Ozark Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed East End Expansion Project, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 74512-74515 [E6-21052]
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jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 238 / Tuesday, December 12, 2006 / Notices
revision to the Interconnection and
Local Delivery Service Agreement 1262
with Wabash Valley Power Association.
Filed Date: 12/01/2006.
Accession Number: 20061205–0023.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time
on Friday, December 22, 2006.
Docket Numbers: ER07–279–000.
Applicants: Kentucky Utilities
Company.
Description: Kentucky Utilities
Company submits amendment to their
contract with City of Falmouth,
Kentucky Rate Schedule 310.
Filed Date: 12/01/2006.
Accession Number: 20061205–0018.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time
on Friday, December 22, 2006.
Docket Numbers: ER07–280–000.
Applicants: Kentucky Utilities
Company.
Description: Kentucky Utilities Co
submits amendments to their contract
with City of Corbin, Kentucky Rate
Schedule 309.
Filed Date: 12/01/2006.
Accession Number: 20061205–0019.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time
on Friday, December 22, 2006.
Docket Numbers: ER07–282–000.
Applicants: Southwest Power Pool,
Inc.
Description: Southwest Power Pool,
Inc submits an executed service
agreement for firm point-to-point
transmission service with Kansas Power
Pool.
Filed Date: 12/01/2006.
Accession Number: 20061205–0003.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time
on Friday, December 22, 2006.
Docket Numbers: ER07–283–000.
Applicants: Southwest Power Pool,
Inc.
Description: Southwest Power Pool,
Inc submits an executed service
agreement for Network Integration
Transmission Service with Kansas
Power Pool.
Filed Date: 12/01/2006.
Accession Number: 20061205–0021.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time
on Friday, December 22, 2006.
Docket Numbers: ER07–285–000.
Applicants: New York Independent
System Operator, Inc.
Description: New York Independent
System Operator Inc submits revisions
to its Market Administration and
Control Area Service Tariff.
Filed Date: 12/01/2006.
Accession Number: 20061205–0020.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time
on Friday, December 22, 2006.
Docket Numbers: ER07–287–000.
Applicants: Klondike Wind Power III
LLC.
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Description: MidAmerican Energy
Company submits an amended Network
Integration Transmission Service
Agreement and an amended
Interconnection and Network Operating
Agreement w/Indianola Municipal
Utilities.
Filed Date: 12/01/2006.
Accession Number: 20061205–0022.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time
on Friday, December 22, 2006.
Docket Numbers: ER97–2846–011;
ER99–2311–008; ER01–2928–010;
ER01–1418–007; ER99–2324–004;
ER01–1310–008; ER03–398–008.
Applicants: Florida Power
Corporation; Carolina Power & Light
Company; Progress Ventures, Inc.;
Efffingham County Power, LLC; MPC
Generating, LLC; Walton County Power,
LLC; Washington County Power, LLC.
Description: Progress Energy, Inc on
behalf of Florida Power Corp submits
notice of change in status re the
terminating agreement with Shady Hills
Power Co, LLC etc pursuant to Order
652.
Filed Date: 12/01/2006.
Accession Number: 20061205–0026.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time
on Friday, December 22, 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
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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 dockets(s). For
assistance with any FERC Online
service, please e-mail
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or call
(866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY, call
(202) 502–8659.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6–21100 Filed 12–11–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. PF06–34–000]
Ozark Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice
of Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement for the Proposed
East End Expansion Project, and
Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues
December 4, 2006.
The staff of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS)
that will identify and address the
environmental impacts that could result
from the construction and operation of
the East End Expansion Project
proposed by Ozark Gas Transmission,
LLC (OGT).
In order to assist staff with the
identification of environmental issues
and to comply with the requirements of
the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969 (NEPA), a scoping period has
been opened to receive comments on
the proposed project. Please note that
the scoping period for this project will
close on January 31, 2007.
