[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 62 (Wednesday, April 1, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15838-15839]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-8510]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP96-153-004]
Southern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Amended North Alabama
Pipeline Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
March 27, 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
about 27.1 miles of 16- and 12-inch-diameter pipeline and two meter
stations proposed in the Amended North Alabama Pipeline Project.\1\
This notice constitutes a scoping process and the comments received in
response to this notice will be used to identify significant
environmental issues including whether there is a need to prepare a
supplemental environmental impact statement (supplemental EIS). The EA
(or supplemental EIS) 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\Southern 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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If you are a landowner whose property will be crossed by the
proposed project, you may be contacted by a pipeline company
representative about the acquisition of an easement to construct,
operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. The pipeline company may
seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement relative to land use
and access. However, if the project is approved by the Commission, the
pipeline has the right to use eminent domain. Therefore, if
negotiations fail to produce an agreement between the pipeline company
and landowner, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation
proceedings in accordance with state law. A fact sheet addressing a
number of typically asked questions, including the use of eminent
domain, is attached to this notice as appendix 1.
Background
On May 30, 1997, the Commission issued a certificate in Docket Nos.
CP96-153-000 and CP96-153-002 authorizing Southern Natural Gas Company
(Southern) to construct about 109.5 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline,
8.5 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline, two compressor units (4,700
horsepower (HP) and 1,600 HP), and three meter stations subject to the
conditions in the Order. The certificated route included a crossing of
the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (Wheeler NWR) along the Triana
Variation subject to the approval of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(FWS). After the issuance of the certificate, the FWS determined that
this route is not consistent with the FWS policy of issuing rights-of-
way only within existing corridors. On February 4, 1998, Southern filed
an application with the Commission to change the northern end of the
certificated route. The proposed amended 27.1-mile-long route follows
existing corridors including Interstate 65 across the Wheeler NWR in
the vicinity of the Tennessee River, a powerline right-of-way north of
the river, and other rights-of-way.
The EA will only cover the amended route of the pipeline from
milepost (MP) 95.25 adjacent to Interstate 67 (about MP 91.2 on the
previously certificated route) to the new Huntsville Meter Station,
including the Decatur Lateral and Decatur Meter Station. There is no
change in the facilities south of MP 95.25 and they will not be
reexamined in the EA.
Summary of the Proposed Project
Southern proposes to modify the certificated route of the North
Alabama Pipeline in Alabama. Southern still proposes to deliver a total
of 69,000 cubic feet per day of natural gas at the Decatur and
Huntsville Meter Stations for Decatur Utilities, Huntsville Utilities
Gas System, and Marshall County Gas District. The facilities that will
be studied in the EA include:
about 26.9 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline in Morgan,
Limestone, and Madison Counties, Alabama;
about 0.2 mile of 12-inch-diameter pipeline in Morgan
County, Alabama;
the Decatur Meter Station in Morgan County, Alabama; and
The relocated Huntsville Meter Station in Madison County,
Alabama.
The detailed location of the facilities is shown in appendix 2.\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, 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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[[Page 15839]]
Land Requirements for Construction
Southern proposes to use a 70-foot-wide right-of-way in most areas;
but a 90-foot-wide right-of-way would be used in agricultural areas to
allow for topsoil segregation north of the Tennessee River. Southern
proposes to maintain a 30- to 50-foot-wide permanent easement.
Construction of the proposed facilities would use or disturb about
260 acres of land. Following construction, about 125 acres would be
maintained as permanent right-of-way for the pipelines and meter
stations. The remaining 135 acres of land that was used for temporary
construction right-of-way, extra work space, staging areas, and
warehouse/storage yards would be restored and allowed to revert to its
former use.
The Environmental 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 and
to determine if a supplemental EIS is required. By this Notice of
Intent, the Commission requests public comments on the scope of the
issues it will address in the EA and if you believe a supplemental EIS
is required the reasons for preparing one. All comments received are
considered. 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.
To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the
instructions in the public participation section on page 5 of this
notice.
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.
Land use.
Cultural resources.
Public safety.
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. The EA
will 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 of the
EA. We will consider all comments on the EA before we make our
recommendations to the Commission.
Currently Identified Environmental Issues
We have identified several issues that we think deserve attention
based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the
environmental information provided by Southern and interested parties.
Keep in mind that this is a preliminary list and it may be changed
based on your comments and our analysis:
The crossing of Wheeler NWR between MP 110.9 and MP 113.6
including the crossing of the Tennessee River.
Disturbance of about 15 acres of forested wetlands,
including the conversion of about 9 acres to scrub-shrub wetland.
The conversion of about 21 acres of upland forest to
herbaceous vegetation.
Potential impact to six residences within 50 feet of the
construction work area.
Alternatives.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission.
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
the instructions below to ensure that your comments are received in
time and properly recorded:
Reference Docket No. CP96-153-004;
Send two copies of your comments to: David P. Boergers,
Acting 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-11.2; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before April 27, 1998.
If you do not want to send comments at this time but still want to
remain on our mailing list, please return the form in appendix 3. If
you do not comment or return the attached form, you will be dropped
from the mailing list.
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the environmental scoping process,
you may want to become an official party to the proceeding known as an
``intervenor''. Intervenors play a more formal role in the process.
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 14 copies of its filings to the
Secretary of the Commission and must send a copy to all other parties
on the Commission's service list for this proceeding. 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 4). Only intervenors have the right to seek
rehearing of the Commission's decision. If you are an intervenor in the
original application (Docket No. CP96-153-000), you are automatically
an intervenor in the amended application. You do not need to refile.
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 environmental
comments considered. Additional information about the proposed project
is available from Mr. Paul McKee of the Commission's Office of External
Affairs at (202) 208-1088.
David P. Boergers,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-8510 Filed 3-31-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M