[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 240 (Thursday, December 12, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65383-65385]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-31520]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket Nos. CP96-492-000, CP96-492-002, and CP96-606-000]


CNG Transmission Corporation, Texas Eastern Transmission 
Corporation; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment 
for the Proposed Seasonal Service Expansion Project and Request for 
Comments on Environmental Issues

December 6, 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 Seasonal Service Expansion Project.\1\ 
The total project involves the construction of about 43.6 miles of 
pipeline, five salt caverns, four brine injection wells, one new 
compressor station, and additional facilities at an existing compressor 
station; use of five existing caverns at a storage facility; and 
hydrostatic testing of existing pipeline for operation at higher 
pressure. The facilities would be in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New 
York, Maryland, and Virginia. (See appendix 1 for location maps of the 
proposed facilities.)\2\ 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\ CNG Transmission Corporation's and Texas Eastern 
Transmission Corporation's applications were filed with the 
Commission under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of 
the Commission's regulations.
    \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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Summary of the Proposed Projects

    CNG Transmission Corporation (CNG) in Docket No. CP96-492-000 
(``SSE Project'') and Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation (Texas 
Eastern) in Docket No. CP96-606-000 (``Winternet Project'') (together 
these projects are referred to as the ``Seasonal Service Expansion 
Project'') want to expand the capacity of their facilities.\3\
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    \3\ CNG filed a related application in Docket No. CP96-493-000. 
The staff will prepare a separate environmental assessment for that 
project.
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    For the SSE Project, CNG proposes facilities to provide 103,000 
dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of transmission service and 9.3 billion 
cubic feet (Bcf) of storage capacity for various customers. CNG seeks 
authority to:

[[Page 65384]]

     construct about 15.1 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline in 
Wetzel County, West Virginia (Line TL-492 Extensions 1 and 2);
     construct a 4,000 horsepower (hp) addition to the existing 
Chambersburg Compressor Station in Franklin County, Pennsylvania;
     conduct hydrostatic testing of five segments of the 
existing 30-inch-diameter Line PL-1 in Loudoun County, Virginia; 
Frederick and Washington Counties, Maryland; and Franklin County, 
Pennsylvania, and to increase the maximum allowable operating pressure 
of those pipeline segments to 1,250 pounds per square inch gauge 
(psig);
     construct a new compressor station (Bath Compressor 
Station) with three 3,200 hp compressors in Steuben County, New York;
     construct metering and regulating facilities at the Bath 
Compressor Station;
     construct about 20.4 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline in 
Steuben County, New York, connecting CNG's Woodhull Compressor Station 
to the Bath Compressor Station (Line TL-504);
     lease from Texas Eastern 64,000 Dth/d of transmission 
capacity on the CRP Line in Pennsylvania from November 1, 1997, through 
October 31, 1999; and
     lease, operate, convert, and develop (over a period of 
four years) salt cavern storage facilities near the Town of Bath, New 
York, at the Bath Petroleum Storage Inc. (Bath Petroleum) storage 
facility including:

--conversion of five existing liquid hydrocarbon storage caverns to gas 
storage caverns (well numbers 1, 3, 5, 6, and 7);
--development of five gas storage caverns (well numbers 9, 10, 11, 12, 
and 14);
--drilling or four brine disposal wells (wells 1BD, 2BD, 3BD, and 4BD) 
and use of an existing brine disposal well (well 8BD); and
--construction of various lengths of 16-, 12-, and 8-inch-diameter 
pipeline to connect the 10 storage wells to the Bath Compressor 
Station.

    Bath Petroleum, acting as a contractor for CNG, would convert the 
caverns to gas storage and construct the additional salt caverns and 
pipelines within its existing storage facility.
    For the Winternet Project, Texas Eastern proposes to lease to CNG 
64,000 Dth/d of transmission capacity on the CRP Line (jointly-owned by 
Texas Eastern and CNG) in Pennsylvania from November 1, 1997, through 
October 31, 1999. After October 31, 1999, this capacity would be 
committed to Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation pursuant to a 
pending application in Docket No. CP96-559-000. In order to provide CNG 
with continued transmission capacity after October 31, 1999, Texas 
Eastern proposes to construct additional capacity in 1999 on the CRP 
Line including:
     4.96 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline on the discharge 
of the Uniontown Compressor Station from mileposts (MPs) 1071.64 to 
1076.60 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, replacing 24-inch-diameter 
idled pipeline;
     3.13 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline on the discharge 
of the Bedford Compressor Station from MPs 1123.73 to 1126.86 in Fulton 
County, Pennsylvania, replacing 24-inch-diameter idled pipeline; and
     the following aboveground facilities:

--mainline, crossover, and blowoff piping and valving;
--pressure regulating devices;
--pig launchers and receivers; and
--associated pipeline and valves for operating and maintenance 
purposes.

Land Requirements for Construction

    The following table summarizes the acres of land required for the 
projects by docket.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Disturbed areas               CP96-492-000    CP96-606-000 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Temporary Work Space....................             246              79
Permanent Right-of-way..................             194              60
New Aboveground Facilities..............              44               0
                                         -------------------------------
    Total (by project)..................             484             139
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    Construction of all facilities proposed by CNG and Texas Eastern 
would require about 623 acres of land. Following construction, about 
254 acres would be maintained as new permanent right-of-way and about 
44 acres as new aboveground facility sites. The remaining 325 acres of 
land would be restored and allowed to revert to its former use.
    Additional temporary work spaces may be required at road, stream, 
and wetland crossings. Access to most of the project would be along 
existing roads that may require widening and/or grading. A few new 
access roads may be constructed.

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

[[Page 65385]]

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 CNG and Texas Eastern.
    This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your 
comments and our analysis.
     About 8 acres of prime farmland would be taken permanently 
out of agricultural production by the expansion at the Chambersburg 
Compressor Station.
     Hydrostatic testing of the Myersville segment, Frederick 
County, Maryland, is within the South Mountain State Park.
     Federally listed endangered or threatened species may 
occur in the proposed project area.
     The crossing of the Canisteo River requires a Section 401 
permit and a site specific crossing plan.
     Increase in noise and emissions would occur due to the 
construction of the Bath Compressor Station and the expansion of the 
Chambersburg Compressor Station.
     A total of 39 wetlands would be crossed.
     A total of 41 streams (18 perennial and 23 intermittent) 
would be crossed. Four of the perennial streams in West Virginia are 
classified as high quality streams. Six perennial streams in 
Pennsylvania and six in New York are classified as cold water 
fisheries.
     The use of the Bath Petroleum storage facility would 
involve:

--conversion of existing liquid petroleum products storage caverns to 
natural gas storage;
--development by solution mining (leaching) of new storage caverns;
--drilling and use of brine disposal wells;
--withdrawal of groundwater to use in the leaching process;
--disposal of brine and solid wastes created by the leaching process; 
and
--long-term operation issues involved in using salt caverns.

Public Participation

    Your 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.E., Washington, DC 
20426;
     Reference Docket Nos. CP96-492-000, CP96-492-002, and 
CP96-606-000;
     Also, send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Jennifer Goggin, 
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 January 6, 1997.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Ms. Goggin at the above address by using the form attached as 
Appendix 3.

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).
    Your do not need intervenor status to have your scoping comments 
considered.
    Additional procedural information about the proposed project is 
available from Ms. Jennifer Goggin, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-
2226.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-31520 Filed 12-11-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M