Document ID: FERC-2007-1837-0002
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Southern Natural Gas Company et al.; Intent to Prepare Environmental Assessment for Agl-Brunswick  Project: Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
Posted Date: 2008-01-22T05:00Z

[Federal Register: January 22, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 14)]
[Notices]               
[Page 3714-3716]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22ja08-55]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP08-5-000]

 
Southern Natural Gas Company Magnolia Enterprise Holdings, Inc.; 
Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the 
Proposed AGL-Brunswick Project and Request for Comments on 
Environmental Issues

January 2, 2008.
    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 AGL-Brunswick Project 
involving construction and operation of natural gas pipeline facilities 
by Southern Natural Gas Company (Southern) in Jones, Laurens, Glynn, 
and Liberty Counties, Georgia. The EA will be used by the Commission in 
its decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the 
public convenience and necessity.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the 
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested 
agencies on the project. Your input will help determine which issues 
need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that the scoping period 
will close on February 4, 2008. Details on how to submit comments are 
provided

[[Page 3715]]

in the Public Participation section of this notice.
    This notice is being sent to affected landowners; Federal, State, 
and local government agencies; elected officials; Native American 
tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. 
State and local government representatives are asked to notify their 
constituents of this proposed project and to encourage them to comment 
on their areas of concern.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' addresses a number 
of typically asked questions, including the use of eminent domain and 
how to participate in the Commission's proceedings. It is available for 
viewing on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    The proposed AGL-Brunswick Project would provide Atlanta Gas Light 
Company (AGLC) with direct access to liquefied natural gas supplies at 
the Elba Island LNG facility by making use of Southern's existing 
interstate natural gas pipeline system.
    In order for AGLC to gain gas supply from Southern's Elba Island 
LNG facility, Southern proposes to abandon by sale to Magnolia 
Enterprise Holdings, Inc. (Magnolia) an undivided interest equal to 
82,000 thousand cubic feet per day (Mcf/d) of the respective total 
capacities of the following facilities:
     Its Twin 30 Pipelines from the interconnect with Elba 
Island to Port Wentworth in Chatham County, Georgia, and from milepost 
(MP) 0.0 to MP 13.6 in Jasper County, South Carolina;
     10 miles of its 20-inch Wrens to Savannah Second Loop Line 
from the interconnection with the Twin 30 Pipelines at MP 104.6 at Port 
Wentworth, Georgia to the Rincon Gate at MP 95.1 in Effingham County, 
Georgia;
     Its Cypress Pipeline from the take off point at MP 95.1on 
the Wrens-Savannah Lines to an interconnection with AGLC's Brunswick 
Pipeline in Glynn County, Georgia, including an additional compressor 
facility installed by Southern on that portion of the Cypress Pipeline 
(as described below); and
     Its Brunswick Pipeline from MP 0.0 to its Jackson 
Measurement Station at MP 53.8.
    Magnolia would acquire these facilities and requests authorization 
to lease these facilities back to Southern. Magnolia would also acquire 
AGLC's 107.5-mile-long Brunswick Pipeline (located between the Laurens 
County Meter Station and the East Brunswick Meter Station), including 
the measurement facilities, and seeks authorization to lease these 
facilities back to Southern.
    In addition, Southern proposes to install the following facilities 
to provide the transportation service to AGLC:
     An odorizer at the Brunswick Tap facility in Jones County, 
Georgia at milepost (MP) 0.0 on Southern's existing Brunswick Line;
     A new meter station (Macon-Milledgeville 3 Meter Station) 
in Jones County, Georgia at MP 4.8 on Southern's existing Brunswick 
Line and the intersection with AGLC's existing facilities;
     A new meter station (East Brunswick Meter Station), new 
block valve, and odorizer in Glynn County, Georgia at approximate MP 
72.2 on the existing Cypress Pipeline; and
     An additional 7,700-horsepower compressor unit at the 
Riceboro Compressor Station in Liberty County, Georgia at the same 
location as the previously approved Station 1 authorized as 
part of the Cypress Pipeline Project.
    Finally, Southern would abandon by removal the existing Laurens 
County Meter Station in Laurens County, Georgia at the southern 
terminus of Southern's Brunswick Line (MP 53.8);
    The general location of the proposed facilities is shown in 
Appendix 1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of all appendices are 
available on the Commission's Web site at the ``eLibrary'' link or 
from the Commission's Public Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 502-8371. For instructions on 
connecting to eLibrary refer to the ``Additional Information'' 
section of this notice. Copies of the appendices were sent to all 
those receiving this notice in the mail. Requests for detailed maps 
of the proposed facilities should be made directly to Southern.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    The proposed project would affect about 16.3 acres of land during 
construction and about 6.2 acres during operation. Following 
construction, land consisting of the temporary facility construction 
footprints and any additional temporary workspaces would be allowed to 
revert to previous conditions. Southern proposes to utilize its 
existing rights-of-way during construction of the proposed facilities. 
The installation of the new compressor unit at the Riceboro Compressor 
Station would disturb about 14.2 acres of the existing 32.6 acre site 
during construction and would require about 5.5 fenced acres during 
operation. Construction at the Brunswick Tap, East Brunswick Meter 
Station, and abandonment at the Laurens County Meter Station would 
occur entirely within the existing and previously disturbed facility 
footprint and right-of-way, therefore, no new land requirements exist 
for these facilities. Southern proposes to use existing public and 
private roads for access to the construction areas.

