[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 145 (Monday, July 28, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43744-43746]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-17157]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP08-418-000]


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

July 21, 2008.
    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 Warrior Storage Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities by Southeast Gas 
Storage, LLC (Southeast) in Monroe and Lowndes Counties, 
Mississippi.\1\