[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 243 (Tuesday, December 19, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65318-65319]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-30719]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[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 decision-making process to 
determine whether an environmental impact statement is necessary and 
whether to approve the project.

    \1\ Transcontinental 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.
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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:
    <bullet> 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;
    <bullet> 15,000 horsepower (hp) of compression (gas turbine) at a 
new station, to be known as Compressor Station 105 in Coosa County, 
Alabama;
    <bullet> 15,000 hp of compression (gas turbine) at a new station to 
be known as Compressor Station 125 in Walton County, Georgia; and
    <bullet> 15,000 hp of compression (gas turbine) at the existing 
Compressor Station 80 in Jones and Jasper Counties, Mississippi.
    Transco also seeks to uprate:
    <bullet> A compressor (gas turbine) from 14,100 hp to 15,000 hp at 
Compressor Station 100 in Chilton County, Alabama; and
    <bullet> 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\

    \2\ The 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.
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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-of-way. 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-of-way. 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:
    <bullet> Geology and soils.
    <bullet> Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands.
    <bullet> Vegetation and wildlife.
    <bullet> Endangered and threatened species.
    <bullet> Land use.
    <bullet> Cultural resources.
    <bullet> Air quality and noise.
    <bullet> 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 

[[Page 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:
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> The proposed pipeline would cross a number of waterbodies, 
including the 546-foot-wide Broad River. In addition, several wetlands 
would be crossed.
    <bullet> Four federally listed endangered or threatened species 
potentially occur in the counties in which the proposed facilities 
would be constructed.
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> Twelve residences are within 50 feet of the proposed 
construction right-of-way.
    <bullet> 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:
    <bullet> Address and send your letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., 
Washington, D.C. 20426;
    <bullet> Reference Docket No. CP96-16-000;
    <bullet> 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
    <bullet> 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 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 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