[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 220 (Wednesday, November 15, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66513-66514]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-19219]



[[Page 66513]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF06-35-000]


Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Eastern Market 
Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

November 7, 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 Columbia Gas Transmission 
Corporation's (Columbia) planned Eastern Market Expansion Project 
located in certain counties in West Virginia, Virginia, and Ohio.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process we will 
use to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the 
project. Your input will help the Commission staff determine which 
issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that the scoping 
period will close on December 11, 2006.
    This notice is being sent to affected landowners; federal, state, 
and local government representatives and agencies; environmental and 
public interest groups; Native American tribes; other interested 
parties in this proceeding; and local libraries and newspapers. We 
encourage government representatives 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 Columbia representative about the acquisition of an easement to 
construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. Columbia 
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, Columbia could initiate condemnation 
proceedings in accordance with state law.
    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 website (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

    The planned Eastern Market Expansion Project consists of:
    (a) Expanding the existing Crawford Storage Field in Fairfield and 
Hocking Counties, Ohio;
    (b) Expanding the existing Coco Storage Field in Kanawha County, 
West Virginia;
    (c) Installing an additional 12,600 horsepower at four existing 
compressor stations in West Virginia; and
    (d) Constructing three sections of 26- to 36-inch-diameter pipeline 
loop totaling about 15.5 miles in Clay and Randolph Counties, West 
Virginia and Warren, Clarke, and Fauquier Counties, Virginia.
    A general overview map of the major project facilities is provided 
in Appendix 1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the 
Commission's Web site (excluding maps) at the ``eLibrary'' link or 
from the Commission's Public Reference Room or call (202) 502-8371. 
For instructions on connecting to eLibrary refer to the end of this 
notice. Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving 
this notice in the mail.
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    Columbia indicates that these facilities would provide an 
additional 97,050 dekatherms per day of storage deliverability and 
associated firm pipeline transportation capacity to four local gas 
distribution companies in the Mid-Atlantic region.
    Columbia anticipates filing an application with the FERC in March 
2007. If approved, Columbia would seek approval to begin construction 
by April 1, 2008, with a proposed in-service date of April 1, 2009.

Land Requirements

    Construction of the project facilities would disturb about 327 
acres of land. Following construction, about 272 acres of the total 
would be retained for the operation of the pipeline and the aboveground 
facilities. Columbia currently plans to use a nominal right-of-way 
(ROW) width of 75 feet to construct its pipelines, with occasional 
increases in width for additional workspace at waterbody, wetland, 
road, and railroad crossings. For operation of the pipeline facilities, 
Columbia plans to use a 70-foot-wide permanent ROW. Temporary extra 
workspaces may also be required in areas with site-specific 
constraints, such as side-slope construction and areas needed for pipe 
storage and equipment yards. The well connect lines at the Coco and 
Crawford Storage Fields would require a ROW width of 50 feet for 
construction, with the same width maintained as permanent ROW for 
operation. For new well installation at the Coco and Crawford Storage 
Fields, a 400-foot-by-400-foot work area would be utilized while for 
reconditioned wells a 300-foot-by-300-foot work area would be used. 
After installation, a 300-foot-radius buffer would be associated with 
each well.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
information provided by Columbia. This list of issues may be changed 
based on your comments and our analysis:
     Impacts on residential areas;
     The effect of blasting on groundwater;
     Potential noise impacts associated with construction and 
operation;
     Difficult ROW restoration in areas of side-slope 
construction; and
     Impact on visual resources due to vegetation clearing to 
create a new ROW.

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 Eastern Market 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 (PF06-35-000) has 
been established to place information filed by Columbia, 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

[[Page 66514]]

EA. We will consider all comments received during scoping in the 
preparation of the EA.
    Staff's independent analysis and evaluation of the issues will be 
included in the EA. The EA will also include possible alternatives to 
the proposed project or portions of the project, and will make 
recommendations on how to lessen or avoid impacts on the various 
resource areas of concern. 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 groups; other interested parties; affected landowners; Native 
American tribes; libraries, and newspapers; and the Commission's 
official service list for this proceeding. A 30-day comment period will 
be allotted for review of the EA, if it is published.
    FERC staff will be involved in discussions with other 
jurisdictional agencies to identify their issues and concerns. These 
agencies include the National Park Service; U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (West Virginia, Virginia, and Ohio Field Offices); U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers (Huntington, Pittsburgh, and Norfolk Districts); 
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection; West Virginia 
Department of Natural Resources; West Virginia State Historic 
Preservation Office (SHPO); Virginia Marine Resource Commission; 
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation; Virginia Department 
of Environmental Quality; Virginia Game and Inland Fisheries; Virginia 
SHPO; Ohio Environmental Protection Agency; Ohio Department of Natural 
Resources; and Ohio SHPO. By this notice, we are asking these and other 
federal, state, and local agencies with jurisdiction and/or special 
expertise with respect to environmental issues to formally enter 
cooperating agency status 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.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the proposal. Your comments should focus on 
the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, 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, DG2E;
     Reference Docket No. PF06-35-000 on the original and both 
copies; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before December 11, 2006.
    Please note that the Commission encourages electronic filing of 
comments. See 18 Code of Federal Regulations 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. 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 Columbia submits its application for authorization to 
construct and operate the Eastern Market 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

    The determination of whether to distribute the EA for public 
comment will be based on the response to this notice. If the EA is 
published and you are interested in receiving it, please return the 
Information Request (Appendix 2).

Availability of Additional Information

    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 a docket number field (i.e., PF06-35-
000), and follow the instructions. Searches may also be done using the 
phrase ``Eastern Market Expansion Project'' in the Text Search field. 
For assistance with access to eLibrary, the 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 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 the eSubscription 
link in the FERC Internet Web site.
    Public meetings or site visits will be posted on the Commission's 
calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/
EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-19219 Filed 11-14-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P