[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 209 (Monday, October 30, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63307-63309]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-18138]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

 [Docket No. CP06-452-000]


Trunkline Gas Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Field Zone Expansion Project 
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

October 24, 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 constructing and operating 
Trunkline Gas Company LLC's (Trunkline) proposed Field Zone Expansion 
Project.
    The Field Zone Expansion Project would include the abandonment, 
removal, relocation, installation, modification, construction and 
operation of natural gas pipeline facilities in Texas, Louisiana and 
Illinois to increase the capacity of Trunkline's existing pipeline 
system and allow for the flow of natural gas from expanding gas 
production in Texas to delivery points in Louisiana. Specifically, 
Trunkline is seeking authority to undertake the following activities:

Texas and Louisiana

     Construct the 45-mile-long 36-inch-diameter NTX Line 100-2 
Loop natural gas pipeline and associated facilities from the Gate Valve 
43 in Jasper County, Texas to the Longville Meter Station in Beauregard 
Parish, Louisiana, running through Jasper and Newton Counties, Texas 
and Beauregard Parish, Louisiana.

Texas

     Construct a metering station in Hardin County, Texas;
     Construct a metering station in either Hardin or Jasper 
Counties, Texas;
     Construct a metering station in Liberty County, Texas; and
     Replace by abandonment a 6,350-horsepower (hp) gas-turbine 
centrifugal compressor unit with a new 10,350-hp electric motor-driven 
compressor unit for a total of 10,350-hp of compression at the Kountze 
Compressor Station in Hardin County, Texas.

Louisiana

     Construct approximately 13.5 miles of 36-inch-diameter 
natural gas pipeline, known as the Henry Hub Lateral and associated 
facilities in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana;
     Construct two bi-directional metering stations in 
Vermilion Parish, Louisiana;
     Relocate two 3,000-hp compressor units from the 
Centerville Compressor Station to the Kaplan Compressor Station in 
Vermilion Parish, Louisiana; and
     Install a 10,350-hp compressor unit at the Longview 
Compressor Station in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana.

Illinois

     Remove a 3,000-hp compressor unit at the Joppa Compressor 
Station in Massac County, Illinois; modify it and uprate to 5,100-hp, 
and then re-install it at the Kaplan Compressor Station in Louisiana.
    A map depicting Trunkline's proposed facilities is provided in 
Appendix 1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not be printed 
in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the Commission's 
Web site (excluding maps) at http://www.ferc.gov or from the 
Commission's Public Reference Room--(202) 502-8371.
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    Construction of these facilities would require the temporary use of 
approximately 800 acres of land. Operation of these facilities would 
require the permanent use of approximately 300 acres of land. 
Approximately 500 acres of land would not be permanently affected by 
operation of these facilities and would be restored and/or allowed to 
revert to their previous use.
    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted 
by a Trunkline representative about the acquisition of an easement to 
support this project. Trunkline would seek to negotiate a mutually 
acceptable agreement for any easement; however, if the project is 
approved by the Commission, this approval conveys with it the right of 
eminent domain. If easement negotiations between you and Trunkline 
fail, it would have the authority to initiate condemnation proceedings.
    A fact sheet prepared by the Commission entitled ``An Interstate 
Natural Gas Facility on my Land? What do I need to know?'' should have 
been attached to the project notice provided to landowners by 
Trunkline. 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. This fact sheet is also available 
online at http://www.ferc.gov.

