34646 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 122 /Thursday, June 25, 1998 / Notices

Transco states that copies of this filing

are being served to each affected

customer.

Any person desiring to be heard or to

protest this filing should file a motion

to intervene or a protest with the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,

888 First Street, NE, Washington, DC

20426, in accordance with Sections

385.214 and 385.211 of the

Commission’s Rule sand Regulations.

All such motions or protests must be

filed on or before June 26, 1998. 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 proceedings.

Any person wishing to become a party

must file a motion to intervene. Copies

of this filing are on file with the

Commission and are available for public

inspection in the Public Reference

Room.

David P. Boergers,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 98–16889 Filed 6–24–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. CO98–600–000]

Tuscarora Gas Transmission

Company; Notice of Request Under

Blanket Authorization

June 19, 1998.

Take notice that on June 9, 1998,

Tuscarora Gas Transmission Company

(Tuscarora), 1575 Delucchi Lane, Suite

225, Post Office Box 30057, Reno,

Nevada 89520–3057, filed in Docket No.

CP98–600–000 a request pursuant to

Sections 157.205 and 157.211 of the

Commission’s Regulations (18 CFR

157.205, 157.211) under the Natural Gas

Act (NGA) for authorization to operate

an existing tap, meter station and

appurtenant facilities constructed under

the authorization of Section 311 of the

Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 (NGPA)

in Washoe County, Nevada, for

transportation services by Tuscarora,

under Tuscarora’s blanket certificate

issued in Docket No. CP93–685–000,

pursuant to Section 7 of the NGA, all as

more fully set forth in the request that

is on file with the Commission and open

to public inspection.

Tuscarora proposes to operate the

existing 6-inch tap, meter and

appurtenant facilities to serve U.S.

Gypsum Company’s (USGC) Empire

plant. It is stated that USGC has recently

converted its Empire plant to burn

natural gas rather than fuel oil as the

primary fuel in its wallboard

manufacturing process. Tuscarora states

that it has been transporting up to 1,550

Dt equivalent of natural gas per day to

USGC under its Section 311

authorization. The cost of the proposed

facilities is estimated at $134, 000. It is

stated that USGC has constructed

approximately 64 miles of 6-inch

pipeline to connect its Empire plant to

Tuscarora’s pipeline, and that Tuscarora

plans to purchase up to 26 miles of this

line and will seek Commission

authorization for acquisition and

operation. It is further asserted that no

customers of Tuscarora have been or

will be adversely affected by the

proposed authorization for the facilities

and that such authorization will have no

effect on Tuscarora’s ability to make

deliveries to its existing customers.

Any person or the Commission’s staff

may, within 45 days after issuance of

the instant notice by the Commission,

file pursuant to Rule 214 of the

Commission’s Procedural Rules (18 CFR

385.214) a motion to intervene or notice

of intervention and pursuant to Section

1547.205 of the Regulations under the

Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.205) a

protest to the request. If no protest is

filed within the time allowed therefor,

the proposed activity shall be deemed to

be authorized effective the day after the

time allowed for filing a protest. If a

protest is filed and not withdrawn

within 30 days after the time allowed

for filing a protest, the instant request

shall be treated as an application for

authorization pursuant to Section 7 of

the Natural Gas Act.

David P. Boergers,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 98–16885 Filed 6–24–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket Nos. CP96–809–000, et al. and

CP96–810–000]

Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, L.L.C.;

Notice of Availability of the Final

Environmental Impact Statement for

the Proposed Maritimes Phase II

Project

June 19, 1998

The staff of the Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission (FERC or

Commission) has prepared this final

environmental impact statement (FEIS)

on the natural gas pipeline facilities

proposed by Maritimes & Northeast

Pipeline, L.L.C. in the above-references

dockets and referred to as the Maritimes

Phase II Project.

The staff prepared the FEIS to satisfy

the requirements of the National

Environmental Policy Act. The staff

concludes that approval of the proposed

project, with appropriate mitigating

measures as proposed and

recommended, would have limited

adverse environmental impact.

The FEIS assesses the potential

environmental effects of construction

and operation of the following facilities

in Maine:

• A total of about 347.0 miles of

pipeline, consisting of 200.1 miles of

24– and 30–inch-diameter mainline

between Westbrook in York County and

Woodland (Baileyville) in Washington

County, and five laterals totaling 146.9

miles of 4– to 16–inch-diameter

pipeline;

• About 31,160 horsepower of new

compression at two new compressor

stations;

• Twelve new meter stations; and

• Associated aboveground facilities,

including 35 block valves and remote

blow-off valves.

The purpose of the proposed facilities

would be to transport 440,000 thousand

cubic feet per day of natural gas to

existing and new natural gas markets in

Maine and the northeast. These natural

gas supplies would come from new

reserves being developed in offshore

Nova Scotia, Canada.

The FEIS 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.,

Washington, D.C. 20426, (202) 208–

1371.

A limited number of copies are

available at this location.

Copies of the FEIS have been mailed

to Federal, state, and local agencies,

public interest groups, interested

individuals, newspapers, and parties to

this proceeding.

In accordance with Council of

Environmental Quality (CEQ)

regulations implementing National

Environmental Policy Act, no agency

decision on the proposed action may be

made until 30 days after the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency

publishes a notice of availability of the

FEIS. However, the CEQ regulations

provide an exception to this rule on

timing when an agency decision is

subject to a formal internal appeal

process which allows other agencies or

the public to make their views known.

In such cases, the agency decision may

be made at the same time that the notice

of the FEIS is published, allowing both