[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 163 (Wednesday, August 23, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43788-43789]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-20838]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-540-000]


South Georgia Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent to Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed South Georgia Expansion 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

August 17, 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 South Georgia Expansion Project.\1\ This 
EA will be 

[[Page 43789]]
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\ South Georgia 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

    South Georgia Natural Gas Company (South Georgia) wants to expand 
the capacity of its facilities in Alabama and Georgia to transport an 
additional 6,000 thousand cubic feet per day of natural gas to Procter 
& Gamble Paper Products Company (Procter & Gamble) to meet the gas 
requirements resulting from an expansion of Procter & Gamble's Albany 
plant. South Georgia requests Commission authorization, in Docket No. 
CP95-540-000, to construct and operate 7.1 miles of 16-inch-diameter 
pipeline loop on its existing system from about milepost (MP) 27.9 in 
Russell County, Alabama to MP 34.9 in Stewart County, Georgia. See 
appendix 1 for a map of the proposed facilities.\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 Capital 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 26.9 
acres of land. Following construction, about 15.2 acres would be 
maintained as new right-of-way. The remaining 11.7 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
     endangered and threatened species
     public safety
     land use
     cultural resources
     air quality and noise
     hazardous waste
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed project 
or portions of the project, and made 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 of 
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 deserves 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provide by South Georgia. 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 pipeline would cross the Chattahoochee River 
and would require a temporary work space area of 150 feet by 100 feet.
     Eleven wetlands would be crossed by the proposed project.
     Ten federally or proposed listed endangered or threatened 
species may occur in the proposed project area.
     A total of 23.7 acres of forest land would convert to 
permanent pipeline right-of-way.

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 locations/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. CP95-540-000;
     Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Alisa Lykens, 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 September 22, 1995.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Ms. Lykens 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 if 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 
Ms. Alisa Lykens, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-0766.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-20838 Filed 8-22-95; 8:45 am]
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