[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 51 (Thursday, March 14, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10574-10575]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-6061]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP96-201-000]


Algonquin Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare 
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Middletown Lateral Project 
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

March 8, 1996.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the environmental impacts of the construction and operation of 
the facilities proposed in the Middletown Lateral Project.\1\ This EA 
will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to 
determine whether an environmental impact statement is required and 
whether or not to approve the project.

    \1\ Algonquin Gas Transmission Company's application was filed 
with the Commission under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act.
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Summary of the Proposed Project

    Algonquin Gas Transmission Company (Algonquin) wants Commission 
authorization to construct and operate natural gas pipeline and related 
facilities to deliver up to 82,500

[[Page 10575]]
million British thermal units of gas per day to The Connecticut Light 
and Power Company (CL&P). CL&P intends to use the gas as an alternate 
fuel for Unit Nos. 2 and 3 at its electric generating station in 
Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut (Middletown Plant). The 
Middletown Lateral would extend from Algonquin's existing mainline 
system in Glastonbury, Hartford County, Connecticut to the Middletown 
Plant.
    Algonquin seeks authority to construct and operate:
      8.4 miles of 20-inch-diameter pipeline;
      a meter station; and
      a tap valve site and appurtenant facilities.
    CL&P would construct nonjurisdictional facilities consisting of 
approximately 1,500 feet of piping, a regulator station, and burner 
conversion equipment. All of CL&P's facilities would be constructed 
within its plant site.
    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 
Commission's Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 
First 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 Reqirements for Construction

    The project would require about 72 acres of land of which 47.9 
acres would be new permanent right-of-way (ROW). The proposed pipeline 
would be built on or adjacent to existing electric transmission line or 
abandoned railroad ROWs for about 84 percent of its length. The 
construction ROW would typically be 75 feet wide consisting of a 50-
foot-wide permanent ROW and a 25-foot-wide temporary ROW. Following 
construction, the disturbed area would be restored and the 25 feet of 
temporary ROW would be allowed to revert to its former land use. The 
project would require horizontal directional drilling of the 
Connecticut River for about 2,100 feet.

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 taken into account 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
      land use
      cultural resources
      hazardous waste
      endangered and threatened species
      public safety
    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 officials 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 several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Algonquin. Keep in mind that 
this is a preliminary list:
     The Meshomasic State Forest would be crossed.
     Three streams would be crossed that are coldwater 
fisheries and support trout.
     Twenty-three wetlands would be crossed totalling about 
4,495 feet.
     Federally and state-listed threatened or endangered 
species may be affected.
     The project may impact cultural resources.
    The list of issues may be added to, subtracted from, or changed 
based on your comments and our analysis.
    Also, we have made a preliminary decision to not address the 
impacts of the nonjurisdictional facilities. We will briefly describe 
their location and status in the EA.

Public Participation

    You can made a difference by sending a letter with 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 routes), and measures to avoid or 
lessen environmental impact. The more specified 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 St., N.E., Washington, D.C. 
20426;
     Reference Docket No. CP96-201-000;
     Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. John Wisniewski, EA 
Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., 
N.E., PR-11.2, Washington, D.C. 20426; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, D.C. on or before April 15, 1996.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Mr. Wisniewski 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 preceeding 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 be become an intervenor you 
must file a Motion to Intervene according to Rule 214 of their 
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. John Wisniewski, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1073.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-6061 Filed 3-13-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M