[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 155 (Monday, August 13, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45239-45241]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-15800]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP07-414-000]


Golden Triangle Storage, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Golden Triangle Storage 
Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of 
Public Scoping Meeting and Site Visit

August 7, 2007.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will

[[Page 45240]]

discuss the environmental impacts of the proposed Golden Triangle 
Storage Project, which involves construction and operation of natural 
gas storage facilities in Jefferson and Orange Counties, Texas. This 
notice announces the opening of the scoping period that will be used to 
gather environmental 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 September 6, 2007.
    Comments may be submitted in written form or verbally. Further 
details on how to submit written comments are provided in the Public 
Participation portion of this notice. In addition to or in lieu of 
sending written comments, we invite you to attend the public scoping 
meeting at the location listed below.

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             Date and time                           Location
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Tuesday, August 28, 2007, 7-10 pm (CST)  Lamar University, Mary & John
                                          Gray Library, 4400 MLK Blvd,
                                          Beaumont, TX 77710.
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    Public scoping meetings are designed to provide state and local 
agencies, interested groups, affected landowners, and the general 
public with another opportunity to offer comments on the project. 
Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend the meeting 
and to present comments on the environmental issues they believe should 
be addressed in the EA.
    With this notice, we \1\ are asking other federal, state, local, 
and tribal agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with 
respect to environmental issues to cooperate 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.
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    \1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted 
by a Golden Triangle Storage, Inc. (GTS) representative about the 
acquisition of an easement to construct, operate, and maintain the 
proposed facilities. The company 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, GTS 
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?'' addresses a number 
of typically asked questions, including the use of eminent domain and 
how to participate in the Commission's proceedings. It is available for 
viewing on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    GTS seeks authorization to construct a new natural gas storage 
facility in Jefferson and Orange Counties, Texas. The Golden Triangle 
Storage Project would consist of developing two 8.0-billion-cubic-feet 
storage caverns; two parallel 7.45-mile-long, 24-inch-diameter 
pipelines; 1.45 miles of additional 24-inch-diameter pipeline; six 
associated meter stations; a 14,205 horsepower compressor station; up 
to five brine disposal wells; a brine disposal pipeline; a freshwater 
pipeline; and other appurtenant facilities.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed project would affect a total of about 
190.8 acres during construction. Following construction, about 67.5 
acres would be allowed to revert to its previous conditions.
    GTS proposes to construct its two parallel 24-inch-diameter 
pipelines in a 100-foot-wide construction right-of-way, and would 
maintain a 75-foot-wide permanent right-of-way for operation and 
maintenance. A 75-foot-wide construction right-of-way would be required 
for the additional 1.45-mile-long 24-inch-diameter pipeline. GTS would 
maintain a 50-foot-wide permanent right-of-way for operation and 
maintenance of this segment.

The EA Process

    We are preparing the EA to comply with the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) which 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, we are requesting public comments on the scope of the 
issues to address in the EA. All comments received will be considered 
during the preparation of the EA.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the EA. 
Depending on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA 
may be published and mailed to federal, state, and local agencies; 
public interest groups; interested individuals; affected landowners; 
newspapers and libraries in the project area; and the Commission's 
official service list for this proceeding. A comment period will be 
allotted for public review if the EA is published. We will consider all 
comments on the EA before we make our recommendations to the 
Commission.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commenter, your 
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission. 
Your comments should focus on the potential environmental effects of 
the proposal, reasonable alternatives to the proposal (including 
alternative locations and routes), 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: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 1;
     Reference Docket No. CP07-414-000;
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before September 6, 2007.
    Please note that the Commission strongly encourages electronic 
filing of comments. See Title 18 of the Code of Federal Regulations, 
Part 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) (18 CFR 385.2001 (a)(1)(iii))and the 
instructions on the Commission's Internet Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the ``eFiling'' link and the link to the User's 
Guide. Prepare your submission in the same manner as you would if 
filing on paper and save it to a file on your hard drive. 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.''

Site Visit

    Also on August 28, 2007, the FERC staff will conduct a site visit 
of the proposed Golden Triangle Storage Project. We will view the 
proposed storage cavern locations, well sites, and associated pipeline 
routes.

[[Page 45241]]

Representatives of GTS will accompany us during the visit.
    All interested parties may attend the site visit. Those planning to 
attend must provide their own transportation. If you are interested in 
attending the site visit, please meet at 1 p.m. at the site of the 
public meeting.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the scoping process, you may want to 
become an official party to the proceeding known as an ``intervenor.'' 
Intervenors play a more formal role in the process. Among other things, 
intervenors have the right to receive copies of case-related Commission 
documents and filings by other intervenors. Likewise, each intervenor 
must send one electronic copy (using the Commission's eFiling system) 
or 14 paper copies of its filings to the Secretary of the Commission 
and must send a copy of its filings to all other parties on the 
Commission's service list for this proceeding. If you want 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). 
Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's 
decision.
    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.

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. We 
encourage government representatives to notify their constituents of 
this planned project and encourage them to comment on their areas of 
concern. If you do not return the attached form (Appendix B), you will 
be removed from the Commission's environmental mailing list.

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 ``Docket Number'' excluding the last 
three digits (i.e., CP07-414), and follow the instructions. For 
assistance with access to eLibrary, the helpline can be reached at 1-
866-208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or at FERCOnlineSupport@ ferc.gov. 
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 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 
the documents. Go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E7-15800 Filed 8-10-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P