[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 29 (Monday, February 13, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8228-8230]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-3466]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-37-000]


Columbia Gas Transmission Corp.; Intent to Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Panda-Brandywine 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 environmental impacts of the construction and operation 
associated with the jurisdictional facilities proposed in the Panda-
Brandywine [[Page 8229]] 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\Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation's application was filed 
with the Commission under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act.
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Summary of the Proposed Project

    Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation (Columbia) wants Commission 
authorization to construct and operate 6.3 miles of pipeline to 
transport up to 24,240 dekatherms of natural gas per day to Panda-
Brandywine L.P. (Panda) for its Brandywine, Maryland cogeneration 
plant. Columbia's facilities would consist of:

--4.1 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline loop on Line WB in Hardy 
County, West Virginia;
--1.6 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline (designated as Line WB-5) that 
would replace approximately 1.5 miles of 26-inch-diameter pipeline in 
three sections (designated as Line WB) in Braxton County, West 
Virginia; and
--0.6 mile of 36-inch-diameter pipeline loop on Line SB-5 in Clay 
County, West Virginia.
    In addition, a nonjurisdictional tap, measurement and regulation 
facilities, and about 0.5 mile of 20-inch-diameter nonjurdisdictional 
pipeline would be constructed by Washington Gas Light Company (WGL) in 
Prince George's County, Maryland, to supply gas to Panda's cogeneration 
plant.
    The locations of the project facilities are shown in appendix 
1.2\2\

    \2\The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available from the 
Commission's Public References and Files Maintenance Branch, Room 
3104, at 941 North Capitol 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

    The proposed replacement pipeline and loops would be built within 
or 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. The construction ROW 
would overlap existing ROW by about 25 feet. Generally, the old 
replaced pipeline would be removed except in specific areas such as 
some road/railroad crossings identified by Columbia. Following 
construction, the disturbed area would be restored and the 25 feet of 
temporary ROW and additional workspaces would be allowed to revert to 
their 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 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> Land use
    <bullet> Cultural resources
    <bullet> Vegetation and wildlife
    <bullet> Endangered and threatened species
    <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 environmental information provided by Columbia. 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> The proposed project would cross two perennial streams, 
three intermittent streams, and eight nonforested wetlands.
    <bullet> Access roads would cross the two perennial streams at five 
locations and intermittent streams at seven locations.
    <bullet> There are three private wells within 50 feet of the 
proposed construction ROW.
    <bullet> There are six residences within 50 feet of the proposed 
ROW.
    Also, we have made a preliminary decision to not address the 
impacts of the nonjurdictional facilities. We will briefly describe 
their location and status in the EA.

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), 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. CP95-37-000;
    <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.

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 [[Page 8230]] 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. 95-3466 Filed 2-10-95; 845 am]
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