[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 194 (Tuesday, October 9, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57322-57324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-19775]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF07-14-000]


CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission; Notice of Intent To Prepare 
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Tontitown Project and 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

September 26, 2007.
    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 the 
CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission Company's (CenterPoint) proposed 
Tontitown Project (Project).
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process \1\ public 
comment period we will use to gather input from the public and 
interested agencies about the proposed 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 October 27, 2007.
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    \1\ The National Environmental Policy Act requires the 
Commission to undertake a process to identify and address concerns 
the public may have about a proposed project. This process is 
commonly referred to as the ``scoping process''.
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    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 proposed 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 pipeline company representative about the acquisition of an 
easement to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. 
The pipeline 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, the pipeline 
company could initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with 
state law.
    A fact sheet prepared by the Commission 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 Website (http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    CenterPoint proposes to modify its existing interstate natural gas 
transmission system. Specifically, CenterPoint proposes to construct 
and operate approximately 16.0 miles of 24-inch-diameter natural gas 
pipeline (OM-1-A pipeline) and ancillary facilities adjacent to an 
existing interstate natural gas pipeline in Logan and Franklin 
Counties, Arkansas.

[[Page 57323]]

CenterPoint also proposes to construct and operate a 10,310-horsepower 
gas turbine-driven compressor station (Poteau Compressor Station) along 
existing natural gas pipelines in Le Flore County, Oklahoma.
    Map depicting the proposed facilities are provided in Appendix 
1.\2\
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    \2\ The appendices referenced to in this notice will not be 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of these appendices 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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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction and operation of the proposed pipeline would require 
the use of temporary and permanent rights-of-way. CenterPoint has 
indicated that it would utilize existing right-of-way easements 
adjacent to the proposed pipeline to the extent practicable. 
Construction and operation of the proposed compressor station would 
require the temporary and permanent use of up to 12.0 acres of land.

The Environmental Review and Assessment Processes

    The Commission's staff has initiated a pre-filing environmental 
review of CenterPoint's proposed project. The purpose of the pre-filing 
environmental review is to identify and resolve potential environmental 
issues prior to the submission of an application for a Certificate of 
Public Convenience and Necessity (Certificate) by CenterPoint. During a 
pre-filing environmental review, the public is encouraged to comment on 
environmental issues related to the proposed Project. Upon completion 
of staff's pre-filing environmental review, CenterPoint has indicated 
that it would file an application for a Certificate. Based upon the 
pre-filing environmental review and CenterPoint's application, staff 
will prepare an EA as required by the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) which requires the Commission to consider the environmental 
impacts of a proposed project whenever it considers the issuance of a 
Certificate.
    The Commission's staff will prepare an EA 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 including system and route alternatives and make 
recommendations on how to lessen or avoid potential impacts to affected 
environmental resources.
    As noted previously, the NEPA also requires the Commission to 
undertake a process to identify and address concerns the public may 
have about a proposed project. This process is commonly referred to as 
the ``scoping process''. The main goal of the ``scoping process'' is to 
identify public concerns so that they can be considered in the 
Commission's environmental review. Therefore, to satisfy NEPA 
requirements, the Commission requests comments on environmental issues 
that should be considered in its environmental review and assessment. 
To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the 
instructions in the public participation section of this notice.
    Upon completion of the staff's environmental review 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.
    Federal, state, or local agencies wishing to participate in staff's 
environmental review and the subsequent development of an EA may 
request ``cooperating agency'' status. Cooperating agencies are 
encouraged to participate in the scoping process and provide staff with 
written comments concerning the proposed Project. Agencies wanting to 
participate as a cooperating agency should send a letter as indicated 
in the public participation section of this notice describing the 
extent to which they would like to be involved.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    The Commission's staff has already identified numerous 
environmental issues it thinks deserves consideration based on its 
review of preliminary information submitted by CenterPoint. These 
issues include potential impacts to:
     Land use.
     Residences.
     Federally-listed threatened and endangered species.
     Cultural resources; and
     Air and noise quality.

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 considered in the 
environmental review, addressed in the EA and considered by the 
Commission. Generally, comments are submitted regarding potential 
environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, 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 properly 
recorded, please mail them to our office on or before October 27, 2007. 
When filing comments please:
     Send an original and two copies of your letter to: 
Kimberly D. Bose, 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 Pre-Filing Docket No. PF07-14-000 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 \3\ on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov. 
Please note before you can file electronic comments with the Commission 
you will need to create a free online account.
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    \3\ 18 Code of Federal Regulations 385.2001(a)(1)(iii).
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    Once CenterPoint files an application for a Certificate with the 
Commission, a stakeholder may choose to become an official party to the 
proceeding known as an ``intervenor.'' Intervenors are allotted 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. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are 
available on the Commission's Web site. Please note that requests to 
intervene will not be accepted until an application for a Certificate 
is filed with the Commission.

Environmental Mailing List

    An effort has been made to send this notice to all individuals, 
organizations, and government entities that might be

[[Page 57324]]

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 proposed Project or 
return this form, you will be removed from the Commission's 
environmental mailing list.

Availability of Additional Information

    Additional information about the proposed Project is available from 
the 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'', 
contact the helpline at 1-866-208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or at 
[email protected].
    Additionally, the FERC now offers a free service called 
eSubscription that allows stakeholders to keep track of all formal 
issuances and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the 
amount of time stakeholders spend researching proceedings by 
automatically providing them with notification of 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.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7-19775 Filed 10-5-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P