[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 234 (Wednesday, December 7, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72820-72822]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-6934]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP06-16-000]


Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Station 50 
Horsepower Replacement Project and Request for Comments on 
Environmental Issues

November 28, 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 Station 50 Horsepower 
Replacement Project involving abandonment, construction, and operation 
of facilities by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation (Transco) 
in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana.\1\ These facilities would consist of 
(a) abandonment by removal of two 6,250-horsepower (hp) turbine/
compressor units, and (b) installation of one 10,310-hp turbine/
compressor unit. This EA will be used by the Commission in its 
decisionmaking process to determine whether the project is in the 
public convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ Transco'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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    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 December 22, 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; and 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.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility on My Land? What Do I Need to Know?'' should have been 
attached to the project notice Transco 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 also is available for viewing on the FERC Internet Web 
site (http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Transco is seeking authorization to improve the facilities at 
Compressor Station 50 in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, by performing 
the following activities: (a) Abandonment by removal of two existing 
6,520-hp turbine/compressor units, and (b) installation of one new 
10,310-hp turbine/compressor unit. The old units, which Transco 
describes as obsolete and cumbersome to operate, would be removed as 
would the associated enclosures, building, equipment, piping, 
utilities, and controls. The new unit would be installed in a new 
building with associated interconnecting piping, equipment, utilities, 
and controls.
    The location of the project facilities is shown in Appendix 1.\2\
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    \2\ The appendix referenced in this notice is not being printed 
in the Federal Register. A copy of this notice is available on the 
Commission's website at the ``eLibrary'' link or from the 
Commission's Public Reference Room, 888 First St. NE., Washington, 
DC 20426, or call (202) 502-8371. For instructions on connecting to 
eLibrary refer to the end of this notice. Copies of the appendix 
were sent to all those receiving this notice in the mail.

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[[Page 72821]]

Land Requirements for Construction

    Transco states that all proposed activities associated with this 
project would occur within the boundaries of the existing Compressor 
Station 50 property. The facilities at this station are located within 
a fenced area of approximately 28 acres. No new land would be required 
for this project. The proposed new compressor building would be 
approximately 51 feet by 67 feet, and approximately 3.4 acres of the 
existing property would be affected by the installation activity. All 
land disturbed by construction that is not covered by the new 
compressor building will be returned to its current condition (grass).
    Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 4.4 
acres of land. No new pipeline rights-of-way, extra work/staging areas, 
access roads, or pipe/contractor yards would be required for the 
proposed project.

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. 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.
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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.
    To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the 
instructions in the public participation section.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    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 Transco. This preliminary 
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     The revision of the Unanticipated Discovery Plan.
     Impacts on Air Quality and Noise.

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 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. CP06-16-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before December 22, 2005.
    We will include all comments that we receive within a reasonable 
time frame in our environmental analysis of this project. To expedite 
our receipt and consideration of your comments, the Commission strongly 
encourages electronic submission of any comments or interventions or 
protests to this proceeding. See Title 18 Code of Federal Regulations 
(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 submit comments, you will need to 
create a free account which can be created on-line by clicking ``Sign-
up'' under ``New User.'' You will be asked to select the type of 
submission you are making. This type of submission is considered a 
``Comment on Filing.''
    We may mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in receiving 
it, please return the Information Request (Appendix 2). 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, or ``intervenor.'' 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). Intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the 
Commission's decision. Motions to Intervene should be electronically 
submitted using the Commission's eFiling system at http://www.ferc.gov. 
Persons without Internet access should send an original and 14 copies 
of their motion to the Secretary of the Commission at the address 
indicated previously. Persons filing Motions to Intervene on or before 
the comment deadline indicated above must send a copy of the motion to 
the Applicant. All filings, including late interventions, submitted 
after the comment deadline must be served on the Applicant and all 
other intervenors identified on the Commission's service list for this 
proceeding. Persons on the service list with e-mail addresses may be 
served electronically; others must be served a hard copy of the filing.
    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

[[Page 72822]]

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. To register for this service, go to the eSubscription 
link on the FERC Internet Web site.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-6934 Filed 12-6-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P