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 that
will be scheduled in mid January across
the project region. A second notice will
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 238 / Tuesday, December 12, 2006 / Notices
be issued in December to provide the
meeting date, time, and locations.
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. Details on
how to submit comments are provided
in the Public Participation section of
this notice.
If you are a landowner receiving this
notice, you may be contacted by an OGT
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.
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Summary of the Proposed Project
OGT proposes to construct, own,
operate, and maintain a natural gas
pipeline to provide incremental
multiyear shipper requirements due to
expected regional supply and market
growth. OGT indicates that the
proposed facilities form the basis of an
incremental project that is designed to
optimize the placement of facilities to
meeting short term volume growth
requirements while taking into
consideration a long term design to meet
future anticipated transporter volume
growth to 2026. The proposed pipeline
would originate at the proposed
Wonderview Compressor Station near
Wonderview in Conway County,
Arkansas along OGT existing pipeline
right-of-way to Searcy, Arkansas and
extend to a terminus at the
interconnection with an existing
interstate pipeline located near Banner
in Calhoun County, Mississippi.
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The general location of the proposed
pipeline is shown in the figure included
as Appendix 1.1
The East End Expansion Project
facilities under FERC jurisdiction would
include:
• Approximately 225 miles of 36inch-diameter pipeline extension (East
End Expansion) and looping beginning
in Conway County, Arkansas and
ending in Calhoun County, Mississippi;
• Approximately 8 miles of 24-inchdiameter pipeline extension (Noark
Extension) from the existing Noark to
the proposed Wonderview Compressor
Station all within Conway County,
Arkansas;
• Three compressor stations—
Wonderview, Searcy, and Helena
Compressor Stations in Conway, White,
and Phillips County, Arkansas,
respectively each with two 10,000horsepower (hp) electric drive
compressors;
• Five new gas meter stations at
interconnects with existing interstate
pipelines, including:
—Texas Gas Meter Station in Coahoma
County, Mississippi;
—ANR Meter Station in Panola County,
Mississippi;
—Trunkline Meter Station in Panola
County, Mississippi;
—Tennessee Gas Meter Station in
Panola County, Mississippi;
—Columbia Gulf Meter Station in
Calhoun County, Mississippi;
• Interconnections between the OGT
existing 16-inch-diameter pipeline
(Noark) and the OGT existing 20-inchdiameter pipeline; and
• Four pig launching and receiving
facilities (one on the 24-inch-diameter
line and three on the 36-inch diameter
line), 24-inch side valve on the 36-inch
diameter line, and 14 mainline valves.
The project would be designed and
constructed to receive and transport
about 1.0 billion cubic feet of natural
gas per day. OGT proposes to have the
project constructed and operational by
December 2008.
Land Requirements for Construction
As proposed, the typical construction
right-of-way for the project pipeline
would be 115-feet-wide for the 36-inchdiameter pipeline and 115-feet-wide for
the 24-inch-diameter pipeline.
Following construction, OGT would
retain a 75-foot-wide permanent rightof-way for operation of the project.
Additional, temporary extra workspaces
beyond the typical construction right-ofway limits would be required at certain
feature crossings (e.g., roads, railroads,
1 The appendices referenced in this notice are not
being printed in the Federal Register.
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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
3,414 acres of land. Following
construction, about 2,118 acres would
be maintained as permanent right-ofway, and about 126 acres of land would
be maintained as new aboveground
facility sites. The remaining 1,170 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 OGT 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:
• 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,
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 238 / Tuesday, December 12, 2006 / Notices
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 the
Commission’s 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.
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
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
OGT. This preliminary list of issues may
be changed based on your comments
and our analysis.
• Potential effects on prime farmland
and erodable soils.
• Potential impacts to perennial and
intermittent waterbodies, including
waterbodies with federal and/or state
designations/protections.
• Evaluation of temporary and
permanent impacts on wetlands and
development of appropriate mitigation.
