[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 105 (Thursday, June 2, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32318-32320]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-2781]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF05-6-000]


Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Leidy to Long 
Island Expansion Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues 
and Notice of Scoping Meetings

May 25, 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 Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line 
Corporation's (Transco) planned Leidy

[[Page 32319]]

to Long Island Expansion Project located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, 
and New York. This notice announces the opening of the scoping process 
we will use to gather input from the public and interested agencies on 
the projects. Your input will help the Commission staff determine which 
issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that the scoping 
period will close on June 24, 2005.
    Comments may be submitted in written form or presented verbally at 
the public meetings detailed below. Further details on how to submit 
written comments are provided in the public participation section of 
this notice. In lieu of sending written comments, you are invited to 
attend the public scoping meetings that are scheduled as follows:

Wednesday, June 15, 2005, 7 p.m. (EST)

    Days Inn, 50 Sheraton Road, Danville, PA 17821, 570-275-5510.

Thursday, June 16, 2005, 7 p.m. (EST)

    Ramada Limited, 2989 Hamilton Boulevard, Highway 287, South 
Plainfield, NJ 07080, 908-753-8900.
    This notice is being sent to affected landowners; Federal, state, 
and local government representatives and agencies; environmental and 
public interest groups; Native American tribes; other interested 
parties in this proceeding; and local libraries and newspapers. We 
encourage government representatives to notify their constituents of 
this planned project and encourage them to comment on their areas of 
concern.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Transco proposes to expand its natural gas transmission system to 
provide 100,000 dekatherms per day of firm transportation capacity from 
the Leidy Hub in Pennsylvania to Long Island, New York. More 
specifically, Transco seeks authority to:
     Construct approximately 4.2 miles of 42-inch-diameter 
pipeline loop in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania (Hughesville Loop);
     Construct approximately 5.7 miles of 42-inch-diameter 
pipeline loop in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania (Berwick Loop);
     Construct approximately 3.5 miles of 42-inch-diameter 
pipeline loop in Somerset County, New Jersey (Neshanic Loop);
     Uprate and replace approximately 1.7 miles of 42-inch-
diameter pipeline in Middlesex County, New Jersey (Morgan Replacement);
     Construct and operate a new 10,000-horsepower compressor 
station in Middlesex County, New Jersey;
     Uprate approximately 35 miles of existing 26-inch-diameter 
pipeline both on and offshore of Monmouth County, New Jersey, and 
Queens and Nassau Counties, New York (Lower Bay Uprate), with no 
replacement work anticipated; and
     Upgrade existing meter and regulator facilities.
    Location maps depicting Transco's proposed facilities and alternate 
sites are provided in Appendix 1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the 
Commission's Web site (excluding maps) at the ``eLibrary'' link or 
from the Commission(s Public Reference Room or call (202) 502-8371. 
For instructions on connecting to eLibrary refer to the end of this 
notice. Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving 
this notice in the mail.
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Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    At this time no formal application has been filed with the FERC. 
For this project, the FERC staff has initiated its NEPA review prior to 
receiving the application. The purpose of our NEPA Pre-Filing Process 
is to involve interested stakeholders early in project planning and to 
identify and resolve issues before an application is filed with the 
FERC.
    We have already identified several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities, 
environmental information provided by Transco, and comments gathered 
from concerned citizens at Transco's open houses. This preliminary list 
of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     Compressor station proximity to residential neighborhoods;
     Morgan Replacement proximity to planned residential 
developments;
     Safety concerns of the compressor station and pipeline;
     Potential impacts on land included in the New Jersey 
Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres Program;
     Potential impacts on Farmland Preservation Property;
     Potential impacts on Shickshinny Creek; and
     Potential impacts on wetlands.

The EA Process

    The FERC will use the EA to consider the environmental impact that 
could result if it issues Transco a Certificate of Public Convenience 
and Necessity.
    This notice formally announces our preparation of the EA and the 
beginning of the process referred to as ``scoping.'' We \2\ are 
soliciting input from the public and interested agencies to help us 
focus the analysis in the EA on the potentially significant 
environmental issues related to the proposed action.
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    \2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects.
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    Our independent analysis of the issues will be included in an EA 
that will be prepared for the project. Our evaluation will also include 
possible alternatives to the proposed project or portions of the 
project, and we will make recommendations on how to lessen or avoid 
impacts on the various resource areas of concern.
    The EA will be mailed to federal, state, and local government 
agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; 
Native American tribes; affected landowners; other interested parties; 
local libraries and newspapers; and the FERC(s official service list 
for this proceeding. A 30-day comment period will be allotted for 
review of the EA. We will consider all comments submitted on the EA in 
any Commission Order that is issued for the project.
    We are currently involved in discussions with other jurisdictional 
agencies to identify their issues and concerns. These agencies include 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New Jersey Department 
of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental 
Protection, and the U.S. Department of Transportation. By this notice, 
we are asking these and other 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.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the proposals. Your comments should focus on 
the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives and 
measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. The more specific 
your comments, the more useful they will be. To ensure that your 
comments are timely and properly recorded, please mail your comments so 
that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before June 24, 2005 
and carefully follow these instructions:
     Send an original and two copies of your letter to: Magalie 
R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First 
St., N.E., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;

[[Page 32320]]

     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 3, DG2E; and
     Reference Docket No. PF05-6-000 on the original and both 
copies.
    Please note that the Commission encourages electronic filing of 
comments. See 18 Code of Federal Regulations 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and 
the instructions on the Commission's Internet Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the ``eFiling'' link and the link to the User's 
Guide. Prepare your submission in the same manner as you would if 
filing on paper and save it to a file on your hard drive. Before you 
can file comments you will need to create an account 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.''
    When Transco submits its application for authorization to construct 
and operate the Leidy to Long Island Expansion Project, the Commission 
will publish a Notice of Application in the Federal Register and will 
establish a deadline for interested persons to intervene in the 
proceeding. Because the Commission's Pre-filing Process occurs before 
an application to begin a proceeding is officially filed, petitions to 
intervene during this process are premature and will not be accepted by 
the Commission.

Environmental Mailing List

    If you wish to remain on the environmental mailing list, please 
return the Mailing List Retention Form included in Appendix 2. If you 
do not return this form, you will be taken off our mailing list.

Availability of Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208 FERC (3372) or on 
the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). Using the 
``eLibrary'' link, select (General Search( from the eLibrary menu, 
enter the selected date range and (Docket Number( (i.e., PF05-6-000), 
and follow the instructions. Searches may also be done using the phrase 
(Leidy to Long Island Expansion( in the (Text Search( field. For 
assistance with access to eLibrary, the helpline can be reached at 1-
866-208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or at FERCOnlineSupport@ ferc.gov. 
The eLibrary link on the FERC Internet Web site also provides access to 
the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, 
notices, and rule makings.
    In addition, the FERC now offers a free service called 
eSubscription that 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.
    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. Finally, Transco has established 
an Internet Web site for its project at http://www.williams.com/northeast expansion. The website includes a project overview, contact 
information, regulatory overview, and construction procedures.

Linda Mitry,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-2781 Filed 6-1-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P