then be purged with nitrogen and prepared for long term
storage in place.
The location of the project facilities is shown in Appendix 2.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 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 Commissions 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
Abandonment, replacement and modification of the proposed
facilities would require the temporary disturbance of about 105.24
acres of land, the majority of which is within Southern's existing 100-
foot right-of-way. Additional extra work spaces of 10.32 acres) would
be required at road and waterbody crossings.
Following construction, permanent land acquisition of 0.16 acres
would be maintained as part of the right-of-way for the maintenance of
the 24-inch 2nd North Main Loop Line Replacement section. The remaining
acreage required during construction would be restored and allowed to
revert to its former land uses.
The EA Process
We \2\ are preparing this EA to comply with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) which 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. 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
filing comments below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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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 Commissions 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.
Currently Identified Environmental Issues
In the EA, we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of
the construction and operation of the project. We will also evaluate
reasonable alternatives to the proposed project or portions of the
project.
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 Southern. This preliminary
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
Project-related impact on:
7 residences/structures within 50 feet of the construction
workspace.
1 active private well within 32 feet of the construction
workspace.
2.6 acres of upland forest.
Four federally-listed threatened and endangered species
potentially in the project area.
9 emergent wetland crossings 3.5 acres.
23 water body crossings.
Road crossings.
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
and 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 Number CP06-58-000.
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before April 10, 2006.
Please note that the Commission encourages electronic filing of
comments. See 18 Code of Federal Regulations (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. Prepare your submission in the same manner as you would if
filing on paper and save it to a file on your hard drive. Before you
can file comments you will need to create an account by clicking on
``Login to File'' and then ``New User Account.'' You will be asked to
select the type of
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filing you are making. This filing is considered a ``Comment on
Filing.''
The determination of whether to distribute the EA for public
comment will be based on the response to this notice. If you are
interested in receiving it, please return the Information Requested
(Appendix 3). An effort is being made to send this notice to all
individuals 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.
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want
to become an official party to the proceeding known as an
``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
electtronically 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
email 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
If you wish to remain on our environmental mailing list, please
return the Information Request Form included in Appendix 3. If you do
not return this form, you will be removed from our mailing list.
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 TYY,
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.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-3669 Filed 3-14-06; 8:45 am]
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