• Potential impacts to fish and
wildlife habitat, including potential
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18:00 Dec 11, 2006
Jkt 211001
impacts to federally and state-listed
threatened and endangered species.
• 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.
• 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.
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 2, DG2E.
• Reference Docket No. PF06–34–000
on the original and both copies.
• Mail your comments so that they
will be received in Washington, DC on
or before January 31, 2007.
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. 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.
The public scoping meetings (dates,
times, and locations) will be provided at
a later date in a separate notice. Scoping
meetings are designed to provide
another opportunity to offer comments
on the proposed project. Interested
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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 OGT 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
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-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. The ‘‘eLibrary link’’ on
the FERC Web site provides access to
documents submitted to and issued by
the Commission, such as comments,
orders, notices and rulemakings. Once
on the FERC Web site, click on the
‘‘eLibrary link,’’ select ‘‘General Search’’
and in the ‘‘Docket Number’’ field enter
the project docket number excluding the
last three digits (PF06–34). When
researching information be sure to select
an appropriate date range. In addition,
the FERC now offers a free e-mail
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 238 / Tuesday, December 12, 2006 / Notices
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.
For assistance with the FERC Web site
or with eSubscription, please contact
FERC Online Support at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll
free at 1–866–208–3676, or TTY, contact
(202) 502–8659.
Finally, OGT has established an
Internet Web site for this project at
https://www.eastendexpansion@
ozarkgastransmission.com. 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 OGT thorough
their Operations Communication Center
at 1–888–593–8207.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6–21052 Filed 12–11–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Project No. 2085]
Southern California Edison Company;
Notice of Application and ApplicantPrepared EA Accepted for Filing,
Soliciting Motions To Intervene and
Protests, and Soliciting Comments,
and Final Recommendations, Terms
and Conditions, and Prescriptions
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
December 5, 2006.
Take notice that the following
hydroelectric application and applicantprepared environmental assessment has
been filed with the Commission and is
available for public inspection.
a. Type of Application: New—Major
License.
b. Project No.: 2085–014.
c. Date Filed: November 29, 2005.
d. Applicant: Southern California
Edison Company.
e. Name of Project: Mammoth Pool
Hydroelectric Power Project.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:00 Dec 11, 2006
Jkt 211001
f. Location: On the San Joaquin River,
near North Fork, California. The project
affects 2,036 cres of Federal land
administered by the Sierra National
Forest.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power
Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Russ W.
Krieger, Vice President Power
Production, Southern California Edison
Company, 300 N. Lone Hill Ave., San
Dimas, CA 91773. Phone: 909–394–
8667.
i. FERC Contact: Jim Fargo at (202)
502–6095, or e-mail:
james.fargo@ferc.gov.
j. Deadline for filing motions to
intervene and protests, comments, and
final recommendations, terms and
conditions, and prescriptions is 60 days
from the issuance date of this notice;
reply comments are due 105 days from
the issuance date of this notice.
All documents (original and eight
copies) should be filed with: Magalie R.
Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First
Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
The Commission’s Rules of Practice
require all intervenors filing documents
with the Commission to serve a copy of
that document on each person on the
official service list for the project.
Further, if an intervenor files comments
or documents with the Commission
relating to the merits of an issue that
may affect the responsibilities of a
particular resource agency, they must
also serve a copy of the document on
that resource agency.
Motions to intervene and protests,
comments, recommendations, terms and
conditions, and prescriptions may be
filed electronically via the Internet in
lieu of paper. The Commission strongly
encourages electronic filings. See 18
CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the
instructions on the Commission’s Web
site https://www.ferc.gov under the ‘‘eFiling’’ link.
k. This application has been accepted
for filing.
l. Description of project: the Project is
located in the central Sierra Nevada,
within the San Joaquin River watershed,
about 50 miles northeast of the City of
Fresno. The Project is operated as a
reservoir-storage type plant with an
installed operating capacity of 190.0
MW and a dependable operating
capacity of 187.0 MW. Water for the
Project is taken from the San Joaquin
River, Ross Creek, and Rock Creek and
conveyed to the Mammoth Pool
Powerhouse through the Mammoth Pool
Tunnel.
