Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 91 / Thursday, May 11, 1995 / Notices 25211

1Southern Natural Gas Company’s application

was filed with the Commission pursuant to section

7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the

Commission’s regulations.

concerns. All interested individuals,

organizations, agencies, and Indian

Tribes are invited to attend either or

both meetings in order to assist staff in

identifying the scope of environmental

issues that should be analyzed in the

EA.

To help focus discussions, an EA

scoping document will be distributed by

mail to all persons and entities on the

FERC mailing list for the Rock Creek—

Cresta Project. Copies of the scoping

document also will be made available at

the scoping meetings.

The evening meeting for the general

public will be held from 7:00 P.M. until

10:00 P.M. on Wednesday, June 14,

1995, in the conference room at the

Oroville Public Library, located at 1820

Mitchell Avenue, Oroville, CA 95966.

(From Highway 70 take Oroville Dam

Boulevard east to Lincoln Avenue; then,

north (left) onto Lincoln. The library is

situated at the corner of Lincoln and

Mitchell Avenues.)

The agency meeting will be held from

9:30 A.M. until 12:00 Noon on

Thursday, June 15, 1995, in the

conference room at the Oroville-La Porte

Forest Service Ranger Station, located at

875 Mitchell Avenue, Oroville, CA

95965. (From Highway 70 take Oroville

Dam Boulevard east; north (left) onto

Fifth Avenue; then, east (right) on

Mitchell Avenue.)

Scoping Meeting Procedures

Both meetings will be recorded by a

stenographer and will become part of

the formal record of the Commission’s

proceeding on the Rock Creek—Cresta

Project. Individuals presenting

statements at the meetings will be asked

to sign in before the meetings start and

identify themselves for the record.

Concerned parties are encouraged to

offer us verbal guidance during the

public meetings. Speaking time allowed

for individuals at the evening public

meeting will be determined before that

meeting, based on the number of

persons wishing to speak and the

approximate amount of time available

for the session, but all speakers will be

provided at least five minutes to present

their views.

Scoping Meeting Objectives

At the scoping meetings, the staff will:

• Summarize the environmental

issues tentatively identified for analysis

in the EA;

• Identify resource issues that are of

lessor importance and, therefore, do not

required detailed analysis;

• Solicit from the meeting

participants all available information,

especially quantifiable data, concerning

significant local resources; and

• Encourage statement from experts

and the public on issues that should be

analyzed in the EA.

Information Requested

Federal and state resources agencies,

local government officials, interested

groups, area residents, and concerned

individuals are requested to provide any

information they believe will assist the

Commission staff to evaluate the

environmental impacts associated with

relicensing the project. The types of

information sought included the

following:

• Data, reports, and resource plans

that characterize the physical, biological

or social environments in the vicinity of

the projects; and

• Information and data that help staff

identify or evaluate significant

environmental issues.

Scoping information and associated

comments should be submitted to the

Commission no later than July 16, 1995.

Written comments should be provided

at the scoping meeting or mailed to the

Commission, as follows: Lois Cashell,

Secretary, Energy Federal Regulatory

Commission, 825 North Capitol St.,

N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426.

All filings sent to the Secretary of the

Commission should contain an original

and 8 copies. Failure to file an original

and 8 copies may result in appropriate

staff not receiving the benefit of your

comments in a timely manner. See 18

CFR 4.34(h).

All correspondence should show the

following caption on the first page:

FERC No. 1962–000—CA; Rock Creek—

Cresta Project.

Intervenors and interceders (as

defined in 18 CFR 385.2010) who file

documents with the Commission are

reminded of the Commission’s Rules of

Practice and Procedure requiring them

to serve a copy of all documents filed

with the Commission on each person

whose name is listed on the official

service list for this proceeding.

For further information, please

contact Jim Haimes in Washington, D.C.

at (202) 219–2780.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 95–11611 Filed 5–10–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

[Docket No. CP95–143–000]

Southern Natural Gas Company;

Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Assessment for

Southern Natural Gas Company’s

Proposed Graniteville Line Project and

Request for Comments on

Environmental Issues

May 5, 1995.

