[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 155 (Friday, August 12, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47192-47193]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-4364]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP05-144-000, CP05-150-000, CP05-151-000, CP05-152-000]


Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation, Hardy Storage Company, 
LLC; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the 
Proposed Hardy Storage and Transmission Projects

August 5, 2005.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) on the 
natural gas pipeline and aboveground facilities proposed by Columbia 
Gas Transmission Corporation (Columbia) and Hardy Storage Company, LLC 
(Hardy LLC) in the above referenced dockets.
    The EA was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act. The staff concludes that approval of the 
proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures, would not 
constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality 
of the human environment.
    The EA assesses the potential effects of the proposed Hardy Storage 
and Transmission Projects. As part of the Hardy Storage Project, Hardy 
LLC would install approximately 36.8 miles of natural gas transmission 
pipeline and associated aboveground facilities (three repeater towers, 
five cathodic protection ground beds, and a methanol injection system) 
in Hardy and Hampshire Counties, West Virginia. In addition, Hardy LLC 
would convert 12 existing, inactive production wells into storage 
wells, recondition 3 existing production wells into observation wells, 
drill 14 new storage wells, install 26 new well lines, and construct 
the new 7,100-horsepower Hardy Compressor Station.
    In conjunction with the Hardy Storage Project (as the separate 
Hardy Transmission Project), Columbia would install three segments of 
new 24-inch diameter loop \1\ (totaling approximately 30.2 miles) in 
Shenandoah, Rockingham, Page, and Greene Counties, Virginia, along 
Columbia's existing WB-2-VA line. Columbia would also install a new 
2.6-mile segment of 14-inch-diameter loop along Columbia's existing VM-
107 and VM-108 lines in Louisa County, Virginia,

[[Page 47193]]

extending from Columbia's existing Louisa Compressor Station to the 
south. In addition, Columbia would modify various appurtenances at the 
existing Bickers Compressor Station in Greene County, Virginia; 
Boswells Tavern Measuring and Regulating (M&R) Facility in Louisa 
County, Virginia; Manor Road M&R Facility in Baltimore County, 
Maryland; and the Lost River Compressor Station in Hardy County, West 
Virginia.
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    \1\ 1 A loop is a segment of pipeline that is installed adjacent 
to an existing pipeline and is connected to it on both ends. The 
loop allows more gas to be moved through the pipeline system.
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    The EA has been placed in the public files of FERC. A limited 
number of copies of the EA are available for distribution and public 
inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference 
Room, 888 First Street, NE. Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, 202-502-
8371.
    Copies of the EA have been mailed to federal, state, and local 
agencies, public interest groups, interested individuals, libraries, 
newspapers, and parties to this proceeding.
    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 Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 1, 
PJ-11.1;
     Reference Docket Nos. (Hardy Storage Company, LLC) Docket 
No. CP05-150-000, CP05-151-000, CP05-152-000, and (Columbia Gas 
Transmission Corporation) CP05-144-000;
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before September 6, 2005.
    Please note that the Commission encourages electronic filing of 
comments. See 18 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) 
and the instructions on the Commission's Internet Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the ``e-Filing'' 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.''
    Comments will be considered by the Commission but will not serve to 
make the commentor a party to the proceeding. Any person seeking to 
become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene 
pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedures (18 CFR 385.214).\2\ Only intervenors have the right to seek 
rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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    \2\ 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 comments considered.
    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., CP05-150) and follow 
the instructions. Searches may also be done using the phrase ``Hardy 
Storage'' in the ``Text Search'' field. For assistance with eLibrary, 
the eLibrary helpline can be reached at 1-866-208-3676, TTY (202) 502-
8659 or at [email protected]. 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 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. E5-4364 Filed 8-11-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P