[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 122 (Thursday, June 25, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 34647]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-16884]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP96-153-004]


Southern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Availability of the Draft 
Supplement to the Final Environmental Impact Statements for the 
Proposed Amended North Alabama Pipeline Project

June 19, 1998.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared this Draft Supplement to the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (Supplement) for the North Alabama 
Pipeline Project and it addresses the environmental impact of the 
amended natural gas pipeline project proposed by Southern Natural Gas 
Company (Southern) in the above-referenced docket.
    The staff prepared the Supplement to satisfy the requirements of 
the National Environmental Policy Act. The staff concludes that the 
Amended North Alabama Pipeline Project would result in limited adverse 
environmental impact if it is constructed as planned and with the 
additional mitigation recommended in this Supplement. This document 
supplements the North Alabama Pipeline Project Final Environmental 
Impact Statement (FEIS) that was noticed by the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency in the Federal Register on May 30, 1997. The 
Supplement only examines the route changes north of milepost 95.25 
(about milepost 91.2 of the route previously studied in the FEIS). 
There are no changes in the facilities south of milepost 95.25.
    The Supplement assesses the potential environmental effects of 
construction and operation of the following Southern facilities:
    <bullet> About 27.1 miles of interstate natural gas pipeline (26.9 
miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline and 0.2 mile of 12-inch-diameter 
pipeline); and
    <bullet> Two new meter stations, and related facilities.
    Facilities required by two local distribution companies to receive 
natural gas from Southern are also examined.
    The purpose of Southern's proposed facilities would be to transport 
a total of 69,000 thousand cubic feet per day of natural gas to one 
existing and two new customers in northern Alabama.

Comment Procedure

Written Comments

    Any person wishing to comment on the Supplement may do so. Please 
carefully follow these instructions to ensure that your comments are 
received in time and properly recorded:
    <bullet> Reference Docket No. CP96-153-004;
    <bullet> Send two copies of your comments to: Office of the 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, 
N.E., Room 1A, Washington, D.C. 20426.
    <bullet> Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the 
Environmental Review and Compliance Branch II, PR 11.2; and
    <bullet> Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, D.C. on or before August 10, 1998.

Public Meeting Schedule

    A public meeting to receive comments on the Supplement will be held 
on July 30, 1998 at 7:00 p.m. at the: Hartselle Civic Center, 406 
Nanceford Road, Hartselle, AL 35640.
    Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend and 
present oral comments on the environmental impacts described in the 
Supplement. Anyone who would like to speak at the public meeting may 
get on the speakers list by signing up at the public meeting. Priority 
will be given to persons representing groups. A transcript will be made 
of the meeting.
    After these comments are reviewed, any significant new issues are 
investigate, and modifications are made to the draft Supplement, a 
final Supplement will contain the staff's responses to timely comments 
received on the draft Supplement.
    The Supplement has been placed in the public files of the FERC and 
is available for public inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First 
Street, N.E., Room 2A, Washington, D.C. 20426, (202) 208-1371.
    A limited number of copies are available at this location.
    Copies of the Supplement have been mailed to Federal, state, and 
local agencies, public interest groups, interested individuals, 
newspapers, and parties to this proceeding. Comments will be considered 
by the Commission but will not serve to make the commentor a party to 
the proceeding. Any person may file a timely motion to intervene during 
the comment period on the basis of the Commission staff's draft 
Supplement (see 18 CFR 380.106 and 385.214). You do not need intervenor 
status to have your comments considered.
    Additional information about the proposed project is available from 
Paul McKee in the Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (202) 
208-1088.
David P. Boergers,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-16884 Filed 6-24-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M