[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 222 (Friday, November 15, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58543-58545]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-29275]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket Nos. CP96-213-000, CP96-213-001, CP96-559-000]


Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation; Texas Eastern Transmission 
Corporation; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment 
for the Proposed Market Expansion Project and Request for Comments on 
Environmental Issues

November 8, 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 by Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation 
(Columbia) and Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation (TETCO) in the 
Market

[[Page 58544]]

Expansion Project.\1\ In total, the Market Expansion Project involves 
about 99 miles of new, loop, and replacement pipeline, 2 new compressor 
stations totaling 18,500 hp, work at 15 existing compressor stations 
(including constructing, relocating, or uprating of 53,299 hp and 
abandoning 5,700 hp), 38 new storage field wells and well enhancement 
work at about 277 existing wells (divided among 14 existing storage 
fields), 2 new meter stations, and modifications at 12 existing meter 
stations.
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    \1\ Columbia's and TETCO's applications were filed with the 
Commission under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of 
the Commission's regulations.
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    The facilities are spread over the states of Virginia, West 
Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. 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.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Columbia wants to expand the capacity of its pipeline and storage 
systems in order to serve its customers' requests for new or increased 
firm services. In total, Columbia proposes to provide 506,795 
decatherms per day (Dth/d) of additional daily firm storage and 
transportation services to be phased over a 3-year period beginning in 
1997. Columbia seeks authority to:
     Construct 50 miles of new, loop, and replacement pipeline 
and uprate the MAOP of about 282 miles of pipeline.
     Construct, relocate, and/or uprate about 23,650 horsepower 
(hp) of compression at 11 existing compressor stations, construct 
18,500 total hp at two new compressor stations, raise the certificated 
hp level of five units at four existing compressor stations by 3,549 
hp, and abandon about 5,700 hp of compression.
     Increase the performance capability of 14 existing storage 
fields, including construction of 38 new storage wells, construction of 
about 23 miles of 4- to 24-inch-diameter storage field pipeline, 
abandonment of about 7 miles of 2- to 10-inch-diameter storage field 
pipeline, construction of 4,700 hp of compression at 1 existing storage 
field compressor station, and ``well enhancement'' work at about 277 
existing storage wells.
     Upgrade or replace facilities at 12 existing meter 
stations and construct 2 new meter stations.
    Also, in order to provide the proposed firm entitlements to its 
customers, Columbia proposes to lease 141,500 Dth/d of firm capacity 
from Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation (TETCO). In order to 
provide the required capacity, TETCO proposes to:
     Replace about 26 miles of idled 20- and 24-inch-diameter 
pipeline in 3 sections.
     Upgrade 2 existing compressor stations by a total of 8,000 
hp, and construct 13,400 hp of compression at 1 existing compressor 
station.
     Upgrade an existing interconnection with Columbia.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
1.\2\ Tables 1-A through D, also in appendix 1, list the pipeline, 
horsepower, meter station, or storage field activity occurring at each 
location shown on the maps. If you are interested in obtaining detailed 
maps of a specific portion of the project or what specific work is 
occurring at the various storage fields, contact Howard Wheeler at the 
address below.
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    \2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in theFederal 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 the 
disturbance of about 1,900 acres of land. Following construction, about 
500 acres would be maintained as new pipeline right-of-way, or new 
aboveground facility sites. The remaining 1,400 acres of land would be 
restored and allowed to revert to their former use or are already 
dedicated to use as pipeline right-of-way, or storage field 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 
these 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 approved or not approved 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 Columbia and TETCO. This 
preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and 
our analysis.
     The proposed work at Columbia's Crawford Storage Field in 
Ohio may potentially affect two Federally listed endangered species, 
the Indiana bat and the American burying beetle. The work proposed at 
Columbia's Line V-243, Line V-50, and Line L System uprate (all in 
Ohio) may also affect the Indiana bat.
     Columbia's proposed Line SM123 in West Virginia may 
potentially affect three Federal species of concern, the Butternut 
tree, Grays saxifrage, and the Cerulean warbler.
     Erosion and slope stability may be a problem along 
Columbia's proposed Line SM123 and Line KA, Flat Top Discharge Loop 
(both in West Virginia).
     There are a total of 15 high quality cold water fisheries 
and 6 high quality

[[Page 58545]]

warm water fisheries and 3 trout stocking fisheries crossed by the 
proposed facilities.
     Columbia plans to open cut the New River (a high quality 
warm water fishery) for a crossing width of 1,660 feet.
     A portion of Texas Eastern's Big-Inch and Little Big-Inch 
pipelines, which are eligible for inclusion in the National Register of 
Historic Places, will be affected by the project.
     145 historic and prehistoric archaeological sites, 79 
historic structures, 1 historic district and 3 cemeteries may be 
affected by the project.
     Two new compressor stations will be constructed, one in 
Shenandoah County, Virginia and one in Lincoln County, West Virginia.

Public Participation

    We have mailed this notice to individuals whose property is 
affected by construction proposed in the project, to Federal, state, 
and local governments, soil conservation districts, environmental 
agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service, various local environmental groups, and libraries 
and newspapers in the project area.\3\
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    \3\ Certain individuals whose property would be affected by the 
well enhancement work at some of the 277 existing wells have not 
been notified. Only those wells where well enhancement work is 
planned for 1997 are known by Columbia at this time. The individual 
wells where well enhancement work will be planned for 1998 and 1999 
are not known at this time and therefore, those individuals have not 
been notified.
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    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 locations/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.W., Washington, DC 
20426;
     Reference Docket Nos. CP96-213-000, CP96-213-001, and 
CP96-559-000;
     Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Howard Wheeler, EA 
Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., 
N.E., PR-11.2, Washington, DC, 20426; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before December 9, 1996.
    If you do not want to sent comments at this time but sill want to 
receive a copy of the EA, please return the Information Request 
(appendix 2). If you do not return the Information Request you will be 
taken off the mailing list.

Become 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 3).
    You do not need intervenor status to have your scoping comments 
considered.
    Additional information about the proposed project, including more 
detailed maps of specific areas, is available from Mr. Howard Wheeler, 
EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-2299.
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-29275 Filed 11-14-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M