[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 6 (Friday, January 9, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1451-1452]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-521]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission


East Tennessee Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent to Prepare 
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Virginia Expansion Project 
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

January 5, 1998.
    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 Virginia Expansion Project.\1\ This EA 
will be

[[Page 1452]]

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\ 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 (East Tennessee) proposes to 
expand the capacity of its facilities in Tennessee and Virginia to 
transport an additional 10,300 dekatherms (Dth) per day of natural gas 
to Roanoke Gas Company. Specifically, East Tennessee seeks authority 
to:
     Construct about 9.95 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline in 
Washington, Smyth and Wythe Counties, Virginia;
     Hydrostatically test piping at three compressor stations 
in Robertson, Trousdale, and Putnam Counties, Tennessee, 10.88 miles of 
22-inch-diameter pipeline in Smith and Overton Counties, Tennessee, and 
20.95 miles of 8-inch diameter pipeline in Washington County, Virginia; 
and
     Construct 20 feet of 22-inch-diameter pipeline at six 
manifold locations for tie-ins in Smith and Overton Counties, 
Tennessee, and Washington County, Virginia.
    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 
Commision'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 153.3 
acres of land. Following construction, about 60.3 acres would be 
maintained as new permanent right-of-way. The remaining 93.0 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 impact 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 constituent 
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
     endangered and threatened species
     vegetation and wildlife
     land use
     cultural resources
     air quality and noise
     public safety
    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 Commissions' 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 make 
our recommendations to the Commission.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified one issue that we think deserves 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by East Tennessee. This 
preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and 
our analysis.
     Four residences are located within 50 feet of the proposed 
construction right-of-way

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 carefully follow these instructions to 
ensure that your comments are received in time and properly recorded:
     Send two copies of your letter to: Secretary, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., N.E., Room 1A, Washington, 
DC 20426;
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the 
Environmental Review and Compliance Branch, PR-11.1
     Reference Docket No. CP98-40-000; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before February 11, 1998.

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 comments 
considered.
David P. Boergers,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-521 Filed 1-8-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M