The staff of the Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission (FERC or

Commission) will prepare an

environmental assessment (EA) that will

discuss environmental impacts of the

construction and operation of the

facilities proposed in the Graniteville

Line Project. This EA will be used by

the Commission in its decisionmaking

process to determine whether an

environmental impact statement is

necessary and whether to approve the

project.1

Summary of the Proposed Projects

Southern Natural Gas Company

(Southern) proposes to:

• Construct approximately 3.5 miles

of 8-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline

in Aiken County, South Carolina, which

would replace approximately 3.5 miles

of 4-inch-diameter pipeline. This

proposed pipeline, referred to as the

‘‘Graniteville Line’’, would commence

at a tie-in at milepost (MP) 501.0 on

Southern’s existing South Main Line

and proceed in a northwesterly

direction to a proposed interconnection

with Southern’s new Graniteville Mills

Meter Station;

• Construct a new meter station at the

Graniteville Mills interconnect to

replace the existing Graniteville Mills

meter station in Aiken County, South

Carolina. The proposed meter station

would consist of two 4-inch-diameter

meter runs, a pressure regulator, and

approximately 125 feet of miscellaneous

buried piping. This facility would

require a site approximately 150 feet by

150 feet for construction and operation.

This construction would occur on the

Graniteville Company’s plant site in

Graniteville, South Carolina;

• Construct a regulator station near

MP 2.6 approximately 100 feet by 100

feet and an odorization facility at the

take-off point on an approximate area of

50 feet by 50 feet; and

• Abandon in place the existing 4-

inch-diameter Graniteville Line, except

for approximately 0.5 mile of pipeline

between MP 2.810 and MP 2.317, which
25212 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 91 / Thursday, May 11, 1995 / Notices

2The 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.

would remain in service to serve

existing customers.

Southern indicates that the proposed

pipeline facilities would deliver an

additional total firm transportation

service of 3,625 thousand cubic feet

(Mcf) of natural gas per day to

Graniteville Company.

The general location of the project

facilities is shown in appendix 1.2

Land Requirements for Construction

Southern proposes to use a 70-footwide construction right-of-way in

nonagricultural areas and a 90-foot-wide

construction right-of-way in agricultural

areas. Following construction, a 50-footwide easement would be permanently

maintained; the remaining 20 feet in

nonagricultural areas and 40 feet in

agricultural areas would be restored and

revert back to prior use. About 30 acres

would be affected by construction.

Additional working space would be

required adjacent to the planned

construction right-of-way at areas of

steep side slopes, road, railroad,

waterbody crossings, and wetlands. No

new access roads would be required.

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:

• Geology and soils

• Water resources, fisheries, and

wetlands

• Vegetation and wildlife

• Endangered and threatened species

• Land use

• Cultural resources

• Public safety

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.

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

Southern. 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:

• The proposed project would cross

five waterbodies, four of which are

perennial. The perennial waterbodies

are Horse Creek (crossed twice), an

unnamed tributary to Horse Creek, and

the Sand River. These waterbodies

support valuable riparian vegetation,

which helps stabilize soil to prevent

erosion and provides habitat for

wildlife. These waterbodies may also

support fishery resources.

• The pipeline would cross 0.35 mile

of wetlands. These wetlands are

classified as palustrine forested.

• The federally endangered redcockaded woodpecker may exist within

the immediate vicinity of the proposed

pipeline right-of-way.

• About 17 acres of upland forest

would be disturbed.

• Residences may be located within

50 feet of the edge of the proposed

construction right-of-way.

• Right-of-way widths.

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:

• Address your letter to: Lois Cashell,

Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, 825 North Capitol St.,

N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426;

• Reference Docket No. CP95–143–

000;

• Send a copy of your letter to: Mr.

David Gallo, EA Project Manager,

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,

825 North Capitol St., NE., Room 7312,

Washington, DC 20426; and

• Mail your comments so that they

will be received in Washington, DC on

or before June 12, 1995.

If you wish to receive a copy of the

EA, you should request one from Mr.

Gallo 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

proceedings or become an ‘‘intervenor’’.

Among other things, intervenors have

the right to receive copies of caserelated 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.

David Gallo, EA Project Manager, at

(202) 208–2066.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 95–11632 Filed 5–10–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M