[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 142 (Tuesday, July 23, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38194-38195]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-18569]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket Nos. CP96-52-000; CP96-134-000]


Pine Needle LNG Company, LLC and Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line 
Corporation; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for 
the Proposed Pine Needle LNG Project

July 17, 1996.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) on the 
liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and storage project proposed in 
the above-referenced dockets.
    The EA was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act. The staff concludes that approval of the 
proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures, would not 
constitute a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality 
of the human environment.
    The EA assesses the potential environmental affects of the 
construction and operation of Pine Needle LNG Company, LLC's (Pine 
Needle) proposed LNG plant and related facilities in Stokesdale, North 
Carolina, including:
     Two double-wall, suspended-deck LNG storage tanks, each 
with a gas-equivalent capacity of 2 billion cubic feet;
     A pretreatment and liquefaction system with the capacity 
of 20 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd);
     A boiloff recompression system;
     A vaporization and sendout system with the capacity of 400 
MMcfd;
     About 1.0 mile of 10-inch-diameter inlet pipeline;
     About 1.0 mile of 24-inch-diameter outlet pipeline; and
     An earthen dam and firewater pond.
    Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation proposes to construct 
and operate five taps on its mainline natural gas transmission system 
to connect with Pine Needle's inlet and outlet pipelines.
    The purpose of the project is to provide winter peak heating 
service to Pine Needle's subscribers in the rapidly developing North 
Carolina region by the 1999-2000 winter heating season.
    The EA has been placed in the public files of the FERC. A limited 
number of

[[Page 38195]]

copies of the EA are available for distribution and public inspection 
at: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference and Files 
Maintenance Branch, 888 First Street, NE., Room 1C-1, Washington, DC 
20426, (202) 208-1371.
    Copies of the EA have been mailed to Federal, state, and local 
agencies; public interest groups; interested individuals; affected 
landowners; local libraries, newspapers, and radio stations; and other 
parties to this proceeding.
    Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. Written comments 
must reference Docket No. CP96-52-000, and be addressed to: Office of 
the Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, 
NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    Comments should be filed as soon as possible, but must be received 
no later than August 19, 1996 to ensure consideration prior to a 
Commission decision on this proposal. A copy of any comments should 
also be sent to Mr. Michael Boyle, Environmental Project Manager, Room 
72-59, at the above address.
    Comments will be considered by the Commission but will not serve to 
make the commentor a party to the proceeding. Any person seeking to 
become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene 
pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedures (18 CFR 385.214).
    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 comments considered.
    Additional information about this project is available from Mr. 
Michael Boyle, Environmental Project Manager at (202) 208--0839.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-18569 Filed 7-22-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M