[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 12, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-25134]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: October 12, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP94-6-001; CP94-89-000]

 

Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation; CNG Transmission 
Corporation; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment 
for the Proposed Flex-X/CNG Project and Request for Comments on 
Environmental Issues

October 5, 1994.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the environmental impacts of the construction and operation of 
facilities proposed in the Flex-X/CNG 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.
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    \1\Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation's and CNG Transmission 
Corporation's applications were 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

    Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation (Texas Eastern) has an 
existing natural gas pipeline system consisting of various diameter 
pipe that extends from the State of Texas and offshore Louisiana 
through the Appalachian area to the Eastern Seaboard in the 
Philadelphia and New York area. Texas Eastern wants to expand and 
modify its facilities to transport an additional 105,000 dekatherms of 
natural gas per day (Dthd) to CNG Transmission Corporation (CNG) and 
wants Commission authorization to construct and operate the following 
facilities needed to transport those volumes:
     13.9 miles of 36-inch-diameter replacement pipeline in two 
segments in Pennsylvania:
    Uniontown Discharge mileposts (Mps) 1048.47 to 1058.18 for 9.7 
miles in Fayette and Somerset Counties.
    Bedford Discharge Mps 1106.65 to 1110.87 for 4.2 miles in Bedford 
County.
     6,500 horsepower (hp) of compression at its existing 
Uniontown Compressor Station in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.
    The Texas Eastern pipeline facilities were originally proposed as 
part of the Liberty Pipeline Project in Docket Nos. CP92-720-000 and 
CP92-720-001. These facilities were discussed in our Notices of Intent 
dated January 22 and December 22, 1993. The Liberty Project 
applications were dismissed by the Commission without prejudice on 
August 12, 1994.
    CNG wants to provide transportation of 105,000 Dthd from Texas 
Eastern to three utilities, an electric generation plant, and a 
cogeneration developer. To provide this transportation, CNG wants 
Commission authorization to construct and operate about 8,000 hp of 
compression (two 4,000-hp electric motor-driven compressor units) at a 
new station to be known as CNG's Chambersburg Compressor Station, in 
Franklin County, Pennsylvania.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
1.\2\
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    \1\The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available from the 
Commission's Public Reference Room, Room 3104, 941 North Capitol 
Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20246, 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

    Texas Eastern's proposed replacements would be built adjacent and 
parallel to existing rights-of-way. Texas Eastern intends to use an 85-
foot-wide construction right-of-way. About 60 feet of the planned 85-
foot width would use existing right-of-way. Consequently, about 25 feet 
of new clearing would be required in most areas. Following 
construction, the disturbed area would be restored and the 25 feet of 
new clearing would be allowed to revert to its former land use.
    Additional working space would be required adjacent to the planned 
construction right-of-way at areas of steep side slopes, and in most 
areas where topsoil would be segregated (agricultural and residential 
areas). Additional working space would also be required adjacent to 
road and stream crossings.

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:

     Geology and soils
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands
     Vegetation and wildlife
     Endangered and threatened species
     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 Texas Eastern and 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:
     The proposed pipelines would cross five perennial 
waterbodies.
     The proposed pipelines would cross 15 wetlands, 3 of which 
are greater than 500 feet wide at the crossing location.
     The proposed new compressor station would convert about 
17.0 acres of agricultural land to industrial use.

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 Street NE., Washington, 
D.C. 20426;
     Reference Docket Nos. CP94-6-001, et al.;
     Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Jeffrey Gerber, EA 
Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North 
Capitol Street NE., Room 7312 Washington, D.C. 20426; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, D.C. on or before November 4, 1994.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Mr. Gerber 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) 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. Jeffrey Gerber, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1121.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 94-25134 Filed 10-11-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P