[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 72 (Friday, April 14, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19041-19042]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-9216]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-240-000]


Columbia Gas Transmission Corp.; Notice of Intent to Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Line KA Replacement Project 
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

April 10, 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, operation, and 
abandonment of the facilities proposed in the Line KA Replacement 
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 to approve the project.

    \1\Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation'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

    Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation (Columbia) proposes to 
construct and operate approximately 12.1 miles of 24-inch-diameter 
pipeline to replace approximately 11 miles of its existing 20-inch-
diameter Main Line KA in Wyoming and Raleigh Counties, West Virginia. 
These actions would improve the safety, reliability, and efficiency of 
Columbia's pipeline system. The replacement would be done in two 
segments as follows:

Segment 1

    <bullet> Construct about 7.0 miles of replacement pipeline.
    <bullet> Abandon 1.9 miles of existing Line KA by removal.
    <bullet> Abandon in place 3.8 miles of existing Line KA.
    <bullet> Transfer 0.7 mile of existing Line KA to low-pressure 
transmission service.
    <bullet> Construct about 0.1 mile of 8-inch-diameter pipeline to 
tie the existing Line KA-26 into the replacement pipeline.
    <bullet> Relocate an existing receipt meter from Cabot Oil and Gas 
Corporation about 1500 feet to the south to tie it into the replacement 
pipeline.\2\

    \2\The receipt meter would be relocated pursuant to section 
2.55(d) of the Commission's regulations.
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Segment 2

    <bullet> Construct about 5.1 miles of replacement pipeline.
    <bullet> Abandon 4.6 miles of existing 20-inch-diameter Line KA by 
removal [[Page 19042]] except at bored road crossings, where it would 
be abandoned in place.
    <bullet> Construct about 0.1 mile of 3-inch-diameter pipeline to 
tie the existing Line KA-14 into the replacement pipeline.

the location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.\3\

    \3\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.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

    Approximately 71 percent of the replacement pipeline would be 
located in new rights-of-way. The remaining construction right-of-way 
would partially or fully overlap Columbia's existing right-of-way. 
Columbia intends to use a 75-foot-wide construction right-of-way. 
Additional working spaces adjacent to the construction right-of-way 
(such as for side hill cuts, stream crossings, and staging areas) would 
be identified during the environmental analysis and approved before 
use.
    Overall, about 173 acres of land would be disturbed by construction 
and abandonment, including one new access road and 41 staging areas. 
Columbia would also widen many of the 47 existing access roads to be 
used for the project. Full control of all disturbed areas outside of 
the new permanent right-of-way (approximately 67 acres) would revert 
back to landowners after construction and restoration have been 
completed.

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 considered 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> Public safety
<bullet> Land use
<bullet> Endangered and threatened species
<bullet> Cultural resources

    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 may be added to, 
subtracted from, or changed, based on your comments and our analysis. 
Issues are:
    <bullet> Five residences are near the replacement pipeline right-
of-way.
    <bullet> New and retirement construction would cross 28 
waterbodies, one of which has been designated as a high quality stream. 
Some of these waterbodies would be crossed more than once.
    <bullet> New and retirement construction would cross 21 wetlands.

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. CP95-240-000;
    <bullet> Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Elizabeth Secrest, 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 May 16, 1995.

If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one from 
Ms. Secrest 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 385.214) (see 
appendix 2).
    The date for filing of 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 
Ms. Elizabeth Secrest, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-0918.
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-9216 Filed 4-13-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M