30728 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 110 / Thursday, June 7, 2001 / Notices

1Cypress’ application was filed with the

Commission under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act

and Part 157 of the Commission’s regulations.

2 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the

environmental staff of the Office of Energy Projects

(OEP).

the Commission’s review process, a

final Commission order approving or

denying a certificate will be issued.

David P. Boergers,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–14376 Filed 6–6–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. RP01–429–000]

Transwestern Pipeline Company;

Notice of Proposed Changes in FERC

Gas Tariff

June 1, 2001.

Take notice that on May 25, 2001,

Transwestern Pipeline Company

(Transwestern) tendered for filing as

part of its FERC Gas Tariff, Second

Revised Volume No. 1, the following

tariff sheet; proposed to be effective

June 25, 2001:

Thirteenth Revised Sheet No. 96

Transwestern states that the revised

tariff sheet adds another permissible

type of transportation discount to

Transwestern’s General Terms and

Conditions by providing for upward or

downward adjustments to rate

components to achieve an agreed-upon

overall rate so long as all rate

components remain within their

respective minimum and maximum

amounts.

Transwestern further states that

copies of the filing have been mailed to

each of its customers and interested

States Commissions.

Any person desiring to be heard or to

protest said 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 or 385.211 of the Commission’s

Rules and Regulations. All such motions

or protests must be filed in accordance

with Section 154.210 of the

Commission’s Regulations. 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. This filing may be viewed on the

web at http://www.ferc.fed.us/online/

rims/htm (call 202–208–2222 for

assistance). Comments, protests, and

interventions may be filed electronically

via the internet in lieu of paper. See, 18

CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the

instructions on the Commission’s web

site at http://www.ferc.fed.us/efi/

doorbell.htm.

David P. Boergers,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–14347 Filed 6–6–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. CP01–180–000]

Cypress Natural Gas Company, L.L.C.;

Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement for

the Proposed Cypress Pipeline Project,

Request for Comments on

Environmental Issues, and Notice of

Public Scoping Meetings and Site Visit

June 1, 2001.

The staff of the Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission (FERC or

Commission) will prepare an

environmental impact statement (EIS)

that will discuss the environmental

impacts of the Cypress Pipeline Project

involving construction and operation of

facilities by Cypress Natural Gas

Company, L.L.C. (Cypress) in Chatham,

Bryan, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Glynn,

Camden, and Charlton Counties,

Georgia and Nassau, Duval, and Clay

Counties, Florida.1 These facilities

would consist of about 166 miles of 24-

inch-diameter pipeline and 13,000

horsepower (hp) of compression. This

EIS will be used by the Commission in

its decision-making process to

determine whether the project is in the

public convenience and necessity.

If you are a landowner receiving this

notice, you may be contacted by a

pipeline company representative about

the acquisition of an easement to

construct, operate, and maintain the

proposed facilities. The pipeline

company would seek to negotiate a

mutually acceptable agreement.

However, if the project is approved by

the Commission, that approval conveys

with it the right of eminent domain.

Therefore, if easement negotiations fail

to produce an agreement, the pipeline

company could initiate condemnation

proceedings in accordance with state

law.

A fact sheet prepared by the FERC

entitled ‘‘An Interstate Natural Gas

Facility On My Land? What Do I Need

To Know?’’ should have been attached

to the project notice Cypress provided to

landowners. This fact sheet addresses a

number of typically asked questions,

including the use of eminent domain

and how to participate in the

Commission’s proceedings. It is

available for viewing on the FERC

Internet website (www.ferc.gov).

This notice is being sent to Federal,

state, and local government agencies;

affected landowners; elected officials;

environmental and public interest

groups; Indian tribes that might attach

religious and cultural significance to

historic properties in the area of

potential effect; local libraries and

newspapers; and the Commission’s list

of parties to the proceeding. 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.

Additionally, with this notice we 2 are

asking other Federal, state, local and

tribal agencies with jurisdiction and/or

special expertise with respect to

environmental issues to cooperate with

us in the preparation of the EIS. These

agencies may choose to participate once

they have evaluated Cypress’ proposal

relative to their responsibilities.

Agencies who would like to request

cooperating status should follow the

instructions for filing comments

described later in this notice.

Summary of the Proposed Project

Cypress proposes to construct and

operate new pipeline facilities to

provide approximately 310 million

cubic feet per day of natural gas

capacity to the project area in

southeastern Georgia and northern

Florida. Cypress seeks authority to

construct and operate:

• About 166 miles of 24-inchdiameter natural gas pipeline in

Chatham, Bryan, Liberty, Long,

McIntosh, Glynn, Camden, and Charlton

Counties, Georgia, and Nassau, Duval,

and Clay Counties, Florida;

• 13,000 hp of electric-drive

compression at the new Waynesville

Compressor Station in Glynn County,

Georgia;

• Five new meter stations, including:

—Port Wentworth Meter Station in

Chatham County, Georgia;

—Atlanta Gas Light Meter Station in

Glynn County, Georgia;

—South Georgia Natural Gas Meter

Station in Nassau County, Florida;

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 110 / Thursday, June 7, 2001 / Notices 30729

3The 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, N.E., 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.

