[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 118 (Tuesday, June 20, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32147-32148]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-14974]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket Nos. CP95-289-000 and CP95-292-000]


Southern Natural Gas Company; Notice of intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Settlement Facilities 
Projects and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

June 14, 1995.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental impacts of the construction 
and operation of the facilities proposed in the Settlement Facilities 
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.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Southern Natural Gas Company (Southern) wants to construct and/or 
replace and operate its facilities in Georgia and Alabama. The project 
description follows below:

Project 1

     Replacement of 6.1 miles of its existing 14-inch-diameter 
Ocmulgee-Atlanta Loop Line with a 30-inch-diameter pipeline from 
milepost (MP) 50.5 in Henry County, Georgia to MP 56.6 in Clayton 
County, Georgia; and
     Replacement of 5.7 miles of its existing 12-inch-diameter 
Macon Branch Line with a 30-inch-diameter pipeline from MPs 15.7 to 
10.0, located in Clayton County, Georgia. Southern also proposes to 
make the following meter station modifications: (1) Modify 
miscellaneous piping at the South Atlanta Regulator Station and South 
Atlanta #1 Meter Station; (2) rebuild the Marietta Meter Station with 
three 8-inch orifice meter runs; and (3) replace the existing metering 
facilities at the Dallas #2 Meter Station with a 6-inch turbine meter 
run and appurtenant facilities.
    The Project 1 facilities would provide Atlanta Gas Light Company 
(AGL) with about 100,000 Mcfd of firm transportation service. Southern 
indicates that the above-described modifications do not provide 
additional firm capacity to the meter stations serving the Atlanta 
area; however they do provide additional peak hour capability and 
enhanced operational flexibility to better serve AGL in the Atlanta 
area.

Project 2

     Construction of 7.8 miles of 20-inch-diameter South Main 
2nd Loop Line from MP 452.1 in Glascock County, Georgia to MP 459.9 in 
Jefferson County, Georgia.
     Construction of 3.1 miles of 20-inch-diameter South Main 
2nd Loop Line from Mps 417.1 to 420.2 located in Baldwin County, 
Georgia.
    The Project 2 facilities would provide an additional 28,000 Mcfd of 
service to South Carolina Pipeline Corporation (SCPL).

Project 3

     Construction of 7.1 miles of 30-inch-diameter South Main 
3rd Loop Line from MP 265.1 in Macon County, Alabama to MP 272.2 in Lee 
County, Alabama.
    The Project 3 facilities would provide an additional 8,000 Mcfd of 
service to SCPL's affiliate, SCANA Hydrocarbons Inc.
    Southern also proposes to abandon by sale to AGL about 122 miles of 
its 12-inch-diameter Brunswick Line, including six meter stations and 
one regulator station, more specifically described 
below. [[Page 32148]] 
     122 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline in Laurens, 
Wheeler, Jeff Davis, Appling, Wayne and Glynn Counties, Georgia. The 
Brunswick Line begins at MP 53.8 in Laurens County and extends to MP 
175.3 in Glynn County;
     Six meter stations: Eastman, Alamo, Hazelhurst, Baxley, 
Jesup, and Brunswick, which exist in the counties listed above; and
     The Belle Vista Regulator Station.
    Southern also seeks authorization to construct a meter station in 
order to provide a new delivery point to AGL at the existing Eastman 
Meter Station site near MP 53.8 in Laurens County, Georgia. All work 
proposed for the construction of the new meter station would be 
performed within the existing Eastman Meter Station site.
    The general location of the project facilities and specific 
locations for facilities on new sites are 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 a total of 
50.38 acres of land. Following construction, about 0.71 acre would be 
maintained as new right-of-way. The remaining 49.67 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 projects under these general 
headings:
     Geology and soils.
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands.
     Vegetation and wildlife.
     Endangered and threatened species.
     Land use.
     Cultural resources.
     Air quality and noise.
     Public safety.
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed 
projects or portions of the projects, 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 Southern. 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:
     7 residences are within 50 feet of the construction right-
of-way;
     13 federally listed or proposed threatened and endangered 
species may occur along the proposed project area;
     24 perennial waterbodies would be crossed by the proposed 
pipelines; and
     4.88 acres of wetlands would be affected by the proposed 
pipelines.

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 locations) 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 Nos. CP95-289-000 and CP95-292-000;
     Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Kari Schank, EA Project 
Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St., 
NE., Room 7312, Washington, DC 20426; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before July 21, 1995.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Ms. Schank 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) (see 
appendix 2).
    The date for filing of timely motions to intervene in this 
proceeding has passed. 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. Kari Schank, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-0116.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-14974 Filed 6-19-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M