65318 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 243 / Tuesday, December 19, 1995 / Notices

1Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation’s

application was filed with the Commission under

Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of

the Commission’s regulations.

2The appendices referenced in this notice are not

being printed in the Federal Register. Copies are

available from the Commission’s Public Reference

Room, 888 First 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.

Practice and Procedure (18 CFR

385.214) (see appendix 2).

The date for filing of 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. 95–30712 Filed 12–18–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

[Docket No. CP96–16–000]

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line

Corporation; Notice of Intent To

Prepare an Environmental Assessment

for the Proposed Sunbelt Expansion

Project and Request for Comments on

Environmental Issues

December 13, 1995.

The staff of the Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission (FERC or the

Commission) will prepare an

environmental assessment (EA) that will

discuss the environmental impacts of

the construction and operation of the

facilities proposed in the SunBelt

Expansion Project.1 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.

Summary of the Proposed Project

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line

Corporation (Transco) wants to expand

the capacity of its facilities in

Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and

South Carolina to transport an

additional 145,666 thousand cubic feet

per day of natural gas to nine local

distribution companies and one electric

cogeneration plant. Transco seeks

authority to construct and operate:

• 14.9 miles of 42-inch-diameter

pipeline loop (Loop D) from milepost

(MP) 1222.66 to MP 1237. 58 in

Cherokee County, South Carolina;

• 15,000 horsepower (hp) of

compression (gas turbine) at a new

station, to be known as Compressor

Station 105 in Coosa County, Alabama;

• 15,000 hp of compression (gas

turbine) at a new station to be known as

Compressor Station 125 in Walton

County, Georgia; and

• 15,000 hp of compression (gas

turbine) at the existing Compressor

Station 80 in Jones and Jasper Counties,

Mississippi.

Transco also seeks to uprate:

• A compressor (gas turbine) from

14,100 hp to 15,000 hp at Compressor

Station 100 in Chilton County, Alabama;

and

• One compressor (gas turbine) from

12,600 hp to 15,000 hp at each of three

stations: Compressor Station 110 in

Randolph County, Alabama;

Compressor Station 130 in Madison

County, Georgia; and Compressor

Station 140 in Spartanburg County,

South Carolina.

The general location of the project

facilities and specific locations for Loop

D and the new compressor stations are

shown in appendix 1.2

Land Requirements for Construction

Loop D would be constructed adjacent

to Transco’s existing right-of-way.

Transco has proposed an 85-foot-wide

construction right-of-way, which

includes 35 feet of its existing right-ofway. Consequently, about 50 feet of new

clearing would be required in most

areas. Following construction, about 25

feet of the newly cleared right-of-way

would be allowed to revert to former

uses and 25 feet would be retained as

new permanent right-of-way.

Additional work space would be

required adjacent to the construction

right-of-way at crossings of roads,

railroads, streams, wetlands, and other

utility lines. In addition, Transco

proposes to use two off-right-of-way

parcels of land for staging and pipe

fabrication and storage. Construction of

Loop D would require about 171.9 acres,

including 63.3 acres of existing

maintained right-of-way. Following

construction, about 45.2 acres would be

maintained as new permanent right-ofway. The remaining 126.7 acres would

be allowed to revert to former land uses.

Transco currently owns the properties

that would be developed for the two

new compressor stations. Construction

would require a total of about 28.0 acres

of land, of which about 16.0 acres

would be fenced for operation of the

new compressor stations. All additions

and modifications at the other

compressor stations would occur inside

the fencelines on existing compressor

station property.

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 considered 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.

• Air quality and noise.

• 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
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 243 / Tuesday, December 19, 1995 / Notices 65319

based on a preliminary review of the

proposed facilities and the

environmental information provided by

Transco. Keep in mind that this is a

preliminary list:

• Blasting is expected to be required

at the crossings of the Broad River and

Peoples Creek and possibly at

occasional locations along the proposed

pipeline route.

• The proposed pipeline would cross

a number of waterbodies, including the

546-foot-wide Broad River. In addition,

several wetlands would be crossed.

• Four federally listed endangered or

threatened species potentially occur in

the counties in which the proposed

facilities would be constructed.

• The proposed Loop D crosses the

Cooperville Ironworks, a National

Register of Historic Places District

(District) and one of the sites that makes

up the District.

• Twelve residences are within 50 feet

of the proposed construction right-ofway.

• New compression at new and

existing compressor stations would

result in impacts on air and noise

quality.

The list of issues may be added to,

subtracted from, or changed based on

your comments and our analysis.

Also, we have made a preliminary

decision to not address the impacts of

the nonjurisdictional electric

cogeneration plant. We will briefly

describe its location and status in the

EA. This facility is in Cherokee County,

South Carolina, and it has received most

of the relevant permits. Its construction

should begin in January 1996.

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 or locations), 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 and send your letter to: Lois

Cashell, Secretary, Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission, 888 First

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

• Reference Docket No. CP96–16–000;

• Send a copy of your letter to: Mr.

Mark Jensen, EA Project Manager,

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,

888 First Street, N.E., 11.2, Washington,

D.C. 20426; and

• Mail your comments so that they

will be received in Washington, D.C. on

or before January 15, 1996.

If you wish to receive a copy of the

EA, you should request one from Mr.

Jensen at the above address.

Becoming an Intervener

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 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 of 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.

Mark Jensen, EA Project Manager, at

(202) 208–0828.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 95–30719 Filed 12–18–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

[Docket No. GT96–15–000]

Iroquois Gas Transmission System,

L.P.; Notice of Refund Report

December 13, 1995.

Take notice that on October 20, 1995,

Iroquois Gas Transmission System, L.P.

(Iroquois Gas) tendered for filing a

refund report pursuant to the

Commission’s February 22, 1995, Order

in Docket No. RP95–124–000.

Iroquois Gas states that it received

$180,446.00 from Gas Research Institute

(GRI) in payment of the 1994 Tier 1

refund. Pipelines receiving a refund

were required to credit such refunds to

their customers. Iroquois states that it

provided credits to its customers in the

invoices that were remitted on October

6, 1995. Because some of the shippers

on Iroquois’ system did not receive

invoices on that date, shippers

otherwise entitled to credits were issued

refund checks. Iroquois requests any

waivers that may be necessary to permit

such a result.

In addition, while the February 22

Order spoke only of credits to firm

customers, Iroquois had interruptible

customers that are entitled to credits.

Iroquois therefore requests any waivers

necessary to accomplish this as well; the

amount involved is de minimis.

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

20426, in accordance with Rules 211

and 214 of the Commission’s Rules of

Practice and procedure (18 CFR 385.211

and 385.214). All such motions or

protests should be filed on or before

December 20, 1995. 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 proceeding.

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.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 95–30716 Filed 12–18–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

[Docket No. ER96–493–000]

The Montana Power Company; Notice

of Filing

December 13, 1995.

Take notice that on November 30,

1995, The Montana Power Company

(Montana), tendered for filing with the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

pursuant to 18 CFR 35.13, a Form of

Electric Tariff, Second Revised Volume

No. 1, a revised Index of Purchasers

under said Tariff, and a Certificate of

Concurrence from Cenergy.

A copy of the filing was served upon

Cenergy.

Any person desiring to be heard or to

protest said filing should file a motion

to intervene or protest with the Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888

First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426,

in accordance with Rules 211 and 214

of the Commission’s Rules of Practice

and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and 18

CFR 385.214). All such motions or

protests should be filed on or before

December 26, 1995. 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 proceeding.

Any person wishing to become a party

must file a motion to intervene. Copies