The EA Process

    We \2\ are preparing this EA to comply with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) which requires the Commission to take 
into account the environmental impact that could result if it 
authorizes Southern's proposal. By this notice, we are also asking 
federal, state, and local agencies with jurisdiction and/or special 
expertise with respect to environmental issues to formally cooperate 
with us in the preparation of the EA. Agencies that would like to 
request cooperating status should follow the instructions for filing 
comments provided below.
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    \2\ ''We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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    NEPA also requires the FERC to discover and address concerns the 
public may have about proposals. This process is referred to as 
``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, we are requesting public comments on the scope of the 
issues to address in the EA. All comments received will be considered 
during the preparation of the EA.
    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.
     Land use and visual quality.
     Cultural resources.
     Vegetation and wildlife (including threatened and 
endangered species).
     Air quality and noise.
     Reliability and safety.
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed project 
or portions of the project, where necessary, 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 3716]]

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 make our recommendations to 
the Commission.
    To ensure your comments are received and considered, please 
carefully follow the instructions in the Public Participation section 
below.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your 
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission. 
You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the 
proposal, alternatives to the proposal including alternative locations 
and routes, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. The 
more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. Please 
carefully follow these instructions to ensure that your comments are 
received in time and properly recorded:
     Send an original and two copies of your letter to: 
Kimberley D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 1, PJ-11.1;
     Reference Docket No. CP08-5-000; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC, on or before February 4, 2008.
    The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments. See 18 
Code of Federal Regulations 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on 
the Commission's Internet Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the 

``eFiling'' link and the link to the User's Guide. Prepare your 
submission in the same manner as you would if filing on paper and save 
it to a file on your hard drive. Before you can file comments you will 
need to create an account by clicking on ``Login to File'' and then 
``New User Account.'' You will be asked to select the type of filing 
you are making. This filing is considered a ``Comment on Filing.''
    As described above, we may publish and distribute the EA for 
comment. If you are interested in receiving an EA for review and/or 
comment, please return the Information Request (Appendix 3). If you do 
not return the Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing 
list.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want 
to become an official party to the proceeding known as an 
``intervenor.'' Intervenors play a more formal role in the process. 
Among other things, intervenors have the right to receive copies of 
case-related Commission documents and filings by other intervenors. 
Likewise, each intervenor must send one electronic copy (using the 
Commission's eFiling system) or 14 paper copies of its filings to the 
Secretary of the Commission and must send a copy of its filings to all 
other parties on the Commission's service list for this proceeding.
    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).\3\ Only intervenors 
have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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    \3\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the 
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing 
comments electronically.
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    Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be 
granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they 
have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which would not be 
adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor 
status to have your environmental comments considered.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on the 
FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) using the ``eLibrary'' 

link. Click on the eLibrary link, then on ``General Search'' and enter 
the docket number excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number 
field. Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For 
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, 

contact (202) 502-8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the 
texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, 
notices, and rulemakings.
    In addition, the Commission now offers a free service called 
eSubscription which allows you to keep track of all formal issuances 
and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time 
you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with 
notification of these filings, document summaries and direct links to 
the documents. Go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.

    Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the 
Commission's calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx
 along with other related information.

 Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E8-973 Filed 1-18-08; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-P