Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 46 / Thursday, March 9, 1995 / Notices 12935

1Steuben Gas Storage Company’s application was

filed with the Commission under section 7 of the

Natural Gas Act and Parts 157 and 284 of the

Commission’s regulations.

2The 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.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.

[Docket No. CP95–119–000]

Steuben Gas Storage Co.; Notice of

Intent To Prepare an Environmental

Assessment for the Proposed Thomas

Corners Gas Storage Field Project and

Request for Comments on

Environmental Issues

March 3, 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

facilities proposed in the Thomas

Corners Gas Storage Field 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.

Summary of the Proposed Project

Steuben Gas Storage Company

(Steuben) requests Commission

authorization to convert a depleted

natural gas production field to storage

use. It proposes to construct and

operate:

• 13 injection/withdrawal wells (11

new wells drilled from one central

location and two converted from

existing gas production wells);

• One observation well;

• 0.6 mile of 4-inch-diameter well

laterals;

• 0.3 mile of 12-inch-diameter well

laterals;

• A 3,284-horsepower compressor

station;

• 6.48 miles of 12-inch-diameter

gathering header including a pipeline

drip and storage tank; and

• Dehydration facilities.

Steuben indicates that the proposed

storage field, when fully developed,

would have a working gas capacity of

5,300,000 thousand cubic feet of gas.

Customers interested in using Steuben’s

proposed storage service would have to

arrange for their own transportation.

Steuben’s existing facilities are

interconnected with the facilities of

CNG Transmission Corporation (CNG)

in the town of Woodhull, Steuben

County, New York. The 6.48 miles of

gathering header would connect the

Thomas Corners Gas Storage Field to

Steuben’s existing facilities.

Steuben states that the storage facility

would be developed in the nearly

depleted Thomas Corners gas

production reservoir. It lies about 2,000

feet below the surface. The areal extent

of the reservoir is about 430 acres.

The location of the project facilities is

show in appendix 1.2

Land Requirements for Construction

Steuben proposes to use a nominal

70-foot-wide right-of-way for

construction of the 6.48 miles of 12-

inch-diameter pipeline. Following

construction, a 50-foot-wide easement

would be permanently maintained; the

remaining 20 feet would be restored and

allowed to revert to its former use.

Additional working right-of-way

width would be needed in areas of steep

side slopes and in agricultural areas

where topsoil would be segregated.

Additional working space would also be

needed adjacent to road and stream

crossings. About 60 acres would be

required for construction of the 12-inch

diameter gathering header.

A total of 37 acres would be needed

for construction of the Thomas Corners

Storage Field. All new injection/

withdrawal wells would be

directionally drilled from one central

pad area covering approximately 31

acres. The wells would be drilled at

150-foot centers around the perimeter of

the pad area. All of the 4- and 12-inch

diameter well laterals would be

constructed within the central well pad

area.

An additional 6-acre work space

would be required adjacent to the pad

area for drilling, completion,

maintenance operations, and equipment

staging. After construction is complete,

this area would be used for the

dehydration facilities.

The proposed compressor station

would be located on Steuben’s existing

Adrian Compressor Station 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:

• Geology and soils.

• Water resources, fisheries and

wetlands.

• Vegetation and wildlife.

• Endangered and threatened species.

• Public safety.

• Land use.

• Cultural resources.

• Hazardous waste.

• 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

Steuben. 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:

• The proposed project would cross

three perennial streams: Mud Hollow

Brook, the Canisteo River, and an

unnamed tributary of the Canisteo

River.

• About 32 acres of upland forest

would be disturbed.

• A new 3,284-horsepower

compressor station would be

constructed adjacent to Steuben’s

existing Adrian Compressor Station
12936 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 46 / Thursday, March 9, 1995 / Notices

which may increase existing sound

levels.

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:

• Address your letter to: Lois Cashell,

Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, 825 North Capitol St.,

N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426;

• Reference Docket No. CP95–119–

000;

• Send a copy of your letter to: Mr.

