[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 42 (Friday, March 3, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11964-11965]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-5224]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP95-109-000]


CNG Transmission Corp.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed TL-470, Extension 5 Project 
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

February 27, 1995.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the environmental impacts of the construction and operation of 
the facilities proposed by CNG Transmission Corporation (CNG) for its 
TL-470, Extension 5 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 or not to approve the 
project.

    \1\CNG'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

    CNG requests Commission authorization to construct and operate 
about 4.73 miles of 30-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline loop in 
Rotterdam Township, Schenectady County, New York.
    The proposed loop would be constructed parallel and adjacent to 
CNG's existing facilities and would begin at a new gate station on 
CNG's system near Gregg Road and end at a new gate station near Burdeck 
Street.
    CNG indicates that the proposed facility would enable it to deliver 
additional natural gas to Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation's 
distribution system serving the Albany, New York area.
    The location of the project facility 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

    CNG proposes to use a 75-foot-wide right-of-way for construction. 
Since CNG proposes to construct its pipeline near the edge of its 
existing, maintained right-of-way, only about 50 feet of additional 
right-of-way width would be cleared for construction. Following 
construction, 25 feet of the additional width would be restored and 
allowed to revert back to its former use. Therefore, only about 25 feet 
of additional permanent right-of-way width would be required.
    Additional working space would be required adjacent to the planned 
construction right-of-way at bored road crossings, the Delaware and 
Hudson Railroad crossing, stream and wetland crossings, and in 
agricultural areas where topsoil would be segregated.
    An approximate 600-foot by 600-foot (8.3 acres) pipeyard would be 
used for the construction trailer and storage of pipe.
    Four existing roads or farm lanes would be used as access roads.

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> Land use
    <bullet> Cultural resources
    <bullet> Hazardous waste
    <bullet> Endangerd and threatened species
    <bullet> Public 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 [[Page 11965]] 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 facility and 
the environmental information provided by CNG. Keep in mind that this 
is a preliminary list. The list of issues may be added to, subtracted 
from, or changed based on your comments and our analysis. Issues are:
    <bullet> The proposed loop would cross Poentic Kill, Plotter Kill 
and six other small, unnamed streams or drains. Poentic Kill is a 
state-protected stream.
    <bullet> About 2.2 acres of wetlands would be affected by the 
project.
    <bullet> About 15 acres of upland forest would be disturbed.
    <bullet> The Plotter Kill Nature Preserve would be crossed.

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., NE., Washington, 
DC 20426;
    <bullet> Reference Docket No. CP95-109-000;
    <bullet> Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Howard J. Wheeler, EA 
Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North 
Capitol St., NE., Room 7312, Washington, DC 20426; and
    <bullet> Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before April 5, 1995.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Mr. Wheeler 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 Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 358.214) 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. Howard Wheeler, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-2299.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-5224 Filed 3-2-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M