[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 136 (Monday, July 15, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36872-36873]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-17839]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP96-541-000]


Southern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Zone III Expansion Project 
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

July 9, 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 Zone III 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.
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    \1\ Southern 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

    Southern Natural Gas Company (Southern) wants to expand the 
capacity of its facilities in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi to 
transport an additional 45,880 cubic feet per day of natural gas to 
nine companies and two municipalities. Southern seeks authority to 
construct and operate:
     4.6 miles of 30-inch-diameter loop in Crawford and Monroe 
Counties, Georgia;
     5.1 miles of 16-inch-diameter loop in Jones and Twiggs 
Counties, Georgia;
     5.9 miles of 30-inch-diameter loop in Lee County, Alabama;
     7.3 miles of 24-inch-diameter loop in Pickens and 
Tuscaloosa Counties, Alabama; and
     4.6 miles of 30-inch-diameter loop in Walthall, Lawrence, 
and Marion Counties, Mississippi.
    Southern has also proposed to upgrade four turbine compressor 
engines which are located within the Selma Compressor Station in Dallas 
County, Alabama and the Bay Springs Compressor Station in Jasper 
County, Mississippi.
    In addition, Southern would place an existing 104.6 mile 20-inch-
diameter pipeline back in service. The Wrens-Savannah Pipeline is in 
Jefferson, Burke, Jenkins, Screven, Effingham, and Chantham Counties, 
Georgia.
    The general location of the project facilities and specific 
locations for facilities on new sites are shown in appendix 1.\2\
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    \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 Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 83.38 
acres of land. Following construction, about 19.52 acres would be 
maintained as new right-of-way. The remaining 63.86 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.
     Land use.
     Cultural resources.
     Air quality and noise.
     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 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 several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Southern. This preliminary 
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     Two federally listed endangered species may occur in the 
proposed project area.
     Three residences are located within 50 feet of the 
proposed construction 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 proposals, alternatives to 
the proposal including alternative 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 St., N.E., Washington, DC 
20426.
     Reference Docket No. CP96-541-000.
     Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Amy Olson, EA Project 
Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., N.E., PR-
11.1, Washington, DC 20426; and

[[Page 36873]]

     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before August 19, 1996.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Ms. Olson 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).
    The date for filing 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. Amy Olson, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1199.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-17839 Filed 7-12-96; 8:45 am]
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