The Environmental Assessment Process

    The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the 
Commission to

[[Page 63308]]

consider the environmental impacts of a proposed project whenever it 
considers the issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience and 
Necessity as has been requested by Trunkline. NEPA also requires the 
Commission to undertake a process to identify and address concerns the 
public may have about proposed projects. This process is commonly 
referred to as ``scoping''. The main goal of the ``scoping'' process is 
to identify public concerns and then address them in the environmental 
assessment. By this Notice of Intent, the Commission requests public 
comments on environmental issues that should be addressed in the 
environmental assessment.
    The Commission's staff will prepare an environmental assessment 
that will discuss the potential environmental impacts resulting from 
the proposed project under the following general headings:
     Geology and Soils.
     Water Resources and Wetlands.
     Fisheries, Vegetation and Wildlife.
     Threatened and Endangered Species.
     Air Quality and Noise.
     Land Use.
     Cultural Resources.
     Pipeline safety and reliability.
    The Commission's staff will also evaluate possible alternatives to 
the proposed project or portions of the project and make 
recommendations on how to lessen or avoid impacts to the identified 
environmental resources.
    Upon completion of the staff's environmental assessment and 
depending on the issues identified and/or comments received during the 
``scoping'' process, the EA may be published and mailed to Federal, 
State and local government agencies; elected officials; environmental 
and public interest groups; affected landowners; other interested 
parties; local libraries and newspapers; and the Commission's official 
service list for this proceeding. A 30-day comment period would be 
allotted for review of the EA if it is published. Staff would consider 
all comments submitted concerning the EA before making their 
recommendations to the Commission.
    To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the 
instructions in the public participation section of this notice.
    Federal, state, or local agencies wishing to participate in the 
development of the environmental assessment may request ``cooperating 
agency'' status. Cooperating agencies are encouraged to participate in 
the scoping process and provide us with written comments concerning the 
proposed project. Cooperating agencies are also welcome to suggest 
format and content changes that will make it easier for them to adopt 
the EA; however, we will decide what modifications will be adopted in 
light of our production constraints. Agencies wanting to participate as 
a cooperating agency should send a letter describing the extent to 
which they would like to be involved in the development of this EA. 
Please submit these letters as indicated in the public participation 
section of this notice.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the proposed project. By becoming a 
commentor, your comments and concerns will be addressed in the EA and 
considered by the Commission. The more specific your comments, the more 
useful they will be. Generally, comments are submitted regarding the 
potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives and measures 
to avoid or lessen environmental impact.
    This notice and request for environmental comments is being sent to 
affected landowners; Federal, State and local government 
representatives and agencies; environmental and public interest groups; 
other interested parties in this proceeding; and local libraries and 
newspapers. We encourage government representatives to notify their 
constituents of this notice and to encourage their comments concerning 
this proposed project.
    To ensure that your comments are properly recorded, please mail 
them to our office on or before November 27, 2006. When filing comments 
please:
     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 your comments to the attention of Gas 
Branch 2, DG2E; and Reference Docket No. CP06-452-000 on the original 
and both copies.
    Please note that the Commission encourages the electronic filing of 
comments. To file electronic comments online please see the 
instructions \2\ on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov. 
When filing electronic comments, prepare your submission in the same 
manner as you would if filing on paper and save it to a file on your 
hard drive. Please note before you can file electronic comments with 
the Commission you will need to create a free online account.
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    \2\ 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii).
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Environmental Mailing List

    An effort has been made to send this notice to all individuals, 
organizations, and government entities that might be interested in and/
or potentially affected by the proposed project. This includes all 
landowners who are potential right-of-way grantors, landowners whose 
property may be used temporarily for project purposes, and landowners 
with homes within distances defined in the Commission's regulations of 
certain aboveground facilities.
    If you would like to remain on the environmental mailing list for 
this proposed project, please return the Mailing List Retention Form 
found in Appendix 2. If you do not comment on this project or return 
this form, you will be taken off of the staff's environmental 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, an ``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.

Availability of Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the

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Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208 FERC (3372) or 
through the Commission's ``eLibrary'' which can be found online at 
http://www.ferc.gov. For assistance with the Commission's ``eLibrary'', 
the helpline can be reached at 1-866-208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or 
at FERCOnlineSupport@ ferc.gov.
    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.
    If applicable, public meetings or site visits associated with this 
proposed project will be posted on the Commission's calendar which can 
be found online at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E6-18138 Filed 10-27-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P