[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 52 (Friday, March 18, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13185-13187]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-1179]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP05-58-000]


CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Chiles Dome 
Storage Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental 
Issues

March 11, 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 Chiles Dome Storage Expansion 
Project involving construction and operation of facilities by 
CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission Company (CenterPoint) in Coal, 
Atoka, Pittsburg, and Latimer Counties, Oklahoma. CenterPoint's project 
purpose is to increase its Chiles Dome storage reservoir working gas 
capacity by three billion cubic feet and its deliverability by 
43,000,000 cubic feet per day. In general, the project consists of 
three wells, about 23.5 miles of pipeline, and auxiliary facilities at 
Centerpoint's existing Chiles Dome and Chandler Compressor Stations.
    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 April 11, 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; local libraries and newspapers. 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.
    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.

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    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 Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). 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

    Centerpoint proposes to construct and operate: \1\
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    \1\ CenterPoint'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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    (1) Three vertical wells in its Chiles Dome Storage Reservoir in 
Coal County, Oklahoma;
    (2) About 23.4 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline that would extend 
eastward from the Chiles Dome Storage Reservoir to an existing 
CenterPoint 24-inch-diameter pipeline in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. 
This would include:
     Two 24-inch mainline valve assemblies,
     Two blowdown stacks, and
     A pig launcher and receiver at each terminal;
    (3) within its existing Chiles Dome Compressor Station in Coal 
County, Oklahoma:
     A pipeline liquid removal scrubber,
     A glycol dehydrator and reboiler,
     A gas cooler, filter-separator, and pressure reducing 
valve,
     About 400 feet of 20-inch-diameter pipe and 100 feet of 
16-inch-diameter pipe, and
     Valves, fittings, and supports to connect to the proposed 
24-inch-diameter pipeline; and
    (4) Within its existing Chandler Compressor Station in Latimer 
County, Oklahoma:
     A 16-inch meter,
     An 8-inch pressure reducing valve,
     A 20-inch cross-over line, and
     About 450 feet of 20-inch-diameter pipe.
    The general location of Centerpoint's proposed facilities is shown 
on the map attached as 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 
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 CenterPoint's proposed facilities would require 
about 255.0 acres of land for the well pads, construction right-of-way 
for the pipelines, additional temporary workspaces, and staging areas. 
The wells would require about 2.1 acres each for both construction and 
operation. The construction right-of-way for the pipelines would 
typically be 75 feet wide, except in agricultural areas or where 
specifically requested by landowners it could be 100 feet wide, to 
allow for topsoil segregation. Following construction, a 50-foot wide 
permanent right-of-way would be maintained.
    The construction of the auxiliary facilities at the Chiles Dome and 
Chandler Compressor Stations would be performed within the existing 
CenterPoint facilities and would not require the clearing of additional 
land.
    Construction access to CenterPoint's project would be via existing 
public and private roads. CenterPoint has identified 13 existing 
private access roads necessary for the construction of its project.

The EA Process

    We \3\ are preparing the EA to comply with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) which 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. 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 below.
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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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    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.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    In the EA, we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the project. We will also evaluate 
possible alternatives to the proposed project or portions of the 
project.
    We have already identified some issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by CenterPoint. This preliminary 
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
    Project-related impact on:
     Pipeline crossings of 12 perennial waterbodies.
     Five federally-listed threatened and endangered species 
potentially in the project area.

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 
and 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 1.
     Reference Docket No. CP05-58-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before April 11, 2005.
    Please note that 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

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Guide. Before you can file comments you will need to create an 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 e-Filing 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.

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.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-1179 Filed 3-17-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P