[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 23 (Friday, February 2, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3929-3930]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-2179]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP95-52-000]


Granite State Gas Transmission, Inc.; Notice of Availability of 
the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Granite State LNG 
Project

January 29, 1996.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has made available a Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(DEIS) on the construction and operation of the liquefied natural gas 
(LNG) storage facility, truck unloading stations, and permanent access 
road as proposed in the above-referenced docket.
    The staff prepared the DEIS to satisfy the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act. The staff concludes that approval of 
the proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures as 
recommended, including receipt of necessary permits and approvals, 
would have limited adverse environmental impact. The DEIS evaluates 
alternatives to the proposal, including system alternatives and 
alternative sites for the storage facility and the permanent access 
road.
    Granite State Gas Transmission, Inc. (Granite State), is seeking 
approval of a specific site in Wells, Maine to store LNG that would be 
transported by tanker trucks from Everett, Massachusetts. The LNG would 
be vaporized as needed and the natural gas delivered into Granite 
State's existing natural gas pipeline transportation system. The 
proposed action involves construction of:
     a 580,000-barrel LNG storage tank (equivalent to 2 billion 
cubic feet of natural gas);
     two truck unloading stations;
     two 67 million cubic feet per day vaporizers;
     a vapor handling system;
     a 12-inch-diameter sendout pipeline to deliver the natural 
gas to the existing Granite State pipeline; and
     a new 1.4-mile-long permanent access road to the storage 
facility site from State Route 9.
    In addition, Granite State proposes to upgrade and temporarily use 
an existing 1.1-mile-long dirt road for access into the storage 
facility site during the initial stages of construction. Construction 
of the project would take about 29 months with an average work force of 
approximately 45 workers for 26 of the 29 months.

Public Meeting Schedule

    A public meeting to receive comments on the DEIS will be held 
during the comment period. We will give the location and time for this 
meeting in a future notice.

Comment Procedures

    Written comments are welcome to help identify significant issues or 
concerns related to the proposed action. All comments on environmental 
issues should contain supporting documentation and rationale. The staff 
is specifically requesting comments regarding: 

[[Page 3930]]

     system alternatives (see section 3.2);
     alternative storage facility sites (see sections 3.3 and 
6.1); and
     alternative alignments for the permanent access road to 
the storage facility site (see sections 3.4 and 6.2).
    Written comments should be filed on or before March 18, 1996, must 
reference Docket No. CP95-52-000, and be addressed to: Lois Cashell, 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., 
Washington, DC 20426.
    A copy of the comments should also be sent to the FERC Project 
Manager identified below.
    After these comments are reviewed, any significant issues are 
investigated, and modifications are made to the FEIS, a Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) will then be published by the 
staff and distributed. The FEIS will contain the staff's responses to 
timely comments received on the DEIS.
    The DEIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC and is 
available for public inspection at:

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference and Files 
Maintenance Branch, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, (202) 
208-1371

    and

Town Manager's Office, Town Hall, Wells, ME 04090

    Copies of the DEIS have been mailed to Federal, state, and local 
agencies; public interest groups; public libraries; newspapers; 
individuals who have requested the DEIS; and other parties to this 
proceeding. Any person may file a motion to intervene on the basis of 
the Commission staff's DEIS [see 18 CFR 380.10(a) and 385.214].
    A limited number of copies of the DEIS are available from: Mr. 
Chris Zerby, Project Manager, Office of Pipeline Regulation, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 72-55, 
Washington, DC 20426, (202) 208-0111.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-2179 Filed 2-1-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M