The Project facilities include: the
Mammoth Pool Dam forming Mammoth
Pool Reservoir, with a capacity of about
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74515
119,940 acre-feet at an elevation of
about 3,330 feet above mean sea level;
one power tunnel about 7.5 miles long,
to convey water from Mammoth Pool
Reservoir to Mammoth Pool
Powerhouse; two small diversions on
Rock Creek and Ross Creek; and one 230
kV transmission line about 6.7 miles
long that connects the Mammoth Pool
Powerhouse to the non-project Big
Creek No. 3 Switchyard. Type of
Application: New—Major Modified
License
m. A copy of the application is
available for review at the Commission
in the Public Reference Room or may be
viewed on the Commission’s Web site at
https://www.ferc.gov using the
‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Enter the docket
number excluding the last three digits in
the docket number field to access the
document. For assistance, contact FERC
Online Support at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or tollfree at 1–866–208–3676, or for TTY,
(202) 502–8659. A copy is also available
for inspection and reproduction at the
address in item h above.
n. Anyone may submit comments, a
protest, or a motion to intervene in
accordance with the requirements of
Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR
385.210, .211, .214. In determining the
appropriate action to take, the
Commission will consider all protests or
other comments filed, but only those
who file a motion to intervene in
accordance with the Commission’s
Rules may become a party to the
proceeding. Any comments, protests, or
motions to intervene must be received
on or before the specified comment date
for the particular application.
All filings must (1) bear in all capital
letters the title ‘‘PROTEST’’, ‘‘MOTION
TO INTERVENE’’, ‘‘COMMENTS’’,
‘‘REPLY COMMENTS’’,
‘‘RECOMMENDATIONS’’, ‘‘TERMS
AND CONDITIONS’’, or
‘‘PRESCRIPTIONS’’; (2) set forth in the
heading the name of the applicant and
the project number of the application to
which the filing responds; (3) furnish
the name, address, and telephone
number of the person protesting or
intervening; and (4) otherwise comply
with the requirements of 18 CFR
385.2001 through 385.2005. All
comments, recommendations, terms and
conditions or prescriptions must set
forth their evidentiary basis and
otherwise comply with the requirements
of 18 CFR 4.34(b). Agencies may obtain
copies of the application directly from
the applicant. A copy of any protest or
motion to intervene must be served
upon each representative of the
applicant specified in the particular
application. A copy of all other filings
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 238 (Tuesday, December 12, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74512-74515]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-21052]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PF06-34-000]
Ozark Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed East End Expansion
Project, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
December 4, 2006.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that
will identify and address the environmental impacts that could result
from the construction and operation of the East End Expansion Project
proposed by Ozark Gas Transmission, LLC (OGT).
In order to assist staff with the identification of environmental
issues and to comply with the requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), a scoping period has been
opened to receive comments on the proposed project. Please note that
the scoping period for this project will close on January 31, 2007.
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 that will
be scheduled in mid January across the project region. A second notice
will
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be issued in December to provide the meeting date, time, and locations.
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. Details on how
to submit comments are provided in the Public Participation section of
this notice.
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted
by an OGT 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
OGT proposes to construct, own, operate, and maintain a natural gas
pipeline to provide incremental multiyear shipper requirements due to
expected regional supply and market growth. OGT indicates that the
proposed facilities form the basis of an incremental project that is
designed to optimize the placement of facilities to meeting short term
volume growth requirements while taking into consideration a long term
design to meet future anticipated transporter volume growth to 2026.
The proposed pipeline would originate at the proposed Wonderview
Compressor Station near Wonderview in Conway County, Arkansas along OGT
existing pipeline right-of-way to Searcy, Arkansas and extend to a
terminus at the interconnection with an existing interstate pipeline
located near Banner in Calhoun County, Mississippi.
