[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 57 (Thursday, March 23, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15630-15632]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-7151]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP00-64-000]


CNG Transmission Corporation; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Capstone Project, Request for 
Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Site Visit

March 17, 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 Capstone Project involving 
construction and operation of facilities proposed by CNG Transmission 
Corporation (CNG) in Elk, Jefferson, Armstrong and Potter Counties, 
Pennsylvania, and in Montgomery County, New York.\1\
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    \1\ CNG'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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    CNG would:
     Construct approximately 13.6 miles of 30-inch-diameter 
pipeline loop (the TL474x2 pipeline) and 800 feet of 30-inch-diameter 
connector pipeline in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania;
     Construct a 4,450-horsepower (hp) compressor at the 
Punxsutawney Compressor Station in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania;
     Construct two 3,200-hp compressors alongside the existing 
Little Greenlick Relay Station in Potter County, Pennsylvania;
     Construct a new 7,000-hp Brookman Corners Compressor 
Station in Montgomery County, New York;
     Upgrade the Ardell Compressor Station in Elk County, 
Pennsylvania by replacing a 12,600-hp engine with a 15,000-hp engine; 
and
     Abandon approximately 13 miles (11.2 miles in-place and 
1.8 miles by removal) of the 12-inch-diameter LN-9 Pipeline in 
Armstrong County, Pennsylvania.

The facilities would allow CNG to provide service on CNG's system that 
is comparable to service currently provided under a contract with 
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company.
    Our EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-making 
process to determine whether the project is in the public convenience 
and necessity.
    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you should have been 
contacted by the pipeline company about the

[[Page 15631]]

acquisition of an easement to construct, operate, and maintain the 
proposed facilities. You should also have been contacted by CNG if you 
reside within \1/2\ mile of a compressor station. The pipeline company 
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if 
the project is approved by the Commission, that approval 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 CNG 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).
    The location of the proposed project facilities is shown in 
appendix 1, figures 1 through 6.\2\
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    \2\ 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, 
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

    Constructing the proposed pipeline would generally require a 75-
foot-wide corridor. Approximately 5 miles of the route which crosses 
agricultural land would require an additional 25 feet to stockpile 
topsoil (a 100-foot-wide easement). The proposed pipeline would 
parallel existing pipelines for 11.8 miles and would make use of 
(overlap) 25 feet of existing maintained pipeline easement during 
construction and only require an additional 25 feet of permanent right-
of-way to accommodate the new pipeline. The 1.9 miles of new right-of-
way to accommodate the new pipeline. The 1.9 miles of new right-ow-way 
to accommodate the pipeline. The 1.9 miles of new right-of-way at the 
southern end of the pipeline would require a 50-foot-wide new permanent 
easement.
    Pipeline construction would disturb approximately 140 acres. 
Following construction, the land disturbed by construction activities 
would be restored and allowed to revert to its former use. The project 
would require approximately 47 acres of new permanent pipeline easement 
(35.5 acres paralleling existing right-of-way and 11.5 acres of new 
corridor).
    Construction at the proposed Little Greenlick Compressor Station 
would require about 22.21 acres and at the proposed Brookman Corners 
Compressor Station about 15.5 acres. After construction these areas 
would also be restored and revert to previous use except for 6.3 acres 
that would be maintained at each location as compressor station yards. 
Construction at the Punxsutawney and Ardell Compressor stations would 
occur within existing fenced compressor station yards and would involve 
an acre or less of ground disturbance.

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 would 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.
     Air quality and noise.
     Public safety.
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed 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.
    To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the 
instructions in the public participation section below.

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. This preliminary list of 
issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.

1. Residences and Wells

--Impacts on 27 wells and 6 springs within 150 feet of the right-of-
way.
--Impacts on four residences laying within 50 feet of the centerline of 
the new pipe; and another eight structures within 100 feet of the edge 
of the construction right-of-way.

2. Compressor Station Noise

    Twenty-six residents near the Punxsutawney Compressor Station have 
expressed concern about existing noise levels and the potential for the 
project to result in further increases.

3. Geology and Soils Impacts

--Impacts on 3.3 miles of prime farmland soils.
--Impacts on 6.4 miles of erosion prone soils.

4. Water Resources and Wetlands

--Impacts to 3 perennial streams, 9 intermittent streams, and 10 
drainage ways.
--Impacts to 19 wetlands.
--Impact to Crooked Creek from withdrawal of 2.5 million galls of water 
for hydrostatic testing of the pipeline.

5. Biological Resources

--Impacts on about 45 acres of deciduous forest.
--Impacts on the timber rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus, a Pennsylvania 
state candidate for the threatened and endangered list.
--Impacts on the Northern Harrier, Circus cyaneus, a New York state 
threatened species.

[[Page 15632]]

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, 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., NE, 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the 
Gas Group 2, PJ-11.2.
     Reference Docket No. CP00-64-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before April 17, 2000.
    On April 3 and 4, 2000, the Office of Energy Projects will conduct 
a precertification site visit of the pipeline route and compressor 
station sites. All parties may attend. Those planning to attend must 
provide their own transportation.

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 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, notices, and rulemakings. From the FERC Internet website, 
click on the ``CIPS'' link, select ``Docket #'' from the CIPS menu, and 
follow the instructions. For assistance with access to CIPS, the CIPS 
helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2474.

David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-7151 Filed 3-22-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M