[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 28 (Friday, February 10, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7032-7033]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1857]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF06-2-000]


Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Potomac Expansion 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

February 3, 2006.
    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) proposed Potomac Expansion Project involving 
construction and operation of facilities in Pittsylvania, Campbell, and 
Fairfax Counties, Virginia. This EA will be used by the Commission in 
its decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the 
public convenience and necessity.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process that the 
Commission will use to gather environmental input from the public and 
interested agencies on the Potomac Expansion Project. Your input will 
help determine which issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note 
that the scoping period will close on March 17, 2006. Details on how to 
submit comments are provided in the Public Participation section of 
this notice.
    This notice is being sent to 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.
    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.
    With this notice, we \1\ are asking other federal, state, local, 
and tribal agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with 
respect to environmental issues to 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.
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    \1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects.
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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 Internet 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 FERC's proceedings.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Transco proposes to expand its existing pipeline facilities in 
Pittsylvania and Campbell Counties, Virginia and replace a portion of 
an existing natural gas pipeline in Fairfax County, Virginia (see map 
in Appendix A \2\). The expansion would consist primarily of looping 
\3\ Transco's existing pipeline system for about 21.2 miles and 
replacement of about 3.4 miles of pipeline. The Potomac Expansion 
Project is proposed to begin construction in March 2007 and place 
facilities in service by November 2007, contingent on the project being 
certificated.
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    \2\ The appendix referenced in this notice is not being printed 
in the Federal Register. Copies are available from the Commission's 
Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, at (202) 502-8371. 
For instructions on connecting to eLibrary refer to the public 
participation section of this notice.
    \3\ A loop is a segment of pipeline that is usually installed 
adjacent to an existing pipeline and connected to it at both ends. 
The loop allows more gas to be moved through the system.
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    Specifically, Transco seeks authority to construct and operate the 
following facilities:
     Pipeline Facilities

--About 17.2 miles of 42-inch-diameter loop in Pittsylvania County, 
Virginia.
--About 4.0 miles of 42-inch-diameter loop in Campbell County, 
Virginia.
--Replace 3.4 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipeline with 42-inch-diameter 
pipeline in Fairfax County, Virginia.

     Miscellaneous facilities

--Mainline valve (MLV) setting and pig launcher and receiver in 
Pittsylvania County, Virginia.
--MLV setting and pig launcher in Campbell County, Virginia.
--MLV setting and pig launcher and receiver in Fairfax County, 
Virginia.

The EA Process

    The FERC will be the lead federal agency for the preparation of the 
EA. The document will satisfy the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Potomac Expansion Project is in 
the preliminary design state.
    For this project, the FERC staff has initiated its NEPA review 
prior to receiving the application. The purpose of the Commission's 
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. A docket number (PF06-2-000) has 
been established to place information filed by Transco, and related 
documents issued by the Commission, into the public record. Once a 
formal application is filed with the FERC, a new docket number will be 
established.
    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, we are 
requesting public comments on the scope of the issues that should be 
addressed in the EA. We will consider all comments received during 
scoping in the preparation of the EA.
    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; elected 
officials; environmental and public interest

[[Page 7033]]

groups; other interested parties; affected landowners; Native American 
tribes; libraries, and newspapers; 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.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the proposal. 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 the 
Gas Branch 1, DG2E; and
     Reference Docket No. PF06-2-000 on the original and both 
copies.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before March 17, 2006.
    The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments. See Title 
18 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the 
instructions on the Commission's internet website 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 Potomac 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 received this notice, you are on the environmental mailing 
list for the Potomac Expansion Project and will continue to receive 
project updates including the EA. If you want your contact information 
corrected or you do not want to remain on our mailing list, please 
return the Correct or Remove From Mailing List Form included as 
Appendix B.
    To reduce printing and mailing costs, the EA may be issued in both 
CD-ROM and hard copy formats. The FERC strongly encourages the use of 
the CD-ROM format in its publication of documents. If you wish to 
receive a paper copy of the EA instead of a CD-ROM, you must indicate 
that choice on the return postcard (Appendix B).

Availability of 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 (i.e., PF06-2). 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 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.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E6-1857 Filed 2-9-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P