The general location of the proposed pipeline is shown in the
figure included as Appendix 1.\1\
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\1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being
printed in the Federal Register.
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The East End Expansion Project facilities under FERC jurisdiction
would include:
Approximately 225 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline
extension (East End Expansion) and looping beginning in Conway County,
Arkansas and ending in Calhoun County, Mississippi;
Approximately 8 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline
extension (Noark Extension) from the existing Noark to the proposed
Wonderview Compressor Station all within Conway County, Arkansas;
Three compressor stations--Wonderview, Searcy, and Helena
Compressor Stations in Conway, White, and Phillips County, Arkansas,
respectively each with two 10,000-horsepower (hp) electric drive
compressors;
Five new gas meter stations at interconnects with existing
interstate pipelines, including:
--Texas Gas Meter Station in Coahoma County, Mississippi;
--ANR Meter Station in Panola County, Mississippi;
--Trunkline Meter Station in Panola County, Mississippi;
--Tennessee Gas Meter Station in Panola County, Mississippi;
--Columbia Gulf Meter Station in Calhoun County, Mississippi;
Interconnections between the OGT existing 16-inch-diameter
pipeline (Noark) and the OGT existing 20-inch-diameter pipeline; and
Four pig launching and receiving facilities (one on the
24-inch-diameter line and three on the 36-inch diameter line), 24-inch
side valve on the 36-inch diameter line, and 14 mainline valves.
The project would be designed and constructed to receive and
transport about 1.0 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. OGT
proposes to have the project constructed and operational by December
2008.
Land Requirements for Construction
As proposed, the typical construction right-of-way for the project
pipeline would be 115-feet-wide for the 36-inch-diameter pipeline and
115-feet-wide for the 24-inch-diameter pipeline. Following
construction, OGT would retain a 75-foot-wide permanent right-of-way
for operation of the project. Additional, temporary extra workspaces
beyond the typical 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 3,414 acres of land.
Following construction, about 2,118 acres would be maintained as
permanent right-of-way, and about 126 acres of land would be maintained
as new aboveground facility sites. The remaining 1,170 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 OGT 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:
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,
[[Page 74514]]
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 the Commission's 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 OGT. This preliminary list of issues may be changed based
on your comments and our analysis.
Potential effects on prime farmland and erodable soils.
Potential impacts to perennial and intermittent
waterbodies, including waterbodies with federal and/or state
designations/protections.
Evaluation of temporary and permanent impacts on wetlands
and development of appropriate mitigation.
Potential impacts to fish and wildlife habitat, including
potential impacts to federally and state-listed threatened and
endangered species.
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.
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.
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 2, DG2E.
Reference Docket No. PF06-34-000 on the original and both
copies.
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before January 31, 2007.
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. 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.
The public scoping meetings (dates, times, and locations) will be
provided at a later date in a separate notice. Scoping meetings 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 OGT 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 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. The ``eLibrary link''
on the FERC Web site provides access to documents submitted to and
issued by the Commission, such as comments, orders, notices and
rulemakings. Once on the FERC Web site, click on the ``eLibrary link,''
select ``General Search'' and in the ``Docket Number'' field enter the
project docket number excluding the last three digits (PF06-34). When
researching information be sure to select an appropriate date range. In
addition, the FERC now offers a free e-mail
[[Page 74515]]
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.
For assistance with the FERC Web site or with eSubscription, please
contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free
at 1-866-208-3676, or TTY, contact (202) 502-8659.
Finally, OGT has established an Internet Web site for this project
at http:www.eastendexpansion@ozarkgastransmission.com">//www.eastendexpansion@ozarkgastransmission.com. 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 OGT
thorough their Operations Communication Center at 1-888-593-8207.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-21052 Filed 12-11-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P