[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 234 (Tuesday, December 7, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70672-70674]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-3511]



[[Page 70672]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP05-8-000]


Starks Gas Storage, L.L.C.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Starks Gas Storage Project 
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

December 1, 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 the Starks Gas Storage Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities by Starks Gas 
Storage L.L.C. (Starks) in Calcasieu and Beauregard Parishes, 
Louisiana.\1\ These facilities would consist of converting two existing 
salt dome caverns to a natural gas storage; one new compressor station; 
about 35.6 miles or 16-inch and 30-inch-diameter of gas pipeline; about 
1.9 miles of 10-inch-diameter brine pipeline; and two salt water 
disposal (SWD) injection wells (brine disposal). The 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\ Stark'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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    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 Starks 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 Web site (www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Starks proposes to convert two existing salt dome caverns and 
associated brine wells ``Starks No. 1'' (PPG-10) and ``Starks No. 2'' 
(PPG-9) to a natural gas storage facility in Calcasieu Parish, 
Louisiana. The project would initially utilize Starks No. 1 cavern to 
store about 13.3 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas comprised of 
approximately 8.8 Bcf of working gas and about 4.5 Bcf of cushion gas. 
The facilities would be designed to allow cycling of the entire storage 
volume 5 to 6 times per year with injections and withdrawals of 
approximately 400 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd). Starks No. 2 
cavern, to be available about 18 months later, would add 10.4 Bcf of 
working gas and about 5.3 Bcf of cushion gas. The overall project 
injection and withdrawal rates would double. The total storage volume 
of Starks No. 2 cavern would be about 15.6 Bcf. In Docket No. CP05-8-
000, Starks proposes the following facilities in Calcasieu Parish, 
Louisiana unless otherwise specified:
     Convert two existing salt dome caverns and associated 
brine wells ``Starks No. 1'' (PPG-10) and ``Starks No. 2'' (PPG-9) to a 
natural gas storage;
     Construct two salt water injection wells (brine disposal);
     Construct one 33,000 horsepower compressor station (Starks 
Compressor Station);
     Construct Segment 1a--0.68 mile of 16-inch-diameter gas 
pipeline and a collocated 10-inch diameter brine disposal pipeline from 
the Starks Compressor Station milepost (MP) west (w) 0.00 to the Starks 
No. 1 storage cavern to MP w 0.68; and a valve station at MP w 0.27;
     Construct Segment 1b--0.47 mile of a 16 inch-diameter gas 
pipeline from the Starks Compressor Station (MP 0.0) to the Starks No. 
2 storage cavern (MP w 0.47);
     Segment 1c--construct 0.20 mile of 10-inch-diameter brine 
disposal pipeline from the valve station at MP w 0.27 to the Starks No. 
2 storage cavern collocated with Segment 1b from MP w 0.27 to MP w 
0.47;
     Construct Segment 2a--construct 1.2 miles of 30-inch-
diameter gas pipeline collocated with a 10-inch-diamter brine disposal 
pipeline from the Starks Compressor Station MP east (e) 0.00 to the SWD 
injection wells from to MP e 1.21;
     Construct Segment 2b--0.59 mile continuation of the 30-
inch-diameter gas pipeline from the SWD injection wells (MP e 1.21) to 
the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company (Tennessee) interconnect meter 
station (MP e 1.80);
     Construct Segment 3a--28.0 miles of 30-inch-diameter gas 
pipeline from the Tennessee interconnect meter station (MP e 1.80) in 
Calcasieu Parish, to the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation 
(Transco) interconnect meter station (MP e 29.80) in Beauregard Parish, 
Louisiana; and
     Construct Segment 3b--3.97 miles of 30-inch-diameter gas 
pipeline from the Transco pipeline interconnect meter station (MP e 
29.80) to the Texas Eastern Transmission, LP pipeline interconnect 
meter station (MP e 33.77) in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana.
    The 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 ``eLibrary'' link or from the Commission's Public Reference 
and Files Maintenance Branch, 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.
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Nonjurisdictional Facilities

    No non-jurisdictional facilities that will be built as a result of 
the proposed project.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed pipeline and related facilities would 
require about 219.6 acres of land. Following construction, about 129.9 
acres would be maintained as new pipeline right-of-way, roads, or 
aboveground facility sites. The remaining 89.7 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 
\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

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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:
     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.
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands.
    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 Starks. This preliminary list 
of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     Two federally listed endangered or threatened species, the 
Red-cockaded Woodpecker and the American chaff-seed, may occur in the 
proposed project area.
     A total of about 49.8 acres of known wetlands would be 
affected by construction and about 30.2 acres of wetlands would be 
affected by operation of the project. The compressor station would 
permanently affect about 0.4 acre of wetland and the SWD brine 
injection wells would permanently affect 0.7 acre of wetlands during 
operation.
     One domestic drinking water supply well and one public 
drinking water supply well have been identified within 150 feet of the 
pipeline route;
     Eighteen waterbodies would be crossed by the pipeline 
facilities; twelve waterbodies would be crossed by using the horizontal 
directional drilling method and six waterbodies would be crossed by 
using the wet ditch method.
     Cultural resources may be affected in the project area.
    Also, we have made a preliminary decision to not address the 
impacts of the nonjurisdictional facilities. We will briefly describe 
their 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 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 Nos. CP05-8-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before January 3, 2005.
    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.
    The Commission staff will conduct a field trip of storage caverns, 
portions of the pipeline, and related facilities on December 14 through 
December 16, 2004. Anyone interested in participating in the field trip 
may attend, but they must provide their own transportation. The staff 
will start the field trip on December 13, 2004 at approximately 2:00 
p.m (CST); and continue Tuesday, December 14, through Wednesday, 
December 15, 2004, as necessary, at approximately 7:30 a.m. Staff will 
meet each day in the parking lot of the following hotel: Best Western 
Executive Hotel, 1200 Pintail, Sulphur, LA 70665, Telephone: (337) 625-
9000.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA/EIS 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 send one electronic copy (using the 
Commission's eFiling system) or 14 paper 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

    An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals, 
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially 
affected by the proposed project. This includes all landowners who are 
potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used temporarily 
for project purposes, or who own homes within distances

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defined in the Commission's regulations of certain aboveground 
facilities. 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 project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC 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, 
please contact FERC Online Support at [email protected] or 
toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659. The 
eLibrary link 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 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. E4-3511 Filed 12-6-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P