[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 23 (Friday, February 4, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5994-5996]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-449]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF05-3-000]


Jewell Ridge Pipeline Company LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Jewell Ridge Pipeline Project 
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

January 31, 2005.
    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 Jewell Ridge Pipeline Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities by the Jewell Ridge 
Pipeline Company, LLC (JRP) in (Tazwell, Smyth, and Russell counties, 
VA).\1\ These facilities would consist of approximately 30 miles of 20 
inch diameter pipeline and modification to the existing compressor 
station facility. This 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\ JRP is beginning NEPA pre-filing of an application 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 JRP 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 (http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    JRP wants to expand the capacity of its facilities in Virginia to 
transport an

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additional 100,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas to the existing 
East Tennessee Gas Pipeline System. JRP seeks authority to construct 
and operate:

Facilities (2005/2006)

     Approximately 30 miles of 20-inch-diameter pipeline and 
associated facilities; and to
     Modify the existing Jewell Ridge Compressor Station in 
Tazewell County, Virginia; The general location of the project 
facilities and alternative routes under consideration are 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, and all appendices, including Appendix 
1are available 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

    Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 363 
acres of land. Following construction, about 120 acres would be 
maintained as permanent Right-Of-Way. The remaining 243 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 
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 staff 
requests public comments on the scope of the issues to 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.
    In the EA we \3\ will discuss impacts that could occur as a result 
of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these 
general headings:
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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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     Geology and soils.
     Land use.
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands.
     Cultural resources.
     Vegetation and wildlife.
     Air quality and noise.
     Endangered and threatened species.
     Public safety.
    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 4.

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 JRP. This preliminary list of 
issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     Several federally/State listed endangered or threatened 
species may occur in the project area.
     An un-quantified amount of prime farmland soils would be 
impacted during construction activity.
     Three alternative routes are under consideration, although 
JRP has identified Alternative Route 3 as the likely preferred 
alternative (see Appendix 1).

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 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 3, DG2E.
     Reference Docket No. PF05-3-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before March 4, 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 by clicking on ``Login to File'' and then ``New User Account.'' 
You will be asked to select the type of filing you are making. This 
filing is considered a ``Comment on Filing.''

Public Scoping Meeting and Site Visit

    In addition to or in lieu of sending written comments, we invite 
you to attend the public scoping meeting we will conduct in the project 
area. The location and time for the meeting is listed below:

February 22, 2005; 7 p.m. (e.s.t.),
Chilhowie High School,
1160 East Lee Highway,
P.O. Box 2280,
Chilhowie, Virginia 24319.
Phone: (276) 646-8966.
    Fax: (276) 646-5951.
Principal--Steve Reedy.

February 23, 2005; 7 p.m. (e.s.t.),
Southwest Virginia Community College,
369 College Road, Route 19,
Richlands, Virginia 24641.
Contact: Pauline Taylor.
(276) 964-7619.

    The public scoping meeting is designed to provide state and local 
agencies, interested groups, affected landowners, and the general 
public with more detailed information and another opportunity to offer 
your comments on the proposed project. Interested groups and 
individuals are encouraged to attend the meeting and to present 
comments on the environmental issues

[[Page 5996]]

they believe should be addressed in the EA. A transcript of the meeting 
will be made so that your comments will be accurately recorded.
    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.
    We may mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in receiving 
it, 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 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 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 (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. Go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    FERC conferences are accessible under section 508 of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For accessibility accommodations please 
send an e-mail to [email protected] or call toll free (866) 208-
3372 (voice) or (202) 208-1659 (TTY), or send a FAX to (202) 208-2106 
with the required accommodations.
    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. E5-449 Filed 2-3-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P