[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 23 (Friday, February 4, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5998-6000]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-428]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP05-42-000]


Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Compressor Station 325 
Horsepower Replacement Project and Request for Comments on 
Environmental Issues

January 26, 2005.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) on Tennessee 
Gas Pipeline Company's (Tennessee) proposed Compressor Station 325 
Horsepower Replacement Project. Tennessee's proposal involves the 
replacement of the two existing turbines at its Compressor Station 325

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in Sussex County, New Jersey with two new turbines.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping period that will 
be used to gather environmental input from the public and interested 
agencies on the project. Please note that the scoping period will close 
on February 25, 2005.
    This notice is being sent to potentially affected landowners; 
Federal, State, and local government agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American tribes; other 
interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. This includes 
all owners of property within 0.5-mile of Tennessee's Compressor 
Station 325. State and local government representatives are asked to 
notify their constituents of this planned project and encourage them to 
comment on their areas of concern.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility on My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is available for 
viewing on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). This fact 
sheet addresses a number of typically asked questions, including how to 
participate in the Commission's proceedings.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Tennessee seeks the authority to replace the two turbines at its 
existing Compressor Station 325 in order to comply with Reasonably 
Available Control Technology standards set by the United States 
Environmental Protection Agency and the New Jersey Department of 
Environmental Protection regarding nitrogen oxide emissions.
    The existing turbines are both site-rated at 3,500 horsepower; the 
replacements would be site-rated at 4,721 horsepower. Therefore, the 
proposed action would increase the total authorized compressor station 
output by 2,442 horsepower and increase pipeline flow capacity by 
18,000 dekatherms per day in the vicinity of compressor station. 
Construction of the proposed project would commence on or about April 
2006 and Tennessee would place the project in-service in November 2006. 
The general location of the project is shown in Appendix 1.\1\
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    \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.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Compressor Station 325 is located on a 93.59-acre lot. However, the 
fenced station yard is 4.92 acres in size and is served by a paved 
access road. The private access road would not be improved, and no 
temporary access roads would be constructed. All construction 
activities would take place within the previously disturbed, graveled 
areas inside the fenced station yard. No expansion of the fenced 
station yard is proposed.

The EA Process

    We \2\ are preparing this EA to comply with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) which requires the Commission to take 
into account the environmental impact that could result if it 
authorizes Tennessee's proposed project. NEPA also requires us 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, we are requesting public comment 
on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. All comments received 
will be considered during the preparation of the EA. By this notice, we 
are also asking Federal, State, and local agencies with jurisdiction 
and/or special expertise with respect to environmental issues to 
formally cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA. Agencies that 
would like to request cooperating status should follow the instructions 
for filing comments provided below.
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    \2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects.
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    The EA will present our independent analysis of the issues. 
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, potentially 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 below.

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, 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 1.
     Reference Docket No. CP05-42-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before February 25, 2005.
    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.

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 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).\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

[[Page 6000]]

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.

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 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. To register for this service, go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E5-428 Filed 2-3-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P