[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 129 (Monday, July 7, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36277-36278]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-17544]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP97-331-000]


Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Cherokee Expansion 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

June 30, 1997.
    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 Cherokee Expansion Project.\1\ This EA 
will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to 
determine whether the project is in the public convenience and 
necessity.
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    \1\ Transco'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

    Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation (Transco) wants to 
expand the capacity of its facilities in Alabama and Georgia to provide 
87,070 dekatherms per day of additional firm transportational capacity 
to growing markets in the southeast for two existing customers, a local 
distribution company and a municipal gas distribution system. Transco 
seeks authority to:
     Construct about 11.2 miles of 48-inch-diameter pipeline 
loop from milepost (MP) 826.3 to MP 837.5 in Marengo County, Alabama;
     Uprate the 16-inch-diameter Georgia Extension in Walton 
and Gwinnett Counties, Georgia from a maximum allowable operating 
pressure (MAOP) of 780 pounds per square inch (psi) to a MAOP of 960 
psi. The uprating would include:
    a. Replacement of 3.7 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline with 3.7 
miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline in five sections;
    b. Expansion and/or uprating of four meter and regulator (M&R) 
stations;
    c. Hydrostatic testing of 26.7 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline; 
and
    d. Abandonment in place of about 0.1 mile of 16-inch-diameter 
pipeline.
     Construct a new 15,000 horsepower (hp) compressor station 
(Compressor Station 115), in Coweta County, Georgia;
     Install an additional 8,000 hp of compression at 
Compressor Station 125 in Walton County, Georgia; and
     Rewheel existing compressor units at Compressor Station 
100 in Chilton County, Alabama and Compressor Station 120 in Henry 
County, Georgia and install additional gas cooling capacity at 
Compressor Station 110 in Randolph County, Alabama.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
1.\2\ If you are interested in obtaining detailed maps of a specific 
portion of the project, or procedural information, please write to the 
Secretary of the Commission.
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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 Transco's proposed pipeline facilities in Alabama 
would affect about 156.8 acres, of which 32.0 acres would be within 
existing, cleared right-of-way. Following construction, about 34.8 
acres would be maintained as new permanent right-of-way. The remaining 
122.0 acres of land would be restored and allowed to revert to its 
former use.
    Replacement of the pipeline facilities in Georgia would affect 
about 38.4 acres, of which 29.0 acres would be within existing cleared 
right-of-way. The replacement pipeline would be installed in the same 
location as the existing 16-inch-diameter pipeline after it is removed 
and would not require any new permanent right-of-way.
    Construction of Compressor Station 115 would require about 30.0 
acres of which 25.5 acres would be maintained during operation of the 
compressor station. Construction at Compressor Station 125 would affect 
about 1.7 acres of which about 1.0 acre would be maintained with the 
existing compressor station area during operation. The installation of 
the additional cooling capacity at Compressor Station 110 would require 
about 1.0 acre of land of which less than 0.1 acre would be affected by 
operation. The work that would occur at Compressor Stations 100 and 120 
would take place within the existing compressor station buildings and 
would not require additional land.
    Modification of the M&R stations would affect a total of about 0.6 
acre of land during construction. However, no increases in the size of 
the existing fenced areas would occur.

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

[[Page 36278]]

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 make 
our recommendations to the Commission.

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 Transco. This preliminary 
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     Seven perennial waterbodies would be crossed by the 
Alabama portion of the project.
     About 2.5 miles of wetlands in Alabama and Georgia would 
be disturbed.
     Construction may affect water wells, structures, and other 
utilities.
     About 61.2 acres of forest would be cleared.
     About 36 residences would be within 50 feet of the 
proposed construction work area.
     Additional compression would be constructed at Compressor 
Station 125 in Walton County, Georgia.

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 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:
     Send two copies of your letter to: Lois Cashell, 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE., 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
     Reference Docket No. CP97-331-000; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before July 30, 1997.

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).
    You do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-17544 Filed 7-3-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M