[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 7 (Thursday, January 10, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1339-1341]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-570]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP02-27-000]


Florida Gas Transmission Co.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Phase VI Expansion and 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

January 4, 2002.
    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 Phase VI Expansion involving 
construction and operation of facilities by Florida Gas Transmission 
Company (FGT) in the States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and 
Mississippi.\1\ These facilities would consist of about 33.3 miles of 
various diameter pipeline and 18,600 horsepower (hp) of compression. 
This EA 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\ FGT'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 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 FGT 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.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    FGT proposes to construct approximately 33.3 miles of pipeline, 
consisting of approximately 25.4 miles of additional mainline and 7.9 
miles of various diameter (6-inch to 36-inch-diameter) new lateral and 
lateral loops, as well as 18,600 horsepower of additional compression 
at 10 compressor stations. FGT proposes to expand the capacity of its 
facilities in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi to transport 
an additional 121,100 million British thermal units per day of natural 
gas to four separate parties, Orlando Utilities Commission, Reliant 
Energy Services, Inc., South Florida Natural Gas, and the City of 
Leesburg, Florida. FGT's proposed facilities are summarized below.

Looping of Existing Mainline

    1. Loop A--approximately 2.3 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline in 
Mobile County, Alabama;
    2. Loop B--approximately 3.0 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline in 
Baldwin County, Alabama;
    3. Loop C--approximately 3.1 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipeline in 
Washington County, Florida. Construction of Loop C for the entire 3.1 
miles would coincide with the removal of 3.1 miles of FGT's 24-inch-
diameter pipe previously abandoned in place;
    4. Loop D--approximately 3.0 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipeline in 
Suwannee County, Florida, and
    5. Loop E--approximately 14.0 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipeline in 
Washington County, Florida.

New Laterals and Lateral Loops

    6. Leesburg Lateral Loop--approximately 1.3 miles of 6-inch-
diameter pipeline in Lake County, Florida;
    7. Cape Kennedy Lateral Loop Extension--approximately 1.4 miles of 
16-inch-diameter pipeline in Brevard County, Florida, and
    8. Stanton Lateral--approximately 5.2 miles of 16-inch-diameter 
pipeline in Orange County, Florida.

Compressor Station Additions

    9. Station No. 9--Up-rate Unit #905 by 400 hp to 2,800 hp in 
Washington Parish, Louisiana;
    10. Station No. 10--Up-rate Unit #1005 by 200 hp to 2,600 hp in 
Perry County, Mississippi;
    11. Station No. 11--Up-rate Unit #1106 by 300 hp to 2,700 hp in 
Mobile County, Alabama;

[[Page 1340]]

    12. Station No. 12A--Add new 2,000 hp unit for a total of 15,000 hp 
in Santa Rosa County, Florida;
    13. Station No. 13--Up-rate Unit #1306 by 300 hp to 2,700 hp in 
Washington County, Florida;
    14. Station No. 14--Up-rate Unit #1406 by 300 hp to 2,700 hp in 
Gadsden County, Florida;
    15. Station No. 15A--Add 2,000 hp by exchanging the 15,000 hp Unit 
#2401 at Station No. 24 with the 13,000 Hp Unit #1507 at Station No. 
15A in Taylor County, Florida;
    16. Station No. 18--Add a new reciprocating Unit #1806 of 7,200 hp 
and up-rate an Unit #1805 by 300 hp to 2,700 hp on the existing 24 and 
30-inch-diameter mainlines in Orange County, Florida for a total 
increase of 7,500 hp;
    17. Station No. 24--Add a single 7,200 hp Unit #2402 gas-driven 
centrifugal unit and exchange the 15,000 hp Unit #2401 at Station #24 
for the 13,000 hp Unit #1507 at Station No.15A, resulting in an overall 
increase of 5,200 hp at Station No. 24 in Gilchrist County, Florida, 
and
    18. Station No. 26--Up-rate Unit #2601 by 400 hp to 7,700 hp on the 
existing 30-inch West Leg in Citrus County, Florida.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
1.\2\ If you are interested in obtaining detailed maps of a specific 
portion of the project, send in your request using the form in appendix 
3.
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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

    Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 399.3 
acres of land. Following construction, about 190.9 acres would be 
maintained as new aboveground facility sites. The remaining 208.4 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 
\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:
    19. Geology and soils.
    20. Land use
    21. Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands.
    22. Cultural resources.
    23. Vegetation and wildlife.
    24. Air quality and noise.
    25. Endangered and threatened species.
    26. Hazardous waste.
    27. 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 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 FGT. This preliminary list of 
issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
    28. Eight residences are within 50 feet of the construction right-
of-way.
    29. 31 federally listed endangered or threatened species may occur 
in the proposed project area.
    Also, we have made a preliminary decision to not address the 
impacts of the nonjurisdictional facilities. 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 and considered by the Commission. 
You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the 
proposal, alternatives to the proposal (including alternative 
locations/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:
    30. Send an original and two copies of your letter to: Linwood A. 
Watson, Jr., Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
888 First St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
    31. Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas Branch 
2.
    32. Reference Docket No. CP02-27-000.
    33. Mail your comments so that they will be received in Washington, 
DC on or before February 8, 2002.
    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 a free account which can be created by clicking on 
``Login to File'' and then ``New User Account.''
    We may mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in receiving 
it, 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

[[Page 1341]]

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 Web site (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 Web site provides 
access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such 
as orders, notices, and rulemakings. From the FERC Internet Web site, 
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. 02-570 Filed 1-9-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P