[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 14 (Monday, January 22, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1569-1570]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-656]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP96-97-000]


Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Hockessin Expansion Project 
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

January 16, 1996.
    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 Hockessin 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\ Eastern Shore 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

    Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company (ESNG) seeks to:
    (1) Provide additional firm contract demand sales and storage 
service to several of its existing customers;
    (2) Abandon firm sales service to one of its existing customers; 
and
    (3) Construct and operate certain new pipeline and compressor 
facilities required to stabilize capacity on its system and to provide 
the additional firm sales and storage service.
    ESNG indicates that the proposed project (1) would stabilize system 
capacity and integrity of declining inlet gas pressure at the Hockessin 
meter and regulating station, and (2) enable ESNG to provide 4,796 Mcf 
of additional firm daily capacity on ESNG's system.
    ESNG seeks authority to:
     construct and operate a 2,170-horsepower (hp) Delaware 
City Compressor Station (C.S.), with a 1,085-hp back-up unit, in New 
Castle County, Delaware;
     construct and operate 0.89 mile of 16-inch-diameter 
pipeline in New Castle County, Delaware to tie the suction side of the 
proposed Delaware C.S. into the Hockessin Line;
     uprate the maximum allowable operating pressure from 500 
pounds per square inch gauge (psig) to 590 psig on 28.7 miles of the 
Salisbury Lateral from the outlet of ESNG's existing Bridgeville C.S. 
in Sussex County, Delaware to the Citizens Meter and Regulatory Station 
in Salisbury, Wicomico County, Maryland; and
     abandon 100 Mcfd of firm sales service to Playtex Apparel, 
Inc., a direct sales customer.
    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 
Delaware's Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First 
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 for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 4.8 
acres of land for the proposed pipeline and about 2.7 acres for the new 
compressor station. About 0.9 acre would be fenced around the 
compressor station facilities.

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 

[[Page 1570]]
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:
     Land use.
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands.
     Air quality and noise.
     Cultural resources.
     Public safety.
     Endangered and threatened species.
    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 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 one issue that we think deserves 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Transwestern:
    The proposed compressor station 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 (including alternative locations or 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, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 
20426;
     Reference Docket No. CP96-97-000;
     Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Herman K. Der, EA 
Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street 
NE., PR-11.1, Washington, DC 20426; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before February 20, 1996.
    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).
    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. 96-656 Filed 1-19-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M