Columbia Gas Transmission; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Planned Ohio Storage Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 10756-10757 [E8-3755]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 40 (Thursday, February 28, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10756-10757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-3755]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF08-6-000]


Columbia Gas Transmission; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Planned Ohio Storage Expansion Project 
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

February 22, 2008.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the potential environmental impacts of the Ohio Storage 
Expansion Project, involving construction and operation of natural gas 
facilities by Columbia Gas Transmission (Columbia) in Ashland, 
Fairfield, Hocking, and Holmes Counties, Ohio. The EA will be used by 
the Commission in its decision-making process to determine whether the 
project is in the public convenience and necessity.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping period that will 
be used to gather environmental input from the public and interested 
agencies on the project. Your input will help the Commission staff 
determine which issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that 
the scoping period will close on April 7, 2008. Instructions 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 a Columbia representative about the acquisition of an easement to 
construct, operate, and maintain the planned project 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, Columbia could 
initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with Ohio state law.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility on My Land? What Do I Need to Know?'' 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).
    With this notice, we \1\ are inviting 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. Agencies that would like to request cooperating status 
should follow the instructions for filing comments provided below.
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    \1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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Summary of the Proposed Project

    Within the Crawford Storage Field (Fairfield and Hocking Counties, 
Ohio), Columbia seeks authorization to:
     Construct 16 new storage wells;
     Convert 11 existing counter storage wells to active 
storage wells;
     Convert 10 existing observation wells to counter or active 
storage wells,;
     Convert 2 high pressure wells to counter storage wells;
     Purchase 6 production wells and convert to storage wells;
     Install 13.6 miles of interconnecting pipeline; and
     Make minor modifications at Columbia's Crawford Compressor 
Station.
    Within the Weaver Storage Field (Ashland and Holmes Counties, 
Ohio), Columbia seeks authorization to:
     Construct 4.1 miles of field storage pipeline;
     Replace 1.7 miles of field storage pipeline;
     enhance the deliverability work on 26 existing storage 
wells;
     Install one gate valve setting;
     Install a measurement station; and
     Install a regulation station.
    The storage project would provide an additional 103,400 dekatherms 
per day of storage deliverability for service in the eastern United 
States. Appendix A presents detailed maps identifying all facilities 
associated with this project.\2\
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    \2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the 
Commission's Internet Web site (https://www.ferc.gov) at the 
``eLibrary'' link or from the Commission's Public Reference Room at 
(202) 502-8371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to 
the ``Additional Information'' section at the end of this notice. 
Copies of the appendices are being sent to all those receiving this 
notice in the mail. Requests for detailed maps of the facilities 
should be made directly to Dominion.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    For new well installation, Columbia would disturb a 400-foot-
square. For reconditioned wells, a 300-foot-square would be necessary. 
Columbia plans to use between a 50-foot and 70-foot-wide construction 
right-of-way for installation of its pipelines (ranging from 4 to 10 
inches in diameter). Based on preliminary information, construction of 
the pipelines and storage facilities would disturb about 359 acres of 
land. Following construction, about 331 acres would be maintained as 
permanent right-of-way. The remaining temporary workspace would be 
restored and allowed to revert to its former use.

The EA Process

    We are preparing this EA to comply with the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (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, we are requesting public comments on the scope of the 
issues to be addressed in the EA. All comments received will be 
considered during the preparation of the EA. As part of our Pre-Filing 
review, Columbia previously sponsored public open houses in the project 
areas to explain its project, the environmental review process, and 
take comments about the

[[Page 10757]]

project from interested stakeholders (January 23 and 24, 2008).
    The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the 
construction and operation of the planned project under the following 
general headings:
     Geology and soils;
     Water resources;
     Wetlands;
     Vegetation, fisheries, and wildlife (including threatened 
and endangered species);
     Cultural resources;
     Land use and visual quality;
     Air quality and noise; and
     Reliability and safety.
    We note that 12 of the wells to be reconditioned in the Weaver 
Storage Field are located within the boundary of Mohican Memorial State 
Forest. Further, construction of the Ohio Storage Expansion Project 
would require the removal of potential Indiana bat roost trees. 
Additionally, we will 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 presented in the EA. 
Depending on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA 
may be published for distribution and mailed to federal, state, and 
local agencies; elected officials; public interest groups; interested 
individuals; affected landowners; newspapers and libraries in the 
project area; 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.
    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.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commenter, your 
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission. 
Your comments should focus on the potential environmental effects of 
the proposal, reasonable alternatives (including alternative locations 
and pipeline 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: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 1;
     Reference Docket No. PF08-6-000;
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before April 7, 2008.
    Please note that the Commission strongly encourages electronic 
filing of comments. See Title 18 of the Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR) Part 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's 
Internet Web site at https://www.ferc.gov under the ``eFiling'' 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 
computer's 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 filing you are 
making. This filing is considered a ``Comment on Filing.''
    We may mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in receiving 
it, please return the Mailing List Form (Appendix B). If you do not 
return the Mailing List Form, you will be removed from the mailing 
list.
    Once Columbia 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. We 
encourage government representatives to notify their constituents of 
this proposed project and encourage them to comment on their areas of 
concern.
    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 
Mailing List Form (Appendix B). If you do not return the Information 
Request, you will be removed from the Commission's environmental 
mailing list.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208 FERC (3372) or on 
the FERC Internet Web site (https://www.ferc.gov). Using the 
``eLibrary'' link, select ``General Search'' from the eLibrary menu, 
enter the selected date range and ``Docket Number'' excluding the last 
three digits (i.e., PF08-6), and follow the instructions. For 
assistance with access to eLibrary, the helpline can be reached at 1-
866-208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or at FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. The 
eLibrary link on the FERC Internet Web site also provides access to the 
texts of formal documents issued by the Commission such as orders, 
notices, and rule makings.
    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, any 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. You can also 
request additional information by calling Kelly Merritt at Columbia at 
(304) 357-2283.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-3755 Filed 2-27-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P