[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 203 (Monday, October 22, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59521-59523]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-20716]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP07-451-000]


Black Bayou Storage, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Black Bayou Gas Storage 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

October 12, 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 the Black Bayou Gas Storage 
Project involving construction and operation of facilities by Black 
Bayou Storage, LLC (BBS) in Cameron Parrish, Louisiana.
    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 November 30, 2007.
    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 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.

[[Page 59522]]

    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility on My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' was attached to the 
project notice BBS provided to landowners. This fact sheet 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 (www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    BBS proposes to convert a depleted natural gas production field in 
Cameron Parish Louisiana located 15 miles west of Hackberry, Louisiana 
but includes north into Calcasieu Parish for a short distance. The 
storage field design capacity of each cavern would be approximately 
10.4 billion cubic feet (Bcf) consisting of 7.5 Bcf of working capacity 
and up to 2.9 Bdf of cushion gas. The caverns would have approximately 
1,200 million cubic feet (MMcf) of maximum daily injection capability 
and approximately 1,200 MMcf of maximum daily withdrawal capability. 
BBS seeks authority to construct and operate the following facilities:
     Two salt dome storage caverns;
     One 18,940 horsepower compressor station;
     One leaching plant;
     Five brine disposal wells on one common pad;
     Five water supply wells on five separate pads;
     One electrical substation;
     One 30-inch-diameter, 2.45-mile-long gas pipeline 
interconnect with Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Corporation (Transco) 
mainline;
     One 24-inch-diameter, 4.69-mile-long gas pipeline 
interconnect with planned Kinder Morgan mainline;
     One 20-inch-diameter, 0.10-mile-long cavern gas pipeline 
for Cavern No. 1;
     One 20-inch-diameter, 0.25-mile-long cavern gas pipeline 
for Cavern No. 2;
     One 8-inch-, 12-inch-, and 16-inch-diameter, 2.20 mile-
long water pipeline system;
     One 16-inch-diameter, 1.43 mile-long brine pipeline 
system;
     One meter station and one separate tie-in facility for 
Transco's pipeline interconnect;
     One meter station with combined tie-in facilities for the 
Kinder Morgan pipeline interconnect; and
     One 0.25-mile-long access road for Cavern Nos. 1 and 2.
    Certain facilities of Diasu Oil and Gas Company (Diasu) including a 
tank farm would need to be dismantled, relocated or removed before BBS 
constructs its proposed compressor station and leaching facility on the 
site of Diasu's current facilities.
    The location of the project facilities is shown in Appendix 1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of all appendices, other 
than Appendix 1 (maps), are available on the Commission's Web site 
at the ``eLibrary'' link or from the Commission's Public Reference 
Room, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 
502-8371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary refer to the 
last page of this notice. Copies of the appendices were sent to all 
those receiving this notice in the mail.
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Nonjurisdictional Facilities

    Non-jurisdictional facilities that will be built as a result of the 
proposed project would include a 2.2 mile-long 230 kV electric 
powerline to be constructed by Entergy, Inc. (Entergy). The electric 
powerline would run between Entergy's existing 230 kV transmission line 
on the south bank of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and BBS's proposed 
electrical substation approximately 2,100 feet northwest of the Central 
Facility area. The electric powerline would require several 
environmental permits and approvals including state and federal 
authorization for work in waters of the U.S. (Coastal Use Permit) and 
clearances under the Endangered Species Act and the National Historic 
Preservation Act.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 94.4 
acres of land. Following construction, about 24.2 acres would be 
maintained as permanent pipeline right-of-way, new access roads, well 
sites, or new aboveground facility sites. The remaining 70.2 acres of 
land would be restored and allowed to revert to its former use.

The EA Process

    The National Environmental Policy Act (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, the Commission staff 
requests public comments on the scope of the issues to address in the 
EA. All comments received are considered during the preparation of the 
EA. State and local government representatives are encouraged to notify 
their constituents of this proposed action and encourage them to 
comment on their areas of concern.
    In the EA we \2\ will discuss impacts that could occur as a result 
of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these 
general headings:
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    \2\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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     Geology and soils
     Land use
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands
     Cultural resources
     Vegetation and wildlife
     Air quality and noise
     Endangered and threatened species
     Hazardous waste
     Public safety
    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 the various resource areas.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be 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, libraries, and the Commission's official service list for 
this proceeding. A comment period will be allotted for review if the EA 
is published. We will consider all comments on the EA before we make 
our recommendations to the Commission.
    To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the 
instructions in the public participation section below.

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 
the environmental information provided by BBS. This preliminary list of 
issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     Cultural resources may be affected by the project.
     The project would cross two major waterbodies: Black Bayou 
and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
     About 62.2 acres of wetlands, open water, and other land 
uses would be impacted during construction by underground pipeline and 
cable facilities, and about 6.8 acres of wetland

[[Page 59523]]

open water and other land uses would be impacted by above ground 
pipeline facilities.
     Two cavern well pads, electrical substation, part of the 
brine disposal well pad site, the Kinder Morgan meter station site, the 
Transco meter station, and Water Well Pad No. 1, would be constructed 
in marshland or open water and could potentially impact fisheries.
     Essential fish habitat for the brown shrimp, white shrimp, 
and red drum are likely to be of concern within the project area.
     The proposed project would encompass areas containing 
suitable nesting habitat for colonial wading birds.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your 
concerns will be addressed in the EA/EIS and considered by the 
Commission. You should focus on the potential environmental effects of 
the proposal, alternatives to the proposal (including alternative 
locations/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 St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 2.
     Reference Docket No. CP07-451-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before November 30, 2007.
    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 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.''

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. By this 
notice we are also asking governmental agencies, especially those in 
Appendix 2, to express their interest in becoming cooperating agencies 
for the preparation of the EA.
    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 
taken off the mailing list.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want 
to become an official party to the proceeding, an ``intervenor''. 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). Intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the 
Commission's decision. Motions to Intervene should be electronically 
submitted using the Commission's eFiling system at www.ferc.gov. 
Persons without Internet access should send an original and 14 copies 
of their motion to the Secretary of the Commission at the address 
indicated previously. Persons filing Motions to Intervene on or before 
the comment deadline indicated above must send a copy of the motion to 
the Applicant. All filings, including late interventions, submitted 
after the comment deadline must be served on the Applicant and all 
other intervenors identified on the Commission's service list for this 
proceeding. Persons on the service list with e-mail addresses may be 
served electronically; others must be served a hard copy of the filing.
    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.

Availability of Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on the 
FERC Internet Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on 
the eLibrary link, 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. For assistance, 
please contact FERC Online Support at [email protected] or 
toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659. The 
eLibrary link also provides access to the texts of formal documents 
issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
    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 www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    Finally, 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.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E7-20716 Filed 10-19-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P