[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 236 (Friday, December 7, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63531-63532]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-30350]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP02-17-000]


Texas Eastern Transmission, LP; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Freehold Project and Request 
for Comments on Environmental Issues

December 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 Freehold Project involving the 
construction and operation of facilities by Texas Eastern Transmission, 
LP (Texas Eastern) in Somerset and Hunterdon Counties, New Jersey.\1\ 
These facilities would consist of one 5,000 horsepower (hp) compressor 
station and facilities related to the uprate of certain segments of its 
mainline facilities east of Lambertville, New Jersey. This EA will be 
used by the Commission in its decisionmaking process to determine 
whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ Texas Easterns's application was filed with the Commission 
on October 26, 2001, 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 Texas Eastern 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 Web site 
(www.ferc.fed.us).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Texas Eastern proposes to provide service to New Jersey Natural Gas 
Company's local distribution system at Texas Eastern's Freehold Lateral 
M&R Stations 953 and 2210. Texas Eastern proposes to:
     Construct and operate a 5,000-horsepower electric motor-
driven compressor station in Somerset County, New Jersey (Freehold 
Compressor Station);
     Uprate the maximum allowable operating pressure of the 36-
inch-diameter Line No. 20 and the 42-inch-diameter Line No. 38 from 975 
pounds per square inch gauge (psig) to 1,170 psig from milepost (MP) 
0.0 to MP 13.9;
     Install two pressure limiting devices at MP 13.9 of Line 
Nos. 20 and 38, respectively; and
     Replace five road crossings on Line No. 38 with heavier 
wall thickness pipeline at the following locations in Somerset and 
Hunterdon Counties, New Jersey:
     County Road 605/Queens Road (MP 0.06);
     State Route 31 (MP 2.69);
     County Road 607/Rileyville Road (MP 6.12);
     Montgomery Road (MP 9.37); and
     Long Hill Road (MP 10.44).
    The general location of Texas Eastern's proposed facilities is 
shown on the map attached as 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 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

    The proposed Freehold Compressor Station would be constructed on a 
5-acre site which Texas Eastern would own. Texas Eastern indicated it 
would need an additional 25 acres which it would acquire through 
easements, for use as a noise buffer. Construction of the proposed 
pressure limiting devices and the five road crossings would require a 
total of about 6.9 acres of land, of which about 5.9 acres consist of 
existing and maintained right-of-way. The remaining 1.0 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 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 \3\ 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.
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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

[[Page 63532]]

     Vegetation and wildlife
     Endangered and and threatened species
     Land use
     Cultural resources
     Air quality and noise
     Public safety
    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 Texas Eastern. This 
preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and 
our analysis.
     Potential impact on 3 Federally-listed threatened reptile 
(1) and plant (2) species.
     Conversion to industrial use of about 30 acres of land 
that is registered with the New Jersey Green Acres program.
     Proximity of the proposed facilities to homes and 
residential land-use impacts.
     Impact and routing of a 25 kilovolt electric service line, 
about 1.5 miles long, to be installed by Public Service Electric & Gas 
Company.
     The Franklin Township Board of Education is in the process 
of acquiring land for construction of a new high school within 0.25 
mile of the proposed Freehold Compressor Station site.
     Noise impacts due to operation of the proposed Freehold 
Compressor Station.
     Impact of operation of the proposed Freehold Compressor 
Station on Franklin Township Board of Education's plan to construct a 
new high school.

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), 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: 
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/
Hydro, PJ-11.3.
     Reference Docket No. CP02-17-000; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before January 15, 2002.
    Comments, protests, and interventions may 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 under the ``e-Filing'' 
link.
    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 
removed from the environmental mailing list.
    Due to current events, we cannot guarantee that we will receive 
mail on a timely basis from the U.S. Postal Service, and we do not know 
how long this situation will continue. However, we continue to receive 
filings from private mail delivery services, including messenger 
services in a reliable manner. The Commission encourages electronic 
filing of any comments or interventions or protests to this proceeding. 
We will include all comments that we receive within a reasonable time 
frame in our environmental analysis of this project.

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.
    Copies of this filing are on file with the Commission and are 
available for public inspection. This filing may also be viewed on the 
Web at http://www.ferc.gov using the ``RIMS'' link, select ``Docket #'' 
and follow the instructions (call 202-208-2222 for assistance).
    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.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-30350 Filed 11-29-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P