[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 48 (Thursday, March 11, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11615-11616]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-546]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP04-13-000]


Saltville Gas Storage Company, L.L.C.; Notice of Availability of 
the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Saltville Storage Project

March 5, 2004.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) on the 
natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Saltville Gas Storage 
Company, L.L.C. (Saltville) in the above-referenced docket. The EA was 
prepared to satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act. The staff concludes that approval of the proposed project, 
with appropriate mitigating measures, would not constitute a major 
Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human 
environment.
    Saltville is currently developing a new 8.2 billion cubic foot, 
underground natural gas storage facility using existing salt caverns 
that were previously authorized for construction and operation by the 
Virginia State Corporation Commission in Smyth and Washington Counties, 
Virginia. Saltville has received all necessary state regulatory 
approvals to construct and operate the storage facility. See Appendix 1 
for a list of the facilities and their construction status. The EA 
focuses its analysis on the facilities that still need to be 
constructed, on restoration of the areas previously disturbed or 
currently being disturbed by on-going construction activities, and on 
the operation of the existing facilities.
    The purpose of the proposed storage field would be to provide about 
8.2 billion cubic feet of working gas capacity with an estimated 
maximum withdrawal rate of 550,000 thousand cubic feet per day (Mcfd) 
of gas and an estimated maximum injection rate of 220,000 Mcfd. The 
storage field is interconnected with the transmission systems of 
Virginia Gas Pipeline Company, an intrastate company, and East 
Tennessee Natural Gas Company, an interstate company.
    The EA has been placed in the public files of the FERC. A limited 
number of copies of the EA are available for distribution and public 
inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference 
Room, 888 First Street, NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-
8371.
    Copies of the EA have been mailed to Federal, State and local 
agencies, and stakeholders that responded to our December 15, 2003, 
Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Assessment for the 
Proposed Saltville Storage Project and Request for Comments on 
Environmental Issues, and parties to this proceeding.
    Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. To ensure 
consideration prior to a Commission decision on the proposal, it is 
important that we receive your comments before the date specified 
below. 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 comments 
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 the Gas Branch 2, PJ11.2.
     Reference Docket No. CP04-13-000; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received 
in Washington, DC on or before April 5, 2004.
    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 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 ``Sign-up.''
    Comments will be considered by the Commission but will not serve to 
make the commentor a party to the proceeding. Any person seeking to 
become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene 
pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedures (18 CFR 385.214).\1\ Only intervenors have the right to seek 
rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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    \1\ 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 comments considered.
    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC (1-866-208-
3372) or on the FERC Internet Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the 
eLibrary link. Click on the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' 
and 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 eLibrary, the eLibrary helpline can be 
reached at 1-866-208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659 or at 
[email protected]. The eLibrary 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 to 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

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you with notification of these filings, document summaries and direct 
links to the documents. Go to www.ferc.gov, click on ``eSubscription'' 
and then click on ``Sign-up.''

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E4-546 Filed 3-10-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P