[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 204 (Monday, October 21, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54639-54640]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-26864]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP96-696-000]


East Tennessee Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare 
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed ETNG 1997 Open Season 
Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

October 15, 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 ETNG 1997 Open Season 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\ East Tennessee 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

    East Tennessee Natural Gas Company (ETNG) wants to expand the 
capacity of its facilities in Tennessee to transport an additional 
31,902 Dekatherms per day to various shippers along its system. ETNG's 
facilities would be constructed in Tennessee and would consist of:
     About 2.52 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline loop in 
Sullivan County, commencing at the discharge side of Compressor Station 
No. 3309 at milepost (MP) 3308-1+17.18 and ending at MP 3308-1+19.70;
     About 2.00 miles of 20-inch-diameter pipeline loop in 
Bedford County, commencing at MP 3207-2+3.25 and ending at MP 3207-
2+5.25;
     About 1.54 miles of 20-inch-diameter pipeline loop in 
Franklin County, commencing at the discharge side of Compressor Station 
No. 3209 at MP 3209-1+0.00 and ending at MP 3209-1+1.54;
     A new meter station in Franklin County, at MP 3209-1+6.28;
     A new meter station in Marion County, at MP 3211-1+0.001;
     Four new valve stations in Bedford, Franklin, and Sullivan 
Counties, as appurtenances to the loop segments;
     Three modified valve stations in Franklin and Sullivan 
Counties, as appurtenances to the loop segments;
     A 360-horsepower (hp) uprate of existing compressor units 
at ETNG's Compressor Station No. 3107 in Putnam County, Tennessee;
     A 650-hp uprate of existing compressor units at ENTG's 
Compressor Station No. 3201 in Perry County, Tennessee;
     A 340-hp uprate of existing compressor units at ETNG's 
Compressor Station No. 3206 in Marshall County, Tennessee;
     A 230-hp uprate of existing compressor units at ETNG's 
Compressor Station No. 3209 in Franklin County, Tennessee; and
     A 240-hp uprate of existing compressor units at ETNG's 
Compressor Station No. 3217 in Monroe County, Tennessee.
    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 138.8 
acres of land. Following construction, about 45.4 acres of existing 
right-of-way (ROW) would continue to be maintained as permanent ROW. An 
additional 0.4 acre of new ROW would be maintained for new aboveground 
facility sites. The remaining 93 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.
     Endangered and threatened species.
     Public Safety.
     Land use.
     Cultural resources.
     Air quality and noise.
     Hazardous waste.
    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 ETNG.
    This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your 
comments and our analysis.
     Two federally listed endangered or threatened species may 
occur in the proposed project area.
     Two cultural resource sites that may be eligible for 
inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places may be affected 
by the project.
     One wetland (palustrine broad-leaved deciduous forest) and 
three small perennial streams would be affected.
     There are 31 residences located within 50 feet of the Loop 
3309 construction ROW.

[[Page 54640]]

     There may be additional noise impact on nearby noise-
sensitive areas from the uprate in compression at the five compressor 
stations.

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 proposal, 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 instruction 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., NE., Washington, DC 20426;
     Reference Docket No. CP96-696-000;
     Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Rafael Montag, EA 
Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., 
NE., [PR-11.1], Washington, DC 20426; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before November 14, 1996.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Mr. Montag 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 
Mr. Rafael Montag, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-0985.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-26864 Filed 10-18-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M