[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 162 (Tuesday, August 22, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43592-43593]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-20710]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-505-000]


Southern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed North Main Line System 
Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

August 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 
the facilities proposed in the North Main Line System Expansion 
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\ Southern Natural Gas 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

    Southern Natural Gas Company (Southern) proposes to construct, 
install, modify, and operate compressor stations, meter stations, and 
related appurtenant facilities. Specifically, Southern requests 
Commission authorization to:
     Construct a new 5,680-horsepower (hp) East Tuscaloosa 
Compressor Station at milepost 286.24 of the North Main Line at the 
border of Tuscaloosa and Jefferson Counties, Alabama;
     Add a 1,452-hp turbine compressor to the existing Pell 
City Compressor Station at milepost 352.478 of the North Main Line in 
St. Clair County, Alabama;
     Uprate an existing turbine compressor from 1,080 hp to 
1,200 hp at the existing DeArmanville Compressor Station at milepost 
380.629 of the North Main Line in Calhoun County, Alabama;
     Add compressor unloaders to two engine units at the 
existing Tarrant Compressor Station at milepost 321.947 of the North 
Main in Jefferson County, Alabama;
     Increase operating pressure at the (1) Dora Meter Station 
at milepost 11.281 of the Cordova Branch Line in Walker County, 
Alabama, and (2) Gadsden Branch Line in St. Clair County, Alabama; and
     Install overpressure protection at the existing:
    1. Ashville Meter Station at milepost 16.2 of the Gadsden Branch 
Line in St. Clair County, Alabama;
    2. Boaz No. 2 Meter Station at milepost 25.12 of the Gadsden Branch 
Line in Etowah County, Alabama;
    3. Gadsden No. 5 Meter Station at milepost 25.12 of the Gadsden 
Branch Line in Etowah County, Alabama;
    4. Marshall No. 1 Meter Station at milepost 27.42 of the Gadsden 
Branch Line in Etowah Country, Alabama;
    5. Gadsden No. 4 Meter Station at milepost 31.292 of the Gadsden 
Branch Line in Etowah County, Alabama; and
    6. Gadsden No. 1 Meter Station at milepost 33.309 of the Gadsden 
Branch Line in Etowah County, Alabama.
    7. Ragland Branch Line Tie-in at milepost 9.233 and Siberton Tap 
Line Tie-in at milepost 27.318 of the Gadsden Branch Line in St. Clair 
and Etowah Counties, Alabama.
    The general location of the project facilities and specific 
locations for facilities 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, NE., Washington, DC 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

    Southern indicates that 65 to 70 acres of additional and would be 
required for the new compressor station. All other construction 
activities would occur within the existing rights-of-way and existing 
compressor stations and would not require additional land.

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 
proposed abandonment under these general headings:
     Soils.
     Cultural resources.
     Water resources and wetlands.
     Public safety.
     Air and noise quality.
     Endangered and threatened species.
     Vegetation.
    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 

[[Page 43593]]
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

    We have already identified one issue that we think deserves 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Southern:
    The proposed compressor station and additional compression proposed 
at the existing compressor stations may increase ambient noise levels.
    Keep in mind that this is a preliminary issue. Issues may be added, 
subtracted, or changed based on your comments and our analysis.

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 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 Capital St., NE., Washington, 
DC 20426;
     Reference Docket No. CP95-505-000;
     Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Herman K. Der, 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 September 15, 1995.

If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one from 
Mr. Herman K. Der 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 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. Herman K. Der, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-0896.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-20710 Filed 8-21-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M