[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 38 (Thursday, February 26, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9788-9790]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-4909]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP97-774-000]


CNG Transmission Corporation; Texas Eastern Transmission 
Corporation; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment 
for the Proposed Market Area Storage Project and Request for Comments 
on Environmental Issues

February 20, 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 Market Area Storage Project.\1\ This EA 
will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to 
determine whether

[[Page 9789]]

the project is in the public convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ CNG Transmission Corporation's and Texas Eastern 
Transmission Corporation'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

    CNG Transmission Corporation (CNG) and Texas Eastern Transmission 
Corporation (Texas Eastern) (together referred to as the Applicants) 
want to expand the capacity of the jointly-owned storage facilities to 
allow for the storage of an additional 10 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of 
natural gas at the Oakford Storage Field in Westmoreland County, 
Pennsylvania. Also, the proposed facilities would add about 200 million 
cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of injection capability and about 393 MMcf/
d of additional end-of-January withdrawal capability at the Oakford 
Storage Field. The Applicants seek authority to construct and operate 
these facilities in spring 1998:
     12,000 horsepower (hp) of additional electric motor-driven 
compression and related piping and appurtenant facilities at the 
existing Oakford Compressor Station in Westmoreland County, 
Pennsylvania;
     About 6 miles of new and replacement storage field well 
lines of various sizes and lengths;
     Various valves, piping, filter separators, buildings, and 
appurtenant facilities at the Oakford Compressor Station;
     A replacement dehydration system at the Oakford Compressor 
Station capable of processing an additional 400 MMcf/d; and
     325 feet of 10-inch-diameter suction line at the Lincoln 
Height Compressor Station in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania 
replacing an 8-inch-diameter pipeline and related aboveground 
facilities.
    A nonjurisdictional 138 kilovolt (kV) electric substation would be 
installed at the Oakford Compressor Station by Allegheny Power Company. 
The Substation would be constructed on a 0.75 acre site on compressor 
station property along the south side and outside of the existing fence 
line. It would consist of a 138 kV transformer, poles, breakers, and a 
30-foot-long access road all within the existing compressor station 
facility. About 2 miles of transmission lines would be constructed to 
the substation.
    CNG also seeks authority to increase the deliverability of its 
Greenlick Compressor Station in Potter County, Pennsylvania, from 912 
MMcf/d to 1,062 MMcf/d by modifying certain facilities and constructing 
and operating related facilities in spring 1999. These activities would 
include:
     Reworking 4 existing crossover heaters by adding a new 
electronic panel board, electronic ignition system, and heat 
turbulator;
     Installing 1 new vertical filter/separator;
     Reworking six 10-inch ANSI 1500# Ball Valves;
     Replacing two 10-inch ANSI 1500# Ball Valves;
     Removing and installing a new Regan Pump of the same size;
     Reworking nine-12-inch-diameter existing orifice runs; and
     Installing new beads in the existing towers.
    The location of the project facilities is 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, NE., Washington, DC 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 Requirement for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 110.4 
acres of land. Following construction, about 21 acres would be 
maintained as new aboveground facility sites (mostly within the 
existing compressor stations) and about 34.6 acres would be within 
pipeline rights-of-way. The remaining 54.8 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 taken 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 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 CNG and Texas Eastern. This 
preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and 
our analysis.
     The addition of 12,000 hp of compression may increase the 
noise level near the Oakford Compressor Station.
     A high-quality cold-water fishery, Beaver Run, would be 
crossed near milepost 0.65 on storage pipeline JP-302, about 2 miles 
upstream from the headwaters of Beaver Run Reservoir which is the main 
drinking water source for Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

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 or 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: David P. Boergers, 
Acting Secretary,

[[Page 9790]]

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE, Room 1A, 
Washington, DC 20426;
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the 
Environmental Review and Compliance Branch II, PR-11;
     Reference Docket No. CP97-774-000; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before March 23, 1998.
    If you do not want to send comments at this time but still want to 
remain on our mailing list, please return the Information Request 
(appendix 3). If you do not return the Information Request, you will be 
taken off the mailing list.
    If you are interested in obtaining procedural information please 
write to the Secretary of the Commission.

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.
    Your do not need intervenor status to have your comments 
considered.
David P. Boergers,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-4909 Filed 2-25-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M