[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 154 (Wednesday, August 11, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48855-48857]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-1781]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP04-366-000]


Gulf South Pipeline Company, LP; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Jackson Gas Storage Expansion 
Project

August 4, 2004.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the environmental impacts of Gulf South Pipeline Company, LP's 
(Gulf South) Jackson Gas Storage Expansion Project in Rankin County, 
Mississippi. Gulf South proposes to directionally drill five new 
storage injection/withdrawal wells and to construct and operate about 
2.34 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline to facilitate injection and 
withdrawal in the existing Jackson Gas Storage Field. The Jackson Gas 
Storage Expansion Project would result in an increase in the total 
storage capacity of about 2.4 billion cubic feet of gas. This EA will 
be used by the Commission in its decisionmaking process to determine 
whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity.
    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 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 Gulf South provided to the 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 (http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Gulf South proposes to:
     Directionally drill 5 injection/withdrawal wells and 
install aboveground well head, measurement and appurtenant auxiliary 
facilities inside a well pad site;
     Construct five 8-inch-diameter well head lines connecting 
to a new 16-inch-diameter storage pipeline that would originate at Gulf 
South's existing 9-acre fee property well pad; and
     Construct 2.34 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline.
    The location of the projects' facilities is shown in appendix 1.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ 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 ``eLibrary'' 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 eLibrary refer to the 
last page of this notice. Copies of the appendices were sent to all 
those receiving this notice in the mail.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nonjurisdictional Facilities

    No nonjurisdictional facilities would be built as a result of the 
proposed project.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Drilling the five wells would disturb approximately 5.19 acres of 
land at the

[[Page 48856]]

proposed well pad. After completing the installation of all of the well 
facilities, about 4.94 acres of land would be permanently maintained. 
The 16-inch-diameter pipeline construction would affect about 17.6 
acres of land. Of the 17.6 acres, 5.60 acres would be permanently 
maintained right-of-way and the remaining 12.0 acres of land would 
consist of temporary workspace that would be allowed to revegetate 
after construction.

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 
\2\ 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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.
     Land use.
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands.
     Cultural resources.
     Vegetation and wildlife.
     Air quality and noise.
     Endangered and threatened species.
     Hazardous waste.
     Public safety.
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed 
projects or portions of the projects, 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 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 for the project. This 
preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and 
our analysis.
     Nearby residences may be temporarily affected by well 
drilling noise.
     Two private water wells near the project area could 
potentially be affected.
     The pipeline route would cross 3 perennial water bodies 
and about 10,368 feet of forested wetlands.
     Cultural resources may be affected in the project area.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the projects. 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:
     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 
Branch 2.
     Reference Docket No. CP04-366-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before September 2, 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 on-line.''
    If you do not want to send comments at this time but still want to 
remain on our mailing list, 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 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). \3\ Only intervenors have 
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the 
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing 
comments electronically.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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.

Additional Information

    In addition, the Commission staff will conduct a field trip on 
portions of the

[[Page 48857]]

pipeline facilities on August 17, 2004. Anyone interested in 
participating in the field trip may attend, but they must provide their 
own transportation. The Commission staff will start the field trip on 
Tuesday, August 17, 2004, at approximately 1:30 p.m. (c.s.t.) in the 
parking lot of the following hotel. The field trip will continue on 
Wednesday, August 18 at about 8 a.m. (c.s.t.) at the same location.

Quality Inn, 401 Gilchrist Drive, Pearl, MS 399208. Telephone: (601) 
932-4025.

    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 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, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, 
contact (202) 502-8659.
    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 you with 
notification of these filings, document summaries and direct links to 
the documents. Go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the 
Commission's calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E4-1781 Filed 8-10-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P