[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 22, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15135-15137]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-6980]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-52-000]


Granite State Gas Transmission, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare 
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Granite State LNG Project 
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

March 16, 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 Granite State LNG Project. This EA will be 
used by the Commission in its decision-making process to determine 
whether an environmental impact statement (EIS) is necessary and 
whether to approve the project.\1\

    \1\Granite State Gas Transmission, Inc.'s application was filed 
under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the 
Commission's regulations. [[Page 15136]] 
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Summary of the Proposed Project

    Granite State Gas Transmission, Inc. (Granite State) is seeking 
approval to construct and operate an LNG facility at the western 
boundary of the town of Wells, Maine and adjacent to the eastern border 
of the town of North Berwick, Maine. The purpose of the project is to 
maintain service to Northern Utilities, Inc. for its distribution 
operations in Maine and New Hampshire upon the abandonment of the 
operation of a leased natural gas pipeline extending from Canada to 
Portland, Maine.
    The LNG facilities would include:

     A storage tank with a gas-equivalent capacity of 2 Bcf;
     A truck unloading system with two unloading stations;
     Two 67 MMcfd LNG vaporizers;
     A vapor handling system; and
     Fire protection systems.

    The storage tank would be 154 feet in height and 211 feet in 
diameter. The tank would be surrounded by a concrete impoundment 99 
feet high and 18 inches thick. The proposed project facilities would be 
designed, constructed, and maintained to comply with the Department of 
Transportation Federal Safety Standards for Liquefied Natural Gas 
Facilities (49 CFR Part 193). The facilities constructed at the site 
would also meet the National Fire Protection Association 59A LNG 
standards.
    The source of LNG for the proposed facility would be Distrigas of 
Massachusetts Corporation of Everett, Massachusetts. LNG would be 
transported to the site by LNG tanker trucks and would access the site 
by a proposed 1.4-mile access road from Route 9. It would take 
approximately 32 truckloads of LNG per day over a 3-month period to 
initially fill the tank. Thereafter, trucking would predominantly occur 
during the summer and fall of each year. Vaporized LNG would be 
transported from the site via a 12-inch lateral connecting to Granite 
State's existing and adjacent 8-inch pipeline.
    The location of the project facilities is shown 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.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    The proposed facilities would affect 38.3 acres of a 300-acre site 
in Wells, Maine. Granite State would clear 30 acres of land for the 
plant facilities, all of which would be permanently committed to the 
project. Construction of the proposed access road would require 
clearing 8.3 acres, of which 1.7 acres would be allowed to revert back 
of its original condition.

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 and whether an EIS is 
necessary. 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

--Seismology and soil liquefaction.
--Erosion control.
--Right-of-way restoration.

     Water Resources

--Site specific impacts on surface and groundwater.
--Effect on potable water supplies.
--Effect on wetland hydrology.

     Biological Resources

--Effect of plant construction and operation on threatened, endangered, 
or sensitive plant and animal species and their habitats.

     Cultural Resources

--Effect on historic and prehistoric sites.
--Native American and tribal concerns.

     Socioeconomics

--Impact of a peak work force of 50 employees on the surrounding area.
--Long-term effects of increased employment and taxes on the local 
economy.

     Land Use

--Impact on state areas of critical environmental concern.
--Effect of aboveground facilities on visual aesthetics in the region.
--Consistency with local land use plans.
--Impact on residences.

     Air Quality and Noise

--Impact on regional air quality and noise-sensitive areas associated 
with the operation of the proposed LNG facilities.
--Air quality and noise impacts associated with construction.

     Public Safety

--Compliance with 49 CFR 193 for exclusion zones (thermal and vapor gas 
dispersion), siting criteria, seismic criteria, and cryogenic criteria.
--Consequences of a major spill.

    We will also evaluate possible site and technology 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.

Public Participation and Scoping Meetings

    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 sites), 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., NE, Washington, 
D.C. 20426;
     Reference Docket No. CP95-52-000;
     Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Chris Zerby, EA Project 
Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St., 
NE, Room 7312, Washington, D.C. 20426; and
     Mail your comments so that they are received in 
Washington, D.C. on or before April 24, 1995.
    Beyond asking for written comments, we invite you to attend our 
public scoping meeting on May 15, 1995. We [[Page 15137]] will give the 
location and time for this meeting in a future notice. Requests to hold 
additional public scoping meetings will be considered.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want 
to become an official party to the proceeding or 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).
    Filing of timely motions to intervene in this proceeding should be 
made on or before March 27, 1995. Once this date has passed, parties 
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.

Environmental Mailing List

    This notice is being sent to all potential interested parties to 
solicit focused comments regarding environmental considerations related 
to the proposed project. As details of the project become established, 
representatives of Granite State will directly contact communities and 
public agencies concerning any other matters, including acquisition of 
permits and rights-of-way.
    If you do not want to send comments at this time but still want to 
keep informed and receive copies of the EA, please return the 
Information Request (see appendix 3). If you do not return the 
Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing list.
    Additional information about the proposed project is available from 
Mr. Chris Zerby, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-0111.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-6980 Filed 3-21-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M