[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 197 (Wednesday, October 11, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60426-60427]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-26056]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP00-447-000]


Distrigas of Massachusetts LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed High Pressure Expansion 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

October 4, 2000.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the environmental impacts of the High Pressure Expansion 
Project involving construction and operation of facilities by Distrigas 
of Massachusetts LLC (DOMAC) at its existing liquefied natural gas 
(LNG) storage facility Everett, Massachusetts.\1\ These facilities 
would consist of new vaporization equipment and associated systems to 
provide regasified LNG to a nonjurisdictional electric power generating 
plant currently under construction. This EA will be used by the 
Commission in its decision-making process to determine whether the 
project is in the public convenience and necessity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ DOMAC's application was filed with the Commission under 
Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and part 157 of the Commission's 
regulations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summary of the Proposed Project

    The proposed project would allow DOMAC to supply 280,000 million 
British thermal units per day of regasified LNG to an electric power 
generating plant. Specifically, DOMAC requests Commission authorization 
to:
    <bullet> Install four submerged combustion vaporization units 
capable of 600,000 thousand cubic feet per day;
    <bullet> Replace the existing LNG tank pumps with higher capacity 
pumps;
    <bullet> Install eight LNG booster pumps;
    <bullet> Modify the LNG impoundment and vapor control systems; and
    <bullet> Install various cross-connections, tie-ins, pollution 
control systems, and odorization equipment.
    In addition to the above jurisdictional facilities, Sithe Mystic 
Development LLC is constructing the New Mystic Station, a 1,550 
megawatt natural gas-fired, combined-cycle electric generating power 
plant at Everett, Massachusetts. The New Mystic Station, approved by 
the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board on September 30, 1999, 
is currently under construction and was 40 percent complete at the time 
of DOMAC's filing with the Commission. A 24-inch-diameter 
nonjurisdictional pipeline, approximately 1,200 feet in length, would 
also be constructed by Boston Gas Company to transport the regasified 
LNG to the New Mystic Station.
    The general location of DOMAC's proposed project facilities is 
shown on the map attached as appendix 1.\2\ Construction of the 
proposed facilities would occur completely on DOMAC's existing LNG 
plant site.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the 
Commission's website at the ``RIMS'' link or from the Commission's 
Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First Street, 
NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 208-1371. For instructions 
on connecting to RIMS refer to the last page of this notice. Copies 
of the appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in 
the mail.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The EA Process

    The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the 
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could 
result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of a 
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us 
to discover and address concerns the public may have about proposals. 
We call this ``scoping''.\3\ 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 requests public comments on the 
scope of the issues it will address in the EA. All comments received 
are considered during the preparation of the EA. State and local 
government representatives are encouraged to notify their constituents 
of this proposed action and encourage them to comment on their areas of 
concern.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the 
construction and operation of the proposed project under these general 
headings:
    <bullet> Geology and soils
    <bullet> Vegetation and wildlife
    <bullet> Public safety
    <bullet> Cultural resources
    <bullet> Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands
    <bullet> Endangered and threatened species
    <bullet> Land use
    <bullet> Air quality and noise impacts
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed project 
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen 
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be in the EA. Depending 
on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA may be 
published and mailed to Federal, state, and local agencies, public 
interest groups, interested individuals, affected landowners, 
newspapers, libraries, and the Commission's official service list for 
this proceeding. A comment period will be allotted for review if the EA 
is published. We will consider all comments on the EA before we make 
our recommendations to the Commission.
    To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the 
instructions in the public participation section below.

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, 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

[[Page 60427]]

comments are received in time and properly recorded:
    <bullet> Send two copies of your letter to: David P. Boergers, 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE., 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
    <bullet> Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 
Group 1, PJ-11.1.
    <bullet> Reference Docket No. CP00-447-000.
    <bullet> Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before November 3, 2000.

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''. Intervenors play a more formal role in the process. 
Among other things, intervenors have the right to receive copies of 
case-related Commission documents and filings by other intervenors. 
Likewise, each intervenor must provide 14 copies of its filings to the 
Secretary of the Commission and must send a copy of its filings to all 
other parties on the Commission's service list for this proceeding. If 
you want 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) (see appendix 2). Only intervenors have the 
right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
    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.
    Additional information about the proposed project is available from 
the Commission's Office of External Affairs at (202) 208-0004 or on the 
FERC website (www.ferc.fed.us) using the ``RIMS'' link to information 
in this docket number. Click on the ``RIMS'' link, select ``Docket #'' 
from the RIMS Menu, and follow the instructions. For assistance with 
access to RIMS, the RIMS helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2222.
    Similarly, the ``CIPS'' link on the FERC Internet website provides 
access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such 
as orders, notices, and rulemakings. From the FERC Internet website, 
click on the ``CIPS'' link, select ``Docket #'' from the CIPS menu, and 
follow the instructions. For assistance with access to CIPS, the CIPS 
helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2474.

Lindood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-26056 Filed 10-10-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M