[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 105 (Friday, May 31, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38096-38098]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-13658]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP02-204-000]


Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Trenton Woodbury 
Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

May 24, 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 Trenton Woodbury Expansion 
Project involving construction and operation of facilities by 
Transcontinental Gas Pipeline

[[Page 38097]]

Company/Williams (Transco) in Mercer and Burlington Counties, New 
Jersey and Bucks County, Pennsylvania.\1\ These facilities would 
consist of about 7.2 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline loop; \2\ one 
new lateral pipeline (about 2.5 miles in length, 24-inch-diameter 
pipe); and one new meter station. 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\ Transco's application was filed with the Commission under 
Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission's 
regulations.
    \2\ A loop is a segment of pipeline installed adjacent to an 
existing pipeline and connected to it at both ends. The loop allows 
more gas to be moved through the system.
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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 Transco 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

    Transco wants to expand the capacity of its facilities in New 
Jersey and Pennsylvania to transport an additional 51,037 dekatherms 
per day of natural gas to two shippers PECO Energy Company (PECO) and 
Virginia Power Energy Marketing, Inc./Dominion Energy (VPEM). Transco 
seeks authority to construct and operate:
     7.2 miles of 36-inch-diameter loop and appurtenant 
facilities from milepost (MP) 8.2 to MP 15.4 on Transco's existing 
Trenton Woodbury Line in Mercer and Burlington Counties, New Jersey 
(Trenton Woodbury Loop);
     2.5 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline from a tap located 
near MP 17.5 on Transco's existing Trenton Woodbury Line in Burlington 
County, New Jersey, to a point of interconnect with the Fairless Energy 
Power Generation Plant in Bucks County, Pennsylvania (Fairless Delivery 
Lateral); and
     One new meter station at the Fairless Energy Power 
Generation Plant site in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
    The location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.\3\
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    \3\ 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 121.7 
acres of land. Following construction, about 75.4 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 
\4\ to discover and address concerns the public may have about 
proposals. This process is referred to as ``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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    \4\ ``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 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 Transco. This preliminary 
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified the 
potential for the Federally-protected bald eagle, bog turtle, and the 
endangered shortnose sturgeon to occur in the vicinity of the Fairless 
Lateral.
     A total of 10.12 acres of wetlands, including 4.8 acres of 
forested, would be affected by construction of the proposed project.
     The Trenton Woodbury Loop would cross five tracts of land 
designated and maintained as open space under the New Jersey Green 
Acres Program.
     A total of 19 residences are located within 50 feet of the 
construction right-of-way along the proposed Trenton Woodbury Loop.
    Also, Fairless Energy LLC is currently constructing a 1,180 
megawatt combined cycle power plant in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. We 
have made a preliminary decision to not address the impacts of this 
nonjurisdictional facility. We will briefly describe the 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

[[Page 38098]]

environmental effects of the proposal, alternatives to the proposal 
(including alternative 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 an original and two copies of your letter to: Magalie 
R. Salas, 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 1 
Branch.
     Reference Docket No. CP02-204-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before June 26, 2002.
    Please note that we are continuing to experience delays in mail 
deliveries from the U.S. Postal Service. As a result, we will include 
all comments that we receive within a reasonable time frame in our 
environmental analysis of this project. However, the Commission 
encourages electronic filing of any comments or interventions or 
protests to this proceeding. 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.''

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).\5\ Only intervenors have 
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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    \5\ 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.

Environmental Mailing List

    This notice is being sent to individuals, organizations, and 
government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the 
proposed project. It is also being sent to all identified potential 
right-of-way grantors. By this notice we are also asking governmental 
agencies, especially those in appendix 3, to express their interest in 
becoming cooperating agencies for the preparation of the EA.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the proposed project is available from 
the Commission's Office of External Affairs at (202) 208-1088 (direct 
line) or you can call the FERC operator at 1-800-847-8885 and ask for 
External Affairs. Information is also available 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) 208-2222.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 02-13658 Filed 5-30-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P