—Brandy Branch Power Plant Meter

Station in Duval County, Florida; and

—Florida Gas Transmission Meter

Station in Clay County, Florida;

• A pig launcher facility at the Port

Wentworth Meter Station, a pig

launcher and pig receiver facility at the

Waynesville Compressor Station, and a

pig receiver facility at the Florida Gas

Transmission Meter Station; and

• 14 mainline valves.

The location of the project facilities is

shown in appendix 1.3

Land Requirements for Construction

Construction of the proposed facilities

would require about 2,153.5 acres of

land. Following construction, about

730.8 acres would be maintained as

permanent right-of-way and new

aboveground facility sites. The

remaining 1,422.7 acres of temporary

workplace would be restored and

allowed to revert to its former use.

The nominal construction right-ofway for the pipeline would be 95 feet

wide, with 50 feet retained as

permanent right-of-way. About 92

percent of the pipeline route would

parallel existing transportation or

energy rights-of-way.

The Waynesville Compressor Station,

pig launcher and receiver facilities, and

a mainline valve would be constructed

within a 36-acre site that Cypress

intends to acquire. One acre of land

would be required for each of the five

meters stations. Pig launcher and

receiver facilities and mainline valves to

be constructed at the Port Wentworth

and Florida Gas Transmissions Meter

Stations would be located within the

respective 1-acre meter station sites and

would not require additional land. The

remaining mainline valves would be

installed at required intervals along the

route within the permanent right-ofway.

The EIS 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

solicit 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

EIS 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 EIS. All comments received are

considered during the preparation of the

EIS.

Our independent analysis of the

issues will be in the Draft EIS, which

will be 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 45-day comment

period will be allotted for review of the

Draft EIS. We will consider all

comments on the Draft EIS and revise

the document, as necessary, before

issuing the Final EIS. The Final EIS will

include our response to all comments

received.

To ensure your comments are

considered, please carefully follow the

instructions in the public participation

section beginning on page 6.

Currently Identified Environmental

Issues

The EIS will discuss impacts that

could occur as a result of the

construction and operation of the

proposed project. 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 Cypress. This

preliminary list of issues may be

changed based on your comments and

our analysis.

• Geology and Soils

—Assessment of potential geological

hazards, including sinkholes.

—Potential impact on mineral resources

and mining operations.

—Effect on hydric soils and soils with

high potential for compaction.

• Water Resources and Wetlands

—Effect on groundwater resources.

—Potential effect on 53 perennial

streams, 38 intermittent streams, and

3 ponds crossed by or close to the

route.

—Effects on waterbodies designated

under Federal or state programs,

including the Altamaha, Satilla, and

St. Marys Rivers.

—Effects on approximately 627 acres of

wetlands.

• Vegetation and Wildlife

—Effect on vegetation, wildlife, and

fisheries resources, including planted

pine and forested habitats.

—Effect on the Ralph E. Simmons

Memorial State Forest.

—Vegetative Nuisance species.

• Endangered and Threatened

Species

—Potential effect on 18 federally listed

species (all of which are also statelisted species), including the redcockaded woodpecker, eastern indigo

snake, flatwoods salamander,

shortnose sturgeon, and Florida scrub

jay.

—Potential effect on an additional 65

state-listed species.

• Cultural Resources

—Effect on historic and prehistoric

sites.

—Native American and tribal concerns.

• Land Use

—Impact on residential areas.

—Effect on existing and future land use

along the proposed right-of-way,

including forested wetlands and pine

plantations.

—Effect on recreation and public

interest areas, including the Fort

Stewart Military Reservation,

Sansavilla Wildlife Management Area,

Paulk’s Pasture Wildlife Management

Area, Ralph E. Simmons State Forest,

the Savannah-Ogeechee Canal, and

the Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail.

—Visual effect of the aboveground

facilities on surrounding areas.

• Socioeconomics

—Effects of construction workforce

demands on public services and

temporary housing.

• Air Quality and Noise

—Potential impact of pipeline

construction on local air quality and

noise environment.

—Effects on local noise environment

from construction and operation of

the Waynesville Compressor Station.

• Reliability and Safety

—Assessment of public safety factors

associated with natural gas facilities.

• Alternatives

—Assessment of alternative routes,

systems, or energy sources to reduce

or avoid environmental impacts.

—Route alternatives or potential

deviations to minimize land use

development concerns in the

Chatham County, Georgia area.

• Cumulative Impacts

—Assessment of the effect of the

proposed project when combined

with other projects that have been or

may be proposed in the same region

and similar time frame.