Howard J. Wheeler, EA Project Manager,

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,

825 North Capitol St., N.E., Room 7312,

Washington, D.C. 20426; and

• Mail your comments so that they

will be received in Washington, D.C. on

or before April 10, 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 caserelated 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 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. 95–5712 Filed 3–8–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

[Docket No. RP95–182–000]

ANR Pipeline Co.; Notice of Proposed

Changes in FERC Gas Tariff

March 3, 1995.

Take notice that on February 28, 1995,

ANR Pipeline Company (ANR),

tendered for filing as part of its FERC

Gas Tariff, Second Revised Volume No.

1, the following revised tariff sheets,

proposed to be effective April 1, 1995:

Original Sheet No. 75A

Original Sheet No. 75B

Original Sheet No. 75C

Original Sheet No. 75D

Original Sheet No. 75E

Original Sheet No. 75F

Second Revised Sheet No. 155

Second Revised Sheet No. 156

Second Revised Sheet No. 159

Second Revised Sheet No. 160

Original Sheet No. 160A

Third Revised Sheet No. 161

ANR states that the above-referenced

tariff sheets are being filed to streamline

ANR’s capacity release program.

Specifically, ANR proposes (a) to reduce

the time for submitting and posting bids

and for making awards for released

capacity; (b) to change the time for

closing the bidding period to

accommodate better ANR’s nomination

process; (c) to allow one service

agreement to cover multiple release

transactions; (d) to provide shippers the

maximum feasible time to execute an

agreement once capacity has been

awarded; (e) to make conforming tariff

changes; and (f) to treat releases that do

not exceed thirty-one days or one

calendar month as short-term releases.

ANR states that all of its Volume No.

1 customers and interested State

Commissions have been mailed a copy

of this filing.

Any person desiring to be heard or to

protest this filing should file a motion

to intervene or a protest with the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,

825 North Capitol Street, N.E.,

Washington, D.C. 20426, in accordance

with Sections 385.214 and 385.211 of

the Commission’s Rules and

Regulations. All such motions or

protests must be filed on or before

March 10, 1995. Protests will be

considered by the Commission in

determining the appropriate action to be

taken, but will not serve to make

protestants parties to the proceeding.

Any person wishing to become a party

must file a motion to intervene. Copies

of this filing are on file with the

Commission and are available for public

inspection in the Public Reference

Room.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 95–5715 Filed 3–8–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

[Docket No. RP95–181–000]

ANR Pipeline Co. Notice of Proposed

Changes in FERC Gas Tariff

March 3, 1995.

Take notice that, on February 28,

1995, ANR Pipeline Company (ANR),

tendered for filing as part of its FERC

Gas Tariff, Second Revised Volume No.

1, the following revised tariff sheets,

proposed to be effective March 1, 1995:

Ninth Revised Sheet No. 18

Second Revised Sheet No. 185

ANR States that the above-referenced

tariff sheets are being filed to implement

a true-up of its recovery of AboveMarket Dakota Costs, as requirement by

its currently effectively tariff

mechanism. ANR advises that the filing

proposes a negative reservation

surcharge adjustment of $(0.021) to its

currently effective, firm service Rate

Schedules. ANR further advises that it

is seeking to modify the currently

effective mechanism, to provide for a

more effective methodology for the

implementation of the true-up

mechanism in future filings, and to

clarify its intent to include in the trueup calculation the 10% of Above-Market

Dakota Costs that are not allocated to

firm services.

ANR states that all of its Second

Revised Volume No. 1 customers and

interested State Commissions have been

mailed a copy of this filing.

Any person desiring to be heard or to

protest said filing should file a motion

to intervene or protest with the Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 825

North Capitol Street, N.E., Washington,

D.C. 20426, in accordance with Rules

211 and 214 of the Commission’s Rules

of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR

385.211, 385.214). All such motions or

protests must be filed on or before

March 10, 1995. Protests will be

considered by the Commission in

determining the appropriate action to be

taken, but will not serve to make

protestants parties to the proceeding.

Any person wishing to become a party

must file a motion to intervene. Copies

of this application are on file with the