[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 111 (Tuesday, June 10, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34602-34604]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-14493]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP03-131-000]


Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America; Notice of Intent to 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed North Lansing 
Storage Field Abandonment and Request for Comments on Environmental 
Issues

June 3, 2003.
    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 proposed North Lansing Storage 
Field Abandonment Project proposed by Natural Gas Pipeline Company of 
America (Natural) in Harrison County, Texas.\1\ The facilities to be 
abandoned include an inactive injection/withdrawal well, about 2,380 
feet of 8-inch-diameter lateral pipeline, and the associated 6-inch 
meter facilities. 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\ Natural'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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Summary of the Proposed Project

    The proposed abandonment is responsive to a Commission Order issued 
December 24, 2002, in FERC Docket No. CP02-391-000, involving the 
expansion of Natural's North Lansing storage field. An environmental 
condition of the Order required Natural to identify any currently 
unused aboveground facilities and pipelines on the property of S.J. 
Keasler, a landowner on the North Lansing storage field, and provide a 
timetable for filing an abandonment application with the

[[Page 34603]]

Commission for removal of these facilities.
    Natural identified an injection/withdrawal well, lateral pipeline 
and meter facility, all located on S.J. Keasler's property. The 
facilities were constructed under the FERC Docket No. CP89-2081-000 to 
increase withdrawal capabilities at the North Lansing storage field. 
Natural states that the injection/withdrawal well was plugged in 1997 
after a leak was detected in the production tubing and has since been 
inactive. The surface wellhead equipment was subsequently removed. The 
associated meter facilities and lateral pipeline have been inactive 
since the well was plugged and are not located in an area of the 
storage field conducive for future connections to other possible wells. 
Due to the potential for corrosion from condensate and water to occur 
and cause future problems at the North Lansing storage field, Natural 
proposes to abandon the injection/withdrawal well and lateral pipeline 
in place and remove the meter facilities.

Natural seeks authority to:

    [sbull] Abandon in place the injection/withdrawal well (ODA3-W, 
Emma Keasler 103);
    [sbull] Cut, fill, cap, and abandon in place approximately 2,380 
feet of 8-inch-diameter lateral pipeline (G-7 lateral); and
    [sbull] Abandon by removal all aboveground portions of the 6-inch 
meter facility; and the belowground portions to three feet below grade.
    The general 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 of all appendices, other 
than appendix 1 (maps), are available on the Commission's Web site 
at the ``FERRIS'' link or from the Commission's Public Reference 
Room, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 
502-8371. For instructions on connecting to FERRIS 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

    Abandonment of the proposed facilities would require disturbance of 
about 0.01 acre of land. Natural proposes that following abandonment, 
it would continue the existing easement agreement and retain ownership 
of the abandoned lateral pipeline. The 0.01 acre 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. 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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    \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:
    [sbull] Geology and soils;
    [sbull] Land use;
    [sbull] Water resources;
    [sbull] Cultural resources;
    [sbull] Vegetation and wildlife;
    [sbull] Air quality and noise;
    [sbull] Endangered and threatened species;
    [sbull] Public safety.
    We will not discuss impacts to the following resource areas since 
they are not present in the project area, or would not be affected by 
the proposed abandonment.
    [sbull] Fisheries and wetlands;
    [sbull] 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 Natural. This preliminary 
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
    [sbull] Two federally listed endangered or threatened species may 
occur in the proposed project area.
    [sbull] In comments submitted under Docket No. CP02-391-000, S.J. 
Keasler, an affected landowner, expressed desires to have Natural 
remove all aboveground facilities and the pipeline associated with the 
inactive injection/withdrawal well (ODA3-W, Emma Keasler 103). 
However, Natural proposes to abandon the well and lateral pipeline in 
place.
    [sbull] An unnamed intermittent tributary of the Moccasin Creek is 
crossed by the G-7 lateral pipeline. If the G-7 lateral pipeline were 
removed, the tributary would be subject to disturbance.

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 means of 
abandonment), 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:
    [sbull] 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.
    [sbull] Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 3.
    [sbull] Reference Docket No. CP03-131-000.
    [sbull] Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before July 3, 2003.
    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 
strongly encourages electronic filing of any comments or interventions 
or

[[Page 34604]]

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.''
    We might mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in 
receiving it, please return the Information Request (appendix 4). 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 might 
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.

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 right-of-way 
grantors. By this notice we are also asking governmental agencies to 
express their interest in becoming cooperating agencies for the 
preparation of the EA.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on the 
FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov)using the FERRIS link. 
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 1-866-208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or at 
[email protected]. The FERRIS link on the FERC Internet Web 
site also provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by 
the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
    In addition, the Commission now offers a free service called 
eSubscription which allows you too keep track of all formal issuances 
and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time 
you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with 
notification of these filings, document summaries and direct links to 
the documents. Go tohttp://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-14493 Filed 6-9-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P