[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] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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