[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 238 (Tuesday, December 12, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74512-74515]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-21052]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF06-34-000]


Ozark Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed East End Expansion 
Project, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

December 4, 2006.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that 
will identify and address the environmental impacts that could result 
from the construction and operation of the East End Expansion Project 
proposed by Ozark Gas Transmission, LLC (OGT).
    In order to assist staff with the identification of environmental 
issues and to comply with the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), a scoping period has been 
opened to receive comments on the proposed project. Please note that 
the scoping period for this project will close on January 31, 2007.
    Comments may be submitted in written form or verbally. Further 
details on how to submit written comments are provided in the Public 
Participation section of this notice. In lieu of sending written 
comments, we invite you to attend the public scoping meetings that will 
be scheduled in mid January across the project region. A second notice 
will

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be issued in December to provide the meeting date, time, and locations.
    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. We encourage government 
representatives to notify their constituents of this planned project 
and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern. Details on how 
to submit comments are provided in the Public Participation section of 
this notice.
    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted 
by an OGT representative about the acquisition of an easement to 
construct, operate, and maintain the proposed project facilities. The 
pipeline company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable 
agreement. However, if the project is approved by the FERC, 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.
    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

    OGT proposes to construct, own, operate, and maintain a natural gas 
pipeline to provide incremental multiyear shipper requirements due to 
expected regional supply and market growth. OGT indicates that the 
proposed facilities form the basis of an incremental project that is 
designed to optimize the placement of facilities to meeting short term 
volume growth requirements while taking into consideration a long term 
design to meet future anticipated transporter volume growth to 2026. 
The proposed pipeline would originate at the proposed Wonderview 
Compressor Station near Wonderview in Conway County, Arkansas along OGT 
existing pipeline right-of-way to Searcy, Arkansas and extend to a 
terminus at the interconnection with an existing interstate pipeline 
located near Banner in Calhoun County, Mississippi.
    The general location of the proposed pipeline is shown in the 
figure included as Appendix 1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register.
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    The East End Expansion Project facilities under FERC jurisdiction 
would include:
     Approximately 225 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline 
extension (East End Expansion) and looping beginning in Conway County, 
Arkansas and ending in Calhoun County, Mississippi;
     Approximately 8 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline 
extension (Noark Extension) from the existing Noark to the proposed 
Wonderview Compressor Station all within Conway County, Arkansas;
     Three compressor stations--Wonderview, Searcy, and Helena 
Compressor Stations in Conway, White, and Phillips County, Arkansas, 
respectively each with two 10,000-horsepower (hp) electric drive 
compressors;
     Five new gas meter stations at interconnects with existing 
interstate pipelines, including:

--Texas Gas Meter Station in Coahoma County, Mississippi;
--ANR Meter Station in Panola County, Mississippi;
--Trunkline Meter Station in Panola County, Mississippi;
--Tennessee Gas Meter Station in Panola County, Mississippi;
--Columbia Gulf Meter Station in Calhoun County, Mississippi;

     Interconnections between the OGT existing 16-inch-diameter 
pipeline (Noark) and the OGT existing 20-inch-diameter pipeline; and
     Four pig launching and receiving facilities (one on the 
24-inch-diameter line and three on the 36-inch diameter line), 24-inch 
side valve on the 36-inch diameter line, and 14 mainline valves.
    The project would be designed and constructed to receive and 
transport about 1.0 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. OGT 
proposes to have the project constructed and operational by December 
2008.

Land Requirements for Construction

    As proposed, the typical construction right-of-way for the project 
pipeline would be 115-feet-wide for the 36-inch-diameter pipeline and 
115-feet-wide for the 24-inch-diameter pipeline. Following 
construction, OGT would retain a 75-foot-wide permanent right-of-way 
for operation of the project. Additional, temporary extra workspaces 
beyond the typical construction right-of-way limits would be required 
at certain feature crossings (e.g., roads, railroads, wetlands, or 
waterbodies), in areas with steep side slopes, or in association with 
special construction techniques.
    Based on preliminary information, construction of the proposed 
project facilities would affect a total of about 3,414 acres of land. 
Following construction, about 2,118 acres would be maintained as 
permanent right-of-way, and about 126 acres of land would be maintained 
as new aboveground facility sites. The remaining 1,170 acres of 
temporary workspace (including all temporary construction rights-of-
way, extra workspaces, and pipe storage and contractor yards) would be 
restored and allowed to revert to its former use.

The EIS Process

    NEPA requires the Commission to take into account the environmental 
impacts that could result from an action when it considers whether or 
not an interstate natural gas pipeline should be approved. The FERC 
will use the EIS to consider the environmental impact that could result 
if the OGT project is authorized under section 7 of the Natural Gas 
Act. NEPA also requires us to discover and address concerns the public 
may have about proposals to be considered by the Commission. This 
process is referred to as ``scoping.'' The main goal of the scoping 
process is to focus the analysis in the EIS on the important 
environmental issues. With this Notice of Intent, the Commission staff 
is requesting public comments on the scope of the issues to be 
addressed in the EIS. All comments received will be considered during 
preparation of the EIS.
    In the EIS we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the proposed project under these 
general headings:
     Geology and soils;
     Water resources;
     Wetlands and vegetation;
     Fish and wildlife;
     Threatened and endangered species;
     Land use, recreation, and visual resources;
     Air quality and noise;
     Cultural resources;
     Socioeconomics;
     Reliability and safety; and
     Cumulative impacts.
    In the EIS, 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 affected resources.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be included in a draft 
EIS. The draft EIS will be mailed to federal,

