[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 243 (Monday, December 20, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75946-75948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-3722]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP05-25-000]


Seafarer U.S. Pipeline System, Inc.; Supplemental Notice of 
Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed 
Seafarer U.S. Pipeline System Project and Request for Comments on 
Environmental Issues

December 13, 2004.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) are preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) that 
will discuss the environmental impacts of the Seafarer U.S. Pipeline 
System Project (project or Seafarer Project) proposed by Seafarer U.S. 
Pipeline System, Inc. (hereafter referred to as Seafarer).\1\ The FERC 
will be the

[[Page 75947]]

lead federal agency in the preparation of the EIS, but will prepare the 
EIS in coordination with its cooperating agencies: The Minerals 
Management Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-National Marine Fisheries 
Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency. The document will satisfy the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act.
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    \1\ Seafarer's application was filed with the Commission in 
Docket No. CP05-25-000 on November 16, 2004, under seciton 7(c) of 
the Natural Gas Act and part 157 and part 284 of the FERC's 
regulations. Prior to that date, Seafarer began working with FERC 
staff under FERC's pre-filing environmental review process and 
started filing portions of its applicaiton under Docket No. PF04-8-
000 on April 23, 2004. All documents filed under Docket No. PF04-8-
000 are part of the record for Docket No. CP05-25-000.
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    This notice supplements the informational letter issued by the FERC 
on June 4, 2004, which announced FERC's initiation of a pre-filing 
environmental review for the Seafarer Project, and the Notice of Intent 
(NOI) to Prepare an EIS issued on June 30, 2004. Those previous 
transmittals provided information about the proposed project and the 
FERC's environmental review process and requested comments on the scope 
of issues to address in the EIS. The comment period for the NOI closed 
on August 16, 2004.
    As initially proposed in the pre-filing documentation submitted to 
the FERC and described in the two previous transmittals issued by the 
FERC, the nearshore pipeline alignment would have included an initial 
landfall in the Town of Palm Beach Shores, on the southern end of 
Singer Island. From that point, the pipeline route would have crossed 
Peanut Island in route to a mainland landfall adjacent to the Florida 
Power & Light (FPL) Riviera Beach Power Plant. The Town of Palm Beach 
Shores and numerous commentors expressed concerns that the initially 
proposed alignment and landfall point could interfere with recreational 
use and residential and commercial land uses on Singer Island. Resource 
agencies consulted during the route selection and pre-filing process 
also expressed concerns that the initially proposed nearshore 
construction procedures, which included a series of horizontal 
directional drills (HDDs) and direct lay of the pipeline with rock 
cover, would not adequately avoid and minimize potential direct impacts 
to marine hardbottom and coral reef resources.
    To address the comments and concerns identified during the pre-
filing and EIS scoping periods, Seafarer developed a modified route 
alignment and nearshore installation methodology, which were identified 
in the application that Seafarer filed with the FERC on November 16, 
2004. The currently proposed project alignment would avoid landfall on, 
and a pipeline route beneath, Singer and Peanut Islands (see Appendix 
1). Additionally, Seafarer indicates that the currently proposed 
nearshore project installation methodology, which reflects the 
incorporation of tunnel construction methodology, would reduce 
potential direct impacts to marine hardbottom and coral reef resources, 
relative to the initially proposed construction methods. The majority 
of the proposed off- and onshore project route and aboveground 
facilities would not be affected by the modified proposal.
    As currently proposed, a hydroshield tunnel boring machine (TBM) 
would be used to construct a watertight, approximately 3-mile-long, 
10.5-foot-inner-diameter, concrete-lined tunnel. The tunnel would 
extend from an initial project landfall on FPL Riviera Beach Power 
Plant property (milepost [MP] 34.6) to an exit point approximately 1.4 
miles offshore Singer Island in approximately 80 FSW (MP 31.6). Over 90 
percent of the length of the tunnel would be constructed at depths 
greater than 40 feet beneath the seafloor. Once completed, the tunnel 
would provide a conduit for installation of the nearshore portion of 
the pipeline. Beyond the tunnel exit point, the pipeline would rest on 
the seafloor and rejoin the initially proposed project alignment. A 
tunnel reception pit would be excavated at the transition point between 
the tunnel and the direct lay portion of the pipeline, and would 
facilitate retrieval of the TBM, pipeline installation within the 
tunnel, and construction of an offshore mainline valve.
    No onshore alignment changes would be required in association with 
the currently proposed modifications, except that required to connect 
the tunnel entry point with the previously proposed onshore alignment 
in the vicinity of the FPL Riviera Beach Power Plant. The pressure 
reduction facilities previously proposed for construction near the FPL 
power plant would be incorporated into the previously proposed FGT West 
Riviera Meter Station. A contractor yard comprising 10.2 acres would be 
sited on FPL Riviera Beach Power Plant property adjacent to the tunnel 
entry point to facilitate tunnel construction. This area would house 
tunnel support facilities and provide equipment and material storage. 
No other aboveground facilities or workspace areas would be affected by 
the currently proposed modifications.
    We \2\ consider the modified nearshore project route and 
installation methodology as the proposed action, and will evaluate the 
potential environmental impacts of that action in our EIS. The 
environmental impacts associated with the initially proposed nearshore 
project alignment and installation methodology will be addressed as 
alternatives to the proposed action in our EIS.
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    \2\ ``We'', ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects.
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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 EIS and considered by the Commission. 
You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the proposal 
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 3.
     Reference Docket No. CP05-25-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before January 20, 2005.
    We will include all comments that we receive within a reasonable 
time frame in our environmental analysis of this project. To expedite 
our receipt and consideration of your comments, the Commission strongly 
encourages electronic submission of any comments on this project. 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.
    In lieu of sending written comments, we invite you to attend the 
public scoping meeting we have scheduled as follows: Wednesday, January 
19, 2005, 7 p.m. Seafarer U.S. Pipeline System Project, Town of Palm 
Beach Shores Town Hall, 247 Edwards Lane, Palm Beach Shores, FL 33404, 
telephone: (561) 844-3457.
    The public scoping meeting is designed to provide another 
opportunity to offer comments on the proposed project. Interested 
groups and individuals are encouraged to attend the meeting and to 
present comments on the environmental issues they believe should be 
addressed in the EIS. A transcript of the meeting will be

[[Page 75948]]

generated so that your comments will be accurately recorded.
    Everyone who responds to this notice or submits comments throughout 
the EIS process will be retained on our mailing list. If you do not 
want to send comments at this time but still want to remain on our 
mailing list, please return the attached Information Request (see 
Appendix 2). If you do not return the Information Request, you will be 
removed from the project mailing list.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the 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 3).\3\ Only intervenors have 
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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    \3\ 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 affected landowners; Federal, State, 
and local government agencies; elected officials; environmental and 
public interest groups; Native American tribes; local libraries and 
newspapers; and other interested parties that expressed an interest in 
the project during the pre-filing and EIS scoping periods. We encourage 
government representatives to notify their constituents of this planned 
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.

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 eLibrary link. 
Click on the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the 
docket number excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP05-25) 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, Seafarer has established an Internet Web site for this 
project at http://www.seafarer.us/. The Web site includes a description 
of the project, a map of the proposed pipeline route, and answers to 
frequently asked questions. You can also request additional information 
or provide comments directly to Seafarer at (866) 683-5587.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E4-3722 Filed 12-17-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P