We have made a preliminary

determination that no nonjurisdictional

facilities are associated with the

proposed project.

Public Participation

You can make a difference by

providing us with your specific

30730 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 110 / Thursday, June 7, 2001 / Notices

4 Interventions may also be filed electronically via

the Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous

discussion on filing comments electronically.

1 GSX–US’ applications in Docket Nos. CP01–

176–000 and CP01–179–000 were filed with the

Commission under sections 7(c) and 3 of the

Natural Gas Act respectively.

2 Georgia Strait Crossing Pipeline Ltd (GSXCanada) proposes to construct a pipeline to

transport the natural gas delivered to the Canadian

border by GSX–US to Vancouver Island for use in

new power plants. This proposal is currently under

review by the National Energy Board in Canada.

The location of the Canadian facilities is shown in

Appendix 1.

comments or concerns about the project.

By becoming a commentor, your

concerns will be addressed in the EIS

and considered by the Commission. 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

carefully follow these instructions to

ensure that your comments are received

in time and properly recorded:

• Send an original and two copies of

your letter to: David P. Boergers,

Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, 888 First St., N.E., Room

1A, Washington, DC 20426.

• Label one copy of the comments for

the attention of Gas Group 1, PJ–11.1.

• Reference Docket No. CP01–180–

000.

• Mail your comments so that they

will be received in Washington, DC on

or before July 9, 2001.

Comments, protests and interventions

may be filed electronically via the

internet in lieu of paper. See, 18 CFR

385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions

on the Commission’s web site at http:/

/www.ferc.fed.us/efi/doorbell.htm.

Before you can file comments you will

need to create an account by clicking on

‘‘Login to File’’ and then ‘‘New User

Account.’’

If you do not want to send comments

at this time but still want to remain on

our mailing list, please return the

Information Request (appendix 3). If you

do not return the Information Request,

you will be taken off the mailing list.

Public Scoping Meetings and Site Visit

In addition to or in lieu of sending

written comments, we invite you to

attend the public scoping meetings that

the FERC will conduct in the project

area. The locations and times for these

meetings are listed below.

• Tuesday, June 26, 2001, 7:00 p.m.—

Quality Inn and Suites, 17 Gateway

Boulevard East, Savannah, Georgia

31419, (912) 925–2700.

• Wednesday, June 27, 2001, 7:00

p.m.—Embassy Suites, 500 Mall

Boulevard, Glynn Place Mall,

Brunswick, Georgia 31525, (912) 264–

6100.

• Thursday, June 28, 2001, 7:00

p.m.—Clarion Hotel Airport, Conference

Center, 2101 Dixie Clipper Drive,

Jacksonville, Florida 32218, (904) 741–

1997.

The public scoping meetings are

designed to provide you with more

detailed information and another

opportunity to offer your comments on

the proposed project Cypress

representatives will be present at the

scoping meetings to describe their

proposal. Interested groups and

individuals are encouraged to attend the

meetings and to present comments on

the environmental issues they believe

should be addressed in the EIS. A

transcript of each meeting will be made

so that your comments will be

accurately recorded.

On June 26 through 28, 2001 we will

also be conducting a site visit to the

project area. This will be an on-theground inspection, conducted by

automobile on public roads, or where

access to private property has been

granted (specific locations to be

determined later). Anyone interested in

participating in the site visit may

contact the Commission’s Office of

External Affairs identified at the end of

this notice for more details and must

provide their own transportation.

Becoming an Intervenor

In addition to involvement in the EIS

scoping process, you may want to

become an official party to the

proceeding known as an ‘‘intervenor.’’

Intervenors play a more formal 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).4 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

that would not be adequately

represented by any other parties. You do

not need intervenor status to have your

environmental comments considered.

Availability of Additional Information

Additional information about the

proposed project is available from the

Commission’s Office of External Affairs

at (202) 208–1088 or on the FERC

website (www.ferc.gov) 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.

David P. Boergers,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–14339 Filed 6–6–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. CP01–176–000, Docket No.

CP01–179–000]

Georgia Strait Crossing Pipeline LP;

Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement for

the Proposed Georgia Strait Crossing

Project, Request for Comments on

Environmental Issues, and Notice of

Public Scoping Meetings and Site Visit

June 1, 2001.

The staff of the Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission (FERC or

Commission) will prepare an

environmental impact statement (EIS)

that will discuss the environmental

impacts of Georgia Strait Crossing

Pipeline LP’s (GSX–US) proposed

Georgia Strait Crossing (GSX) Project in

Whatcom and San Juan Counties,

Washington.1 The proposed facilities

would transport natural gas from

existing pipeline systems near Sumas,

Washington to the United States/Canada

border in Boundary Pass.2 The GSX

Project would involve the construction

and operation of about 47 miles of 20-

and 16-inch-diameter pipeline and a

new 10,302-horsepower (hp)

compressor station. The FERC will use