[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 32 (Friday, February 16, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7646-7647]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-2695]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP06-446-000]


Gulf South Pipeline Company, LP; Notice of Availability of the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed East Texas to 
Mississippi Expansion Project

February 9, 2007.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared this Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Gulf South 
Pipeline Company, LP (Gulf South) under the above-referenced docket. 
Gulf South's East Texas to Mississippi Expansion Project (Project) 
would be located in various counties and parishes in eastern Texas, 
northern Louisiana, and western Mississippi.
    The Draft 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), National Park Service 
(NPS), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 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 transport up to 
1.7 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas from production fields in 
eastern Texas to markets in the Gulf coast, Midwestern, Northeastern 
and Southeastern regions of the United States.
    The Draft EIS addresses the potential environmental impacts 
resulting from the construction and operation of the following 
facilities:
     Approximately 240.0 miles of 42-inch-diameter natural gas 
pipeline extending easterly from DeSoto Parish, Louisiana to Simpson 
County, Mississippi;
     Approximately 3.3 miles of 36-inch-diameter natural gas 
pipeline extending northward from Gulf South's existing Carthage 
Junction Compressor Station in Panola County, Texas to interconnect 
with existing natural gas facilities within Panola County;
     Two new compressor stations, the Vixen and the Tallulah 
Compressor Stations, located in Ouachita and Madison Parishes, 
Louisiana, respectively;
     Modifications to three existing compressor stations, the 
Carthage Junction, Hall Summit, and McComb Compressor Stations in 
Panola, County, Texas, Bienville Parish, Louisiana and Walthall County, 
Mississippi, respectively; and
     Other ancillary facilities including six meter and 
regulator (M/R) facilities, eleven mainline valves, nine side valves, 
and six pig launcher and/or receiver facilities.
    Project construction would be initiated in May 2007 and completed 
by September 2007, at which point Gulf South would place the proposed 
Project in-service.

Comment Procedures and Public Meetings

    Any person wishing to comment on the Draft EIS may do so. To ensure 
that your comments are timely and properly recorded so that they may be 
considered in the Final EIS, 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 to the attention of Gas 
Branch 2, DG2E; and Reference Docket No. CP06-446-000 on the original 
and both copies.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before March 27, 2007.
    Please note that the Commission strongly encourages the electronic 
filing (``eFiling'') of comments. Instructions on how to ``eFile'' 
comments can be found on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the ``Documents and Filings'' link.
    In lieu of or in addition to sending written comments, we invite 
you to attend the public comment meetings the FERC will conduct in the 
project area to receive comments on the Draft EIS. All meetings will 
begin at 6 p.m. (CDT), and are scheduled as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Date and time                           Location
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Monday, February 26, 6 p.m...........  Minden American Legion Hall, 119
                                        Pine Street, Minden, LA 71055,
                                        (318) 371-3045.
Tuesday, February 27, 6 p.m..........  Ouachita Parish Public Library--
                                        Main Branch, 1800 Stubbs Avenue,
                                        Monroe, LA 71201, (318) 327-
                                        1490.
Thursday, March 1, 6 p.m.............  Vicksburg Convention Center, Room
                                        4, 1600 Mulberry Street,
                                        Vicksburg, MS 39180, (866) 822-
                                        6338.
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    The public comment meetings will be posted on the FERC's calendar 
located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx. 
Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend and present 
oral comments on the Draft EIS. Transcripts of the meetings will be 
prepared.
    After the comments received are reviewed, any significant new 
issues are investigated, and modifications are made to the Draft EIS, a 
Final EIS will be published and distributed by the FERC staff. The 
Final EIS will contain the staff's responses to timely comments 
received on the Draft EIS.
    Comments will be considered by the Commission but will not serve to 
make the commentor a party to the proceeding. Any person seeking to

[[Page 7647]]

become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene 
pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedures (18 CFR 385.214). Anyone may intervene in this proceeding 
based on this Draft EIS. You must file your request to intervene as 
specified above.\1\ You do not need intervenor status to have your 
comments considered.
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    \1\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the 
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing 
comments electronically.
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    The Draft 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 N.E., Room 2A, 
Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
    A limited number of copies of the Draft EIS are available from the 
Public Reference Room identified above. In addition, CD copies of the 
Draft 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 Draft EIS have 
also been mailed to those who requested that format during the scoping 
and comment periods for the proposed Project.
    Additional information about the proposed 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).
    To access information via the FERC Web site click on the 
``eLibrary'' link then click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket 
number excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field. Be 
sure you have selected an appropriate date range. The ``eLibrary'' link 
provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the 
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings. For assistance 
with ``eLibrary'', please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, 
contact (202) 502-8659.
    In addition, the Commission now offers a free service called 
eSubscription which 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 
these documents. To learn more about eSubscription and to sign-up for 
this service please go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7-2695 Filed 2-15-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P