[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 46 (Thursday, March 9, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12935-12936]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-5712]



[[Page 12935]]

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[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.

    \1\Steuben 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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\

    \2\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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 
[[Page 12936]] 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 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. 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