[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 23, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8794-8795]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-705]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP02-90-003]


AES Ocean Express, L.L.C.; Notice of Availability of the 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Modifications to the Ocean 
Express Pipeline Project

February 16, 2005.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) and the Mineral Management Service (MMS) have prepared this 
Environmental Assessment (EA) to discuss the environmental impacts of 
the Modifications to the Ocean Express Pipeline Project proposed by AES 
Ocean Express, L.L.C. (Ocean Express) in the above referenced docket. 
The proposed project is located in Broward County, Florida; State 
Waters of Florida; and Federal Waters of the United States.
    This EA has been prepared to comply with the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Council of Environmental 
Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing NEPA (Title 40, Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR), sections 1500-1508), and the Commission's 
regulations (18 CFR part 380). The staff concludes that approval of 
this proposal would not constitute a major Federal action significantly 
affecting the quality of the human environment. The EA also evaluates 
alternatives to the proposal, including system alternatives; major 
route alternatives; and route variations.

[[Page 8795]]

    The FERC prepared this EA to address the potential environmental 
impacts of the proposed modifications. The original project was 
addressed by the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Ocean 
Express Pipeline Project (FEIS) issued on November 28, 2003. The 
modified project would use the same methodologies for deepwater 
construction and onshore construction. However, the landfall portion of 
the pipeline would be installed in a 14,000-foot tunnel instead of the 
two HDD segments and associated direct pipelay on the seafloor. The 
tunnel amendment would also incorporate minor route changes to 
accommodate the methodology. These minor route changes would result in 
a slight decrease in the length of the landfall portion and thus the 
overall project length.
    Approximately 95 percent of the original project analyzed in the 
FEIS is relatively unchanged, with the exception of the 2-inch increase 
in pipeline diameter. The tunnel amendment would increase the pipeline 
diameter for the modified project from 24 inches to 26 inches and 
internally coat the pipeline to allow increased flow rates. Ocean 
Express does not propose to increase the certificated capacity (842,000 
dekatherms/day). Ocean Express proposes to install a pressure reducing 
station inside the new tunnel to reduce the onshore Maximum Allowable 
Operating Pressure (MAOP) to 1,480 pounds per square inch gauge (psig) 
or less from the certificated 2,200 psig. The modifications include an 
access building at the tunnel shaft at the Dania Beach Boulevard 
Traffic Circle with a gas vent.

Comment Procedures and Public Meetings

    Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. To ensure 
consideration prior to a Commission decision on the proposal, it is 
important that we receive your comments before the date specified 
below. 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 comments to: 
Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
     Reference Docket No. CP02-090-003;
     Label one copy of your comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 3, PJ11.3; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before March 18, 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 the project. However, the Commission strongly 
encourages electronic filing of any comments or interventions 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 online.
    The EA has been placed in the public files of the FERC and is 
available for public inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Public Reference, 888 First Street, NE., Room 2A, 
Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
    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 with eLibrary, the eLibrary helpline can be reached at 1-
866-208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659 or [email protected]. The 
eLibrary link on the FERC Internet website 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 the eSubscription link on the FERC Internet Web 
site.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-705 Filed 2-22-05; 8:45 am]
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