[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 87 (Friday, May 5, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22380-22381]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-11115]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-320-000]


Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent to Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Bayou D'Arbonne Crossing 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

May 1, 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 
the facilities proposed in the Bayou D'Arbonne Crossing 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\Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company'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

    Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company (Tennessee) wants to replace about 
3,700 feet of 16-inch and 24-inch-diameter pipeline with about 1,800 
feet of 24-inch-diameter pipeline in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana. The 
replacement would be done by directionally drilling the Bayou 
D'Arbonne. Tennessee requests Commission authorization, in Docket No. 
CP95-320-000, to construct and operate the following facilities needed 
to continue service:
     Abandon in place 1,608 feet of three 16-inch-diameter 
pipelines beneath the Bayou D'Arbonne;
     Abandon by removal 2,088 feet of the remaining on-bank 
tie-in facilities including two 24-inch-diameter headers; and
     Construct 1,800 feet of 24-inch-diameter replacement 
pipeline by directionally drilling the Bayou D'Arbonne 100 feet south 
of the existing pipelines.
    The general 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

    Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 7.2 
acres of land. Following construction, about 0.6 acre of land would be 
maintained as permanent right-of-way. The remaining 6.6 acres of land 
would be restored and allowed to revert to its former use.

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
     Public safety
     Land use
     Cultural resources
     Endangered and threatened species
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed 
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 Issue

    One issue that has arisen based on a preliminary review of the 
proposed facilities and the environmental information provided by 
Tennessee concerns crossing the Bayou D'Arbonne which is in the 
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. In the unlikely event that the 
directional drill fails, impact on the Bayou D'Arbonne could be 
significant.

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. CP95-320-000;
     Send a copy of your letter to: Mrs. Dawn Neumann, 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 June 7, 1995.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Mrs. Neumann 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 [[Page 22381]] 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).
    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 
Mrs. Dawn Neumann, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1046.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-11115 Filed 5-4-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M