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state, and local government agencies; elected officials; environmental 
and public interest groups; Native American tribes; affected 
landowners; commentors; other interested parties; local libraries and 
newspapers; and the FERC's official service list for this proceeding. A 
45-day comment period will be allotted for review of the draft EIS. We 
will consider all comments on the draft EIS and revise the document, as 
necessary, before issuing a final EIS. We will consider all comments on 
the final EIS before we make our recommendations to the Commission. To 
ensure that your comments are considered, please follow the 
instructions in the Public Participation section of this notice.
    Although no formal application has been filed, the FERC staff has 
already initiated its NEPA review under the Commission's Pre-filing 
Process. The purpose of the Pre-filing Process is to encourage the 
early involvement of interested stakeholders and to identify and 
resolve issues before an application is filed with the FERC.
    With this notice, we are asking federal, state, and local 
governmental agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with 
respect to environmental issues, especially those identified in 
Appendix 2, to express their interest in becoming cooperating agencies 
for the preparation of the EIS. These agencies may choose to 
participate once they have evaluated the proposal relative to their 
responsibilities. Agencies that would like to request cooperating 
status should follow the instructions for filing comments provided in 
Appendix 2.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    The EIS will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the 
construction and operation of the proposed project. We have already 
identified several issues that we think deserve attention based on a 
preliminary review of the project site and the facility information 
provided by OGT. This preliminary list of issues may be changed based 
on your comments and our analysis.
     Potential effects on prime farmland and erodable soils.
     Potential impacts to perennial and intermittent 
waterbodies, including waterbodies with federal and/or state 
designations/protections.
     Evaluation of temporary and permanent impacts on wetlands 
and development of appropriate mitigation.
     Potential impacts to fish and wildlife habitat, including 
potential impacts to federally and state-listed threatened and 
endangered species.
     Potential visual effects of the aboveground facilities on 
surrounding areas.
     Potential impacts and potential benefits of construction 
workforce on local housing, infrastructure, public services, and 
economy.
     Potential impacts to local air and noise quality 
associated with construction and operation.
     Public safety and potential hazards associated with the 
transport of natural gas.
     Alternative alignments for the pipeline route and 
alternative sites for the compressor stations.

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 concerns will be addressed in the EIS and considered by 
the Commission. Your comments should focus on the potential 
environmental effects, reasonable alternatives (including alternative 
facility sites and pipeline routes), and measures to avoid or lessen 
environmental impact. The more specific your comments, the more useful 
they will be. To ensure that your comments are timely and properly 
recorded, please carefully follow these instructions:
     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 for the attention of Gas 
Branch 2, DG2E.
     Reference Docket No. PF06-34-000 on the original and both 
copies.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before January 31, 2007.
    Please note that we are continuing to experience delays in mail 
deliveries from the U.S. Postal Service. As a result, we will include 
all comments that we receive within a reasonable time frame in our 
environmental analysis of this project. The Commission strongly 
encourages electronic filing of any comments in response to this Notice 
of Intent. For information on electronically filing comments, please 
see the instructions on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov.
    The public scoping meetings (dates, times, and locations) will be 
provided at a later date in a separate notice. Scoping meetings are 
designed to provide another opportunity to offer comments on the 
proposed project. Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to 
attend the meetings and to present comments on the environmental issues 
they believe should be addressed in the EIS. A transcript of each 
meeting will be generated so that your comments will be accurately 
recorded.
    Once OGT formally files its application with the Commission, you 
may want to become an official party to the proceeding known as an 
``intervenor.'' Intervenors play a more formal role in the process and 
are able to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be heard by the courts 
if they choose to appeal the Commission's final ruling. An intervenor 
formally participates in a Commission proceeding by filing a request to 
intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are included in the 
User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web site. 
Please note that you may not request intervenor status at this time. 
You must wait until a formal application is filed with the Commission.

Environmental Mailing List

    An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals, 
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially 
affected by the proposed project. This includes all landowners who are 
potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used temporarily 
for project purposes, or who own homes within distances defined in the 
Commission's regulations of certain aboveground facilities.
    If you received this notice, you are on the environmental mailing 
list for this project. If you do not want to send comments at this 
time, but still want to remain on our mailing list, please return the 
Information Request (Appendix 3). If you do not return the Information 
Request, you will be removed from the Commission's environmental 
mailing list.

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. The ``eLibrary link'' 
on the FERC Web site provides access to documents submitted to and 
issued by the Commission, such as comments, orders, notices and 
rulemakings. Once on the FERC Web site, click on the ``eLibrary link,'' 
select ``General Search'' and in the ``Docket Number'' field enter the 
project docket number excluding the last three digits (PF06-34). When 
researching information be sure to select an appropriate date range. In 
addition, the FERC now offers a free e-mail

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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.
    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.
    For assistance with the FERC Web site or with eSubscription, please 
contact FERC Online Support at [email protected] or toll free 
at 1-866-208-3676, or TTY, contact (202) 502-8659.
    Finally, OGT has established an Internet Web site for this project 
at http://[email protected]. The Web 
site includes a description of the project, a map of the proposed 
pipeline route, and answers to frequently asked questions. You can also 
request additional information or provide comments directly to OGT 
thorough their Operations Communication Center at 1-888-593-8207.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-21052 Filed 12-11-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P