[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 164 (Thursday, August 24, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50059-50060]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-14012]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP06-85-000]


CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission Company; Notice of 
Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Proposed Carthage to Perryville Project

August 18, 2006.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared this Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by CenterPoint 
Energy Gas Transmission (CEGT) under the above-referenced docket. 
CEGT's Carthage to Perryville Project (Project) would be located in 
various counties and parishes in eastern Texas and northern Louisiana.
    The Final EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act. The FERC staff concludes that the 
proposed Project, with the appropriate mitigation measures as 
recommended, would have limited adverse environmental impact.
    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers (COE) are Federal cooperating agencies for the development of 
this EIS. A Federal cooperating agency has jurisdiction by law or 
special expertise with respect to any environmental impact involved 
with the proposal and is involved in the NEPA analysis.
    The general purpose of the proposed Project is to facilitate the 
transport of up to 1.2 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas 
received from production areas in eastern Texas, as well as northern 
Louisiana, to markets in the Midwest and Northeastern regions of the 
United States that can be accessed through interconnects with existing 
pipeline infrastructure.
    The Final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of 
construction and operation of the following facilities:
     About 172.1 miles of 42-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline 
in Panola County, Texas, and Caddo, DeSoto, Red River, Bienville, 
Jackson, Ouachita, and Richland Parishes, Louisiana;
     Two new, 20,620 horsepower (hp) gas-turbine-driven 
compressor stations, the Panola and Vernon Compressor Stations, located 
in Panola County, Texas, and Jackson Parish, Louisiana, respectively;
     Two meter and regulator stations at receipt points with 
three intrastate pipelines, including:

--Houston Pipe Line (HPL) Meter/Regulator (M/R) Station in Panola 
County, Texas;
--Duke Energy Field Services-Enbridge M/R Station in Panola County, 
Texas;

     Four new meter and regulator stations at interconnects 
with existing interstate pipelines, including:

--Texas Gas M/R Station in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana;
--ANR M/R Station in Richland Parish, Louisiana;
--Trunkline M/R Station in Richland Parish, Louisiana;
--Columbia Gulf M/R Station in Richland Parish, Louisiana;

     11 mainline valves; and
     Four pig launcher/receiver facilities associated with the 
Panola and Vernon Compressor Stations and the HPL and Columbia Gulf M/R 
Stations.
    CEGT proposes to construct its pipeline facilities in two phases. 
Construction of Phase I would be initiated in October 2006 and 
completed by February 2007, at which point CEGT would place the 
proposed Project in-service. Under Phase I, a single, 10,310-hp turbine 
compressor would be installed at each compressor station. Under Phase 
II, a second compressor would be installed to bring the total installed 
compression at each facility to 20,620 hp. CEGT indicates that Phase II 
facilities would be installed and operational by October 2008.
    The Final EIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC and 
is available for public inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE., Room 2A, 
Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
    A limited number of copies of the Final EIS are available from the 
Public Reference Room identified above. In addition, CD copies of the 
Final EIS have been mailed to affected landowners; various Federal, 
state, and local government agencies; elected officials; environmental 
and public interest groups; Native American tribes; local libraries and 
newspapers; intervenors; and other individuals that expressed an 
interest in the proposed Project. Hard-copies of the Final EIS have 
also been mailed to those who requested that format during the scoping 
and comment periods for the proposed Project.
    In accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ)

[[Page 50060]]

regulations implementing NEPA, no agency decision on a proposed action 
may be made until 30 days after the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) publishes a notice of availability of a Final EIS. 
However, the CEQ regulations provide an exception to this rule when an 
agency decision is subject to a formal internal process that allows 
other agencies or the public to make their views known. In such cases, 
the agency decision may be made at the same time the notice of the 
Final EIS is published, allowing both periods to run concurrently. 
Should the FERC issue CEGT authorizations for the proposed Project, it 
would be subject to a 30-day rehearing period. Therefore, the 
Commission could issue its decision concurrently with the EPA's notice 
of availability.
    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'' and enter the project docket number 
excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP06-85) 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 TTY (202) 
502-8659. 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.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E6-14012 Filed 8-23-06; 8:45 am]
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