[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 29 (Monday, February 13, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8230-8231]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-3467]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-118-000]


East Tennessee Natural Gas Co.; Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Roanoke Expansion Project and 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

February 7, 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 Roanoke Expansion Project.\1\ This EA 
will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to 
determine whether an environmental impact statement is required and 
whether or not to approve the project.

    \1\East Tennessee Natural Gas Company's application was filed 
with the Commission under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act.
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Summary of the Proposed Project

    East Tennessee Natural Gas Company (East Tennessee) wants 
Commission authorization to construct and operate 5.2 miles of pipeline 
loop to provide Roanoke Gas Company, in Roanoke, Virginia, with up to 
9,789 decatherms per day of continued firm transportation service. East 
Tennessee's proposed facilities would consist of:
    <bullet> 5.2 miles of 12-inch-diameter loops in Washington county, 
Virginia (3.06 miles of loop between milepost (MP) 3311-1+0.04 and MP 
3311-1+3.10 and 2.14 miles of loop between MP 3310-1+8.82 and MP 3310-
1+10.96); and
    <bullet> A 980-horsepower uprate of existing compressor units at 
East Tennessee's Compressor Station 3110 in Wartburg, Morgan County, 
Tennessee.
    The locations of these facilities 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 and Files Maintenance Branch, Room 
3104, 941 North Capitol Street, N.W., 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

    The proposed loops would be built adjacent to existing pipeline 
rights-of-way (ROW). The construction ROW would typically be 75 feet 
wide consisting of a 50-foot-wide permanent ROW and a 25-foot-wide 
temporary ROW. Following construction, the disturbed area would be 
restored and the 25 feet of temporary ROW would be allowed to revert to 
its former land use.

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> Land use
    <bullet> Cultural resources
    <bullet> Hazardous waste
    <bullet> Air quality and noise
    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 East Tennessee. Keep in mind 
that this is a preliminary list; the list of issues will be added to, 
subtracted from, or changed based on your comments and our own 
analysis. Issues are:
    <bullet> One wetland (palustrine forested/scrub-shrub/emergent) and 
six small perennial streams would be affected.
    <bullet> There is one residence and one cemetery located within 50 
feet of the construction ROW.
    <bullet> There may be additional noise impact on nearby noise-
sensitive areas from the uprate in compression at Compressor Station 
3110.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by sending a letter with 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 your letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St., N.E., Washington, 
D.C. 20426;
    <bullet> Reference Docket No. CP95-118-000;
    <bullet> Send a copy of your letter to:
    Mr. John Wisniewski, 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 March 10, 1995.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Mr. Wisniewski at the above address. [[Page 8231]] 

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) attached 
as 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 Sec. 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. John Wisniewski, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1073.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-3467 Filed 2-10-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M