[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 50 (Tuesday, March 14, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13745-13747]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-6177]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP00-59-001]


Petal Gas Storage, L.L.C.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Amended Petal Project and Request for 
Comments on Environmental Issues

March 8, 2000.
    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 amended Petal Project in 
Forrest County Mississippi. On February 24, 2000, Petal Gas Storage, 
L.L.C. (Petal) amended its application under Section 7 of the Natural 
Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission's regulations to request 
authorization to construct and operate about 5.5 miles of pipeline and 
20,000 horsepower (hp) of compression.\1\ The EA will be used by

[[Page 13746]]

the Commission in its decision-making process to determine whether the 
projects is in the public convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ The original application was filed with the Commission on 
December 28, 1999, by Petal Gas Storage Company (which converted to 
Petal Gas Storage, L.L.C. on January 4, 2000) requesting 
authorization to construct and operate about 64.2 miles of pipeline 
and 35,590 ph of compression. Petal's amended application withdraws 
58.7 miles pipeline and 15,000 hp of compression, and other related 
facilities.
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    If you are a landowner on Petal's proposed route and receive this 
notice, 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 would seek to negotiate a 
mutually acceptable agreement. However, if the project is approved by 
the Commission, that conveys with it the right of eminent domain. 
Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the 
pipeline company could initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance 
with state law.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need to Know?'' was attached to the 
project notice Petal provided to landowners. This fact sheet addresses 
a number of typically asked questions, including the use of eminent 
domain and how to participate in the Commission's proceedings. It is 
available for viewing on the FERC Internet website (www.ferc.fed.us).
    This Notice of Intent (NOI) is being sent to landowners crossed by 
Petal's amended project; landowners along the originally proposed 
pipeline route withdrawn from the amended project; Federal, state, and 
local government agencies; national elected officials; regional 
environmental and public interest groups; Indian tribes that might 
attach religious and cultural significance to historic properties in 
the area of potential effects; local libraries and newspapers; and the 
Commission's list of parties to the proceeding. Government 
representatives are encouraged to notify their constituents of this 
proposed action and encourage them to comment on their areas of 
concern. Additionally with this NOI we are asking Federal, state, 
local, and tribal agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise 
with respect to environmental issues to cooperate with us in the 
preparation of the EA. These agencies may choose to participate once 
they have evaluated Petal's proposal relative to their agencies' 
responsibilities. Agencies who would like to request cooperating status 
should follow the instructions for filing comments described below.

Summary of the Amended Project

    Petal's amended project proposes to build new pipeline and 
compression facilities to transport up to 700 million cubic feet per 
day of natural gas from its storage field to an interconnection with 
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company (Tennessee). Petal requests Commission 
authorization to construct, own, operate, and maintain the following 
facilities.

     About 5.5 miles of bi-directional 36-inch-diameter loop 
\2\ of Petal's existing storage header in Forrest County, 
Mississippi;
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    \2\ A loop is a segment of pipeline that is installed adjacent 
to an existing pipeline and connected to it on both ends. The loop 
allows more gas to be moved through the pipeline system.
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     A new compressor station with four electric-driven 
units totaling 20,000 hp adjacent to Petal's existing compressor 
station at its storage field near the town of Petal in Forrest 
County, Mississippi;
     A new station at the interconnection with Tennessee 
near the town of Macedonia in Forrest County, Mississippi; and
     Associated facilities, including mainline block values 
and pig traps at the Petal storage field and the Tennessee Meter 
Station.

    With its amendment, Petal is withdrawing the following facilities 
proposed in its original application:

     58.7 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline between the 
interconnection with Tennessee at milepost (MP) 5.5 and the formerly 
proposed interconnections with Southern Natural Gas Company (Sonat) 
and Destin Pipeline Company (Destin) at MP 64.2, crossing portions 
of Forrest, Jasper, Jones, and Clarke Counties, Mississippi;
     A compressor station totaling 15,590 hp near 
Heidelburg, in Jasper County, Mississippi; and
     Three meter stations at interconnections with 
Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation (Transco) in Jasper 
County, Mississippi, and with Sonat and Destin in Clarke County, 
Mississippi.

