[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 21, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9673-9674]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-4146]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-92-000]


Atlantic Gas Systems, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Myer Compressor Station and 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

February 15, 1995.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the 
Commission) will prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) that will 
discuss environmental impacts of the construction and operation of the 
proposed Myer Compressor Station.\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\Atlantic Gas Systems, Incorporated'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

    Atlantic Gas Systems, Incorporated (Atlantic) wants Commission 
authorization to construct and operate a new 825-horsepower (hp) 
compressor station on the site of an existing compressor foundation in 
Cabell County, West Virginia.
    Atlantic would construct the following facilities:

<bullet> One skid-mounted 825-hp reciprocating engine-driven compressor 
unit leased from Cardinal Compression, Inc.;
<bullet> An insulated compressor building; and
<bullet> An office/control building.

    The location of these facilities is 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, NE., Washington, DC 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

    Atlantic purchased a 3.42-acre site in Cabell County that was 
previously used for a compressor station. Atlantic would keep all 
construction disturbance within this site.

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 [[Page 9674]] 
<bullet> Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands
<bullet> Vegetation and wildlife
<bullet> Endangered and threatened species
<bullet> Public safety
<bullet> Land use
<bullet> Cultural resources
<bullet> Air quality and noise
<bullet> Hazardous waste

    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 information provided by Atlantic. 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 analysis. Issues are:

<bullet> The Myer Compressor Station would be a new source of air 
pollutant emissions.
<bullet> The operating noise of the proposed facility may impact the 
surrounding residences. The nearest noise-sensitive area is a residence 
810 feet south of the Myer Compressor Station.

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, 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., NE., Washington, 
DC 20426;
<bullet> Reference Docket No. CP95-92-000;
<bullet> Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Steven G. Grape, EA Project 
Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St., 
NW., room 7312, Washington, DC 20426; and
<bullet> Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before March 15, 1995.

    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Mr. Grape 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 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 in 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 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. Steven G. Grape, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1046.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-4146 Filed 2-17-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M