[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 32 (Thursday, February 16, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9027-9029]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-3845]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-75-000]
Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation; Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed MS-1 Pipeline Project and
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
February 10, 1995.
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 MS-1 Pipeline 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\Texas Eastern 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
Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation (Texas Eastern) wants to
[[Page 9028]] expand its facilities to transport natural gas to and
from nonjurisdictional storage facilities (MS-1 Storage Facilities)
that would be constructed in Copiah County, Mississippi by Copiah
County Storage Company (Partnership).\2\ The MS-1 Storage Facilities
would be leased by MS-1 Distribution & Storage Corporation (MS-1
Distribution), a nonjurisdictional company, from Partnership. Texas
Eastern proposes to construct pipeline facilities that would be capable
of transporting up to 600,000 thousand cubic feet of natural gas per
day (Mcfd). Texas Eastern wants Commission authorization to construct
and operate the following facilities in Copiah County, Mississippi:
\2\Copiah County Storage Company is a partnership composed of
Mistex Gas Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tejas Power
Corporation, and Flex Star Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of
Panhandle Eastern Corporation.
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1.88 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline extending from
Texas Eastern's existing Line Nos. 14 and 18 near milepost 264 to the
MS-1 Storage Facilities; and
A tap and filter separator located at the MS-1 Storage
Facilities.
The storage facilities are being constructed by Copiah County
Storage Company, currently a nonjurisdictional company, and as such may
not fall within the Commission's jurisdiction.
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
Texas Eastern's pipeline would be constructed on a new right-of-
way. Texas Eastern proposes to use an 85-foot-wide construction right-
of-way that would extend through a pine plantation and mixed oak-
hickory forest. Clearing would be required along the entire
construction right-of-way. Texas Eastern would retain a 50-foot-wide
permanent right-of-way after construction is complete. Following
construction, the disturbed area would be restored and the 35 feet of
construction right-of-way not included in the permanent right-of-way
could be allowed to revert to its former land use.
Additional right-of-way width would be required at steep side
slopes. Additional working space would be required adjacent to streams.
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.
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. 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 require clearing of forest
along a new right-of-way.
The proposed project may affect forested wetlands.
The proposed project would require an 85-foot-wide
construction right-of-way.
Also, we have made a preliminary decision not to address the
impacts of the facilities described as nonjurisdictional. We will
briefly describe their location and status in the EA and do a more in
depth analysis in a subsequent document if appropriate.
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 No. CP95-75-000.
Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Jennifer Goggin, 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 March 20, 1995.
If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one
from Ms. Goggin 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. [[Page 9029]] Therefore, parties now seeking to file late
interventions must show good cause, as required by Sec. 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. Jennifer Goggin, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-2226.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-3845 Filed 2-15-95; 8:45 am]
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