    The purpose of this project is to provide natural gas to Southern 
County Services, Inc. (Southern). On January 5, 2000, Petal's parent 
company, Crystal Gas Storage, Inc., merged with El Paso Energy 
Corporation (El Paso). Petal then reach an agreement with Tennessee, an 
El Paso affiliate, to transport the volumes intended for Southern by 
utilizing incremental and interruptible capacity on Tennessee's 
existing 500 Line, replacing the need for Petal to construct its own 
transportation pipeline to the Transco, Sonat, and Destin 
interconnections. However, Petal indicated that Tennessee may file its 
own application with the Commission in the near future seeking 
authorization to add facilities along its 500 Line so that Petal would 
have capacity to move its volumes on a primary firm basis. Tennessee is 
contemplating adding about 30 miles of pipeline in the general vicinity 
where Petal had originally proposed to build its 58.7 miles of 
pipeline.\3\
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    \3\ Tennessee has not yet filed its application with the FERC. 
Petal asserts that its amended application is for a stand alone 
project, not dependent on Tennessee's future expansion. Tennessee 
indicated to Petal that it currently has sufficient capacity on its 
500 Line to transport gas to Petal's customers, including the 
volumes for Southern, on a primary firm, secondary firm, and 
interruptible basis. The FERC would conduct a separate environmental 
analysis of any future facilities proposed by Tennessee.
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    The general location of Petal's amended facilities is shown on the 
map attached as appendix 1.\4\
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    \4\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the 
Commission's website at the ``RIMS'' link or from the Commission's 
Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First Street, NE, 
Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 208-1371. For 
instructions on connecting to RIMS refer to the last page of this 
notice. 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 Petal's amended facilities would affect about 64 
acres of land. Following construction, about 24 acres would be retained 
as permanent right-of-way. The remaining 40 acres of temporary work 
space would be restored and allowed to revert to its former use.
    Petal purposes to use a typical pipeline construction right-of-way 
width of 75 feet, consisting of 30 feet of permanent right-of-way and 
45 feet of temporary extra work space. There also would be about 10 
acres used as additional temporary extra work spaces at steam, utility, 
and road crossings. The new compressor station near Petal, Mississippi 
would occupy about 4 acres. The new meter station would be within an 
existing Tennessee facility.

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 to Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us 
\5\ to discover and address concerns the public may have about 
proposals. We all this ``scoping.'' The main goal of the scoping 
process is to focus the analysis in the EA on the important 
environmental issues. By this NOI, the Commission requests public 
comments on the scope of the issues it will address in the EA. All 
comments received are

[[Page 13747]]

considered during the preparation of the EA.
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    \5\ ``Us,'' ``we'' and ``our'' refer to the environment staff of 
the FERC's Office of Pipeline Regulation.
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    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, elected 
officials, affected landowners, regional public interest groups, Indian 
tribes, local newspapers and 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

    The EA will discuss impacts that would occur as a result of 
construction and operation of the proposed project. We have already 
identified a number of issues that we think deserve attention based on 
a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the environmental 
information provided by Petal. This preliminary list of issues may be 
changed based on your comments and our analysis.

 Geology and Soils
    --Impacts on about 2 miles of prime farmland soils.
    --Crossing about 1 mile of erosion prone soils.
 Water Resources and Wetlands
    --Crossing one perennial stream.
    --Crossing four wetlands.
 Biological Resources
    --Impacts on about 47 acres of forest or woodlands.
    --Impacts on the Gopher Tortoise, a federally listed threatened 
species.
 Cultural Resources
    --Impacts on prehistoric and historic sites.
    --Native American concerns.
 Land Use
    --Impacts on crop production.
    --Impacts on residential areas.
    --Visual effect of the aboveground facilities on surrounding areas.
 Air and Noise Quality
    --Impacts on local air quality and noise environment as a result of 
the operation of a new compressor station.

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 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, 
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. CP00-59-001; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before April 14, 2000.
    [If you do not want to send comment 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 removed from the environmental mailing list.]

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA 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 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 of its filings 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 2). Only intervenors have the 
right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
    Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be 
granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they 
have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which would not be 
adequately represented by any other parties. 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 or on the FERC website (www.ferc.fed.us) using the ``RIMS'' 
link to information in this docket number. Click on the ``RIMS'' link, 
select ``Docket #'' from the RIMS Menu, and follow the instructions. 
For assistance with access to RIMS, the RIMS helpline can be reached at 
(202) 208-2222.
    Similarly, the ``CIPS'' link on the FERC Internet website provides 
access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such 
as orders, notice, and rulemakings. From the FERC Internet website, 
click on the ``CIPS'' link, select ``Docket #'' from the CIPS menu, and 
following the instructions. For assistance with access to CIPS, the 
CIPS helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2474.

David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-6177 Filed 3-13-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M