[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 92 (Friday, May 12, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25710-25711]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-11725]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-119-001]


Steuben Gas Storage Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Thomas Corners Gas Storage 
Field Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

May 8, 1995.
    On April 18, 1995, Steuben Gas Storage Company (Steuben) filed an 
amendment to its application which substantially changed the routing of 
its proposed 12-inch-diameter gathering header. The beginning and 
ending points and the approximate length of the gathering header, as 
well as all other aspects of Steuben's proposal remain unchanged by 
this amendment. This notice supplements the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission's (FERC or Commission) ``Notice of Intent to Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Thomas Corners Gas Storage 
Field Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues'' issued 
March 3, 1995 (March 3 Notice).
    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 construction and operation of 
facilities proposed in the Thomas Corners Gas Storage Field Project.\1\ 
This EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process 
to determine whether an environmental impact statement is necessary and 
whether or not to approve the project.

    \1\Steuben's application was filed with the Commission under 
section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Parts 157 and 284 of the 
Commission's regulations.
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Summary of the Proposed Project

    Steuben requests Commission authorization to convert a depleted 
natural gas production field to storage use in Steuben County, New 
York. It proposes to construct and operate:
    <bullet> 13 injection/withdrawal wells (11 new wells drilled from 
one central location and two converted from existing gas production 
wells);
    <bullet> One observation well;
    <bullet> 0.6 mile of 4-inch-diameter well laterals;
    <bullet> 0.3 mile of 12-inch-diameter well laterals;
    <bullet> A 3,284 horsepower compressor station;
    <bullet> 6.5 miles of 12-inch-diameter gathering header including a 
pipeline drip and storage tank; and
    <bullet> Dehydration facilities.
    Steuben indicates that the proposed storage field, when fully 
developed, would have a working gas capacity of 5,300,000 thousand 
cubic feet of gas. Customers interested in using Steuben's storage 
service would have to arrange for their own transportation. Steuben's 
existing facilities are interconnected with the facilities of CNG 
Transmission Corporation (CNG) in the town of Woodhull, Steuben County, 
New York. The 6.5 miles of gathering header would connect the Thomas 
Corners Gas Storage Field to Steuben's existing facilities.
    Steuben states that the storage facility would be developed in the 
nearly depleted Thomas Corners gas production reservoir. It lies about 
3,530 feet below the surface. The aerial extent of the reservoir is 
about 430 acres.
    The location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.\2\

    \2\The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available from the 
Commission's Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, Room 
3104, 941 North Capitol Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, or 
call (202) 208-1371. Copies of the appendices were sent to all those 
receiving this notice in the mail.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Steuben proposes to use a nominal 70-foot-wide right-of-way for 
construction of the 6.5 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline. Following 
construction, a 50-foot-wide easement would be permanently maintained; 
the remaining 20 feet would be restored and allowed to revert to its 
former use.
    Additional working right-of-way width would be needed in areas of 
steep side slopes and in agricultural areas where topsoil would be 
segregated. Additional working space would also be needed adjacent to 
road and stream crossings. About 60 acres would be required for 
construction of the 12-inch-diameter gathering header.
    A total of 37 acres would be needed for construction of the Thomas 
Corners Gas Storage Field. All new injection/withdrawal wells would be 
directionally drilled from one central pad area covering approximately 
31 acres. The wells would be drilled at 150-foot centers around the 
perimeter of the pad area. All of the 4- and 12-inch-diameter well 
laterals would be constructed within the central well pad area.
    An additional 6-acre work space would be required adjacent to the 
pad area for drilling, completion, maintenance operations, and 
equipment staging. After construction is complete, this area would be 
used for the dehydration facilities.
    The proposed compressor station would be located on Steuben's 
existing Adrian Compressor Station site.

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''. 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 taken into account 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.
    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> Water resources, fisheries and wetlands.
    <bullet> Vegetation and wildlife.
    <bullet> Endangered and threatened species.
    <bullet> Public safety.
    <bullet> Land use.
    <bullet> Cultural resources.
    <bullet> Hazardous waste.
    <bullet> Air and noise quality.
    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 
recommend that the Commission approve or not approve the 
project. [[Page 25711]] 

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Steuben. Keep in mind that 
this is a preliminary list. The list of issues may be added to, 
subtracted from, or changed based on your comments and our analysis. 
Issues are:
    <bullet> The project would cross three perennial streams: Mud 
Hollow Brook, the Canisteo River, an unnamed tributary of the Canisteo 
River.
    <bullet> The 12-inch-diameter header would be constructed within 
Catatunk Road and Canisteo River Road between approximately mileposts 1 
and 2.6 (see appendix 1).
    <bullet> About 25 acres of upland forest would be disturbed.
    <bullet> A 3,284 horsepower compressor station would be constructed 
adjacent to Steuben's existing Adrian Compressor Station which may 
increase existing sound levels.
    In addition, the following concerns were raised in response to our 
March 3 Notice:
    <bullet> The EA should include standards required for slope 
stabilization and erosion control during and after pipeline 
construction.
    <bullet> Prime agricultural lands should be identified.
    <bullet> Restoration should include monitoring of agricultural 
lands.
    <bullet> Fishery resources of the streams crossed should be 
identified.
    <bullet> The EA should identify any threatened or endangered 
species potentially found along the proposed route.
    <bullet> Safety features to ensure that no gas leaks during all 
aspects of operation should be described.
    <bullet> All residences potentially affected during construction 
should be identified.
    <bullet> All active or abandoned hazardous waste sites should be 
identified.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by sending a letter addressing your 
specific comments or concerns about the project. You should focus on 
the potential environmental effects of the proposal, alternatives to 
the proposal (including alternative routes), and measures to avoid or 
lessen environmental impact. The more specific your comments, the more 
useful they will be. Please follow the instructions below to ensure 
that your comments are received and properly recorded:
    <bullet> Address you letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St., N.E., Washington, 
D.C. 20426;
    <bullet> Reference Docket No. CP95-119-001;
    <bullet> Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Howard J. Wheeler, EA 
Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North 
Capitol St., N.E., Room 7312, Washington, D.C. 20426; and
    <bullet> Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, D.C. on or before June 12, 1995.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Mr. Wheeler at the above address.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want 
to become an official party to the proceeding or become an 
``intervenor''. 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 copies of its 
filings to all other parties. 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).
    The date for filing timely motions to intervene in this proceeding 
has passed. Therefore, parties now seeking to file late interventions 
must show good cause, as required by section 385.214(b)(3), why this 
time limitation should be waived. Environmental issues have been viewed 
as good cause for late intervention. You do not need intervenor status 
to have your scoping comments considered.
    Additional information about the proposed project is available from 
Mr. Howard Wheeler, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-2299.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-11725 Filed 5-11-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M