[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 132 (Tuesday, July 10, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35956-35958]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-17181]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP01-384-000, and CP01-387-000]


Islander East Pipeline Company, L.L.C., Algonquin Gas 
Transmission Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental 
Assessment for the Proposed Islander East Pipeline Project and Request 
for Comments on Environmental Issues

July 3, 2001.
    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 Islander East Pipeline Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities by Islander East 
Pipeline Company, L.L.C. (Islander East) and related facilities 
constructed and operated by Algonquin Gas Transmission Company 
(Algonquin) in New Haven County, Connecticut and Suffolk County, New 
York.\1\ Islander East's facilities would consist of about 44.8 miles 
of 24-inch-diameter pipeline, including 22.6 miles offshore in Long 
Island Sound; 5.6 miles of new 24-inch-diameter lateral; and three new 
meter stations. In addition, Algonquin would retest and uprate about 
27.4 miles of its C-1 and C-1L pipelines, and construct a new 10,310 
horsepower (hp) compressor station in New Haven County, Connecticut. 
This begins 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 an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) rather than an EA. The EA (or 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\ Islander East and Algonquin's applications were 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 receiving 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 
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 Islander East and Algonquin 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.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Islander East wants to expand the capacity of its facilities in 
Connecticut and New York to transport an additional 285,000 dekatherms 
per day of natural gas to one local distribution company and two 
proposed power plants. Islander East seeks authority to construct and 
operate:
     21.2 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline in New Haven 
County, Connecticut, including 11.0 miles offshore in Long Island 
Sound;
     23.6 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline in Suffolk County, 
New York, including 11.6 miles offshore in Long Island Sound;

[[Page 35957]]

     5.6 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline from Calverton 
Lateral to a proposed power plant in Suffolk County, New York;
     a new Islander East/North Haven meter station within or 
adjacent to Algonquin's existing North Haven meter station in New Haven 
County, Connecticut;
     a new KeySpan Energy Delivery & ANP Brookhaven meter 
station in Suffolk County, New York;
     a new AES Calverton meter station in Suffolk County, New 
York; and
     five new mainline valves in New Haven County, Connecticut 
and Suffolk County, New York.
    In addition, Algonquin plans to:
     retest and uprate about 27.4 miles of the C-1 and C-1L 
pipeline systems (13.7 miles each) from their current maximum allowable 
operating pressures of 750 pounds per square inch (psig) to 814 psig;
     investigate, inspect, and repair as needed about 25 feet 
of anomalies identified on the 10-inch-diameter C-1 line at about 
milepost (MP) 3.8 in New Haven County, Connecticut;
     construct a new 10,310 hp gas turbine-powered Cheshire 
Compressor Station and associated aboveground piping, launchers, and 
buildings in New Haven County, Connecticut; and
     relocate two in-line tool launchers from an aboveground 
facility at about MP 0.6 in New Haven County, Connecticut to the new 
Cheshire Compressor Station.
    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 on the 
Commission's website at the ``RIMS'' link or from the Commission's 
Public Reference and Files Maintencance Branch, 888 First Street, 
N.E., Washington, D.C. 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

    Islander East proposes to use a 75-foot-wide right-of-way to 
construct its pipeline; 50 feet would be maintained as permanent right-
of-way. About 86 percent of the 27.8 miles of onshore construction 
would be within or adjacent to existing rights-of-way.
    Construction of the proposed facilities would disturb about 536.0 
acres. Following construction, about 9.5 acres would be maintained as 
new aboveground facility sites. The remaining 208.9 acres 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 impacts that could 
result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of a 
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us 
\3\ 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.
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    \3\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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    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.
    To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the 
instructions in the public participation section beginning on page 5.

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 Islander East and Algonquin. 
This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments 
and our analysis.
     A total of 22.6 miles of Long Island Sound would be 
crossed, including potential essential fish habitat (EFH).
     Forty-two residences would be located within 50 feet of 
the construction work area.
     A total of 133.8 acres of pine barrens would be disturbed, 
with 82.0 acres retained as permanent right-of-way.
     A total of 10 perennial and 4 intermittent waterbodies 
would be crossed, including two state scenic rivers.
     About 12.9 acres of wetlands would be disturbed during 
construction, with about 3.8 acres maintained as permanent right-of-
way.
    Also, we have made a preliminary decision to not address the 
impacts of the nonjurisdictional facilities. These facilities include 
the proposed Brookhaven Energy Project power plant in Brookhaven, New 
York; the AES Long Island power plant located at the former Calverton 
Naval Reserve Facility on Long Island; and the local distribution 
company, KeySpan Energy Delivery Long Island. We will briefly describe 
their location and status in the EA.

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/EIS and considered by the 
Commission. You should focus on the potential environmental effects of 
the proposal, alternatives to the proposal (including alternative 
routes and sites), 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 an original and 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 Gas 2.
     Reference Docket No. CP01-384-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before August 3, 2001.

[[Page 35958]]

    Comments may also be filed electronically via the Internet in lieu 
of paper. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the 
Commission's web site at
http://www.ferc.gov under the ``e-Filing'' link and the link to the 
User's Guide. Before you can file comments you will need to create an 
account which can be created by clicking on ``Login to File'' and then 
``New User Account.''
    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.

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).\4\ Only intervenors have 
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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    \4\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the 
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing 
comments electronically.
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    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 
the Commission's Office of External Affairs at (202) 208-1088 or on the 
FERC website (www.ferc.gov) 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. 01-17181 Filed 7-9-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P