[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 167 (Wednesday, August 28, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 55219]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-21843]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP01-384-000 and CP01-387-000]


Islander East Pipeline Company, L.L.C., Algonquin Gas 
Transmission Company; Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Proposed Islander East Pipeline Project

August 21, 2002.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared this final Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) on the natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Islander East 
Pipeline Company, L.L.C. (Islander East) and Algonquin Gas Transmission 
Company (Algonquin) in the above-referenced docket.
    The final EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The staff concludes that 
approval of the proposed Project with appropriate mitigating measures, 
as recommended, would result in limited adverse environmental impacts. 
The final EIS evaluates alternatives to the proposal, including system 
alternatives, route alternatives, and route variations.
    The final EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following facilities in New Haven 
County, Connecticut and Suffolk County, New York.
    Algonquin's facilities would consist of:
     A new 12,028 horsepower Cheshire Compressor Station in New 
Haven County, Connecticut;
     The removal of two launchers from an existing mainline 
valve and interconnect facility in New Haven County, Connecticut;
     Retest and upgrade of about 27.4 miles of the existing C-1 
and C-1L mainline in New Haven County, Connecticut; and
     An anomaly investigation along about 0.1 mile of the C-1 
and C-1L mainline in New Haven County, Connecticut.
    Islander East's facilities would consist of:
     About 44.8 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline from New 
Haven County, Connecticut to KeySpan Energy's existing facility in 
Suffolk County, New York;
     About 5.6 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline (the 
Calverton Lateral) in Suffolk County, New York to a planned power plant 
in Calverton, New York;
     Three new meter stations: the North Haven Meter Station, 
the Brookhaven Meter Station, and the AES Calverton Meter Station; and
     Five mainline valves (two in Connecticut and three in New 
York).
    The purpose of the Islander East Pipeline Project is to provide 
transportation service for 285,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas 
from supply areas, including eastern Canada, to energy markets in 
Connecticut and New York (specifically Long Island and New York City).
    The final EIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC and 
is available for public inspection at: Federal Regulatory Energy 
Commission, Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First 
Street, NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 208-1371.
    A limited number of copies of the final EIS are available from the 
Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch identified above. In 
addition, the final EIS has been mailed to Federal, state, and local 
agencies, elected officials, public interest groups, individuals, and 
affected landowners who requested a copy of the final EIS; public 
libraries; newspapers; and parties to this proceeding.
    In accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) 
regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, no 
agency decision on a proposed action may be made until 30 days after 
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publishes a notice of 
availability of an FEIS. However, the CEQ regulations provide an 
exception to this rule when an agency decision is subject to a formal 
internal appeal process which allows other agencies or the public to 
make their views known. In such cases, the agency decision may be made 
at the same time the notice of the FEIS is published, allowing both 
periods to run concurrently. The Commission decision for this proposed 
action is subject to a 30-day rehearing period.
    Additional information about the proposed project is available from 
the Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208-FERC (1-866-
208-3372) or on the FERC Web site (http://www.ferc.gov).\1\ Click on 
the ``FERRIS'' link, enter the docket number excluding the last three 
digits in the [Docket Number field. Be sure you have selected an 
appropriate date range. For assistance with FERRIS, the FERRIS helpline 
can be reached at (202) 502-8222, TTY (202) 208-1659. The application 
and supplemental filings in these dockets are available for viewing on 
FERRIS.
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    \1\ On October 11, 2001, the Commission announced that, as the 
result of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the FERC would limit 
access to certain public documents (PL01-2-000). Documents 
containing specific information on energy facilities would not be 
available through its web site or on its public reference room. 
Individuals requiring such information are directed to file Freedom 
of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 02-21843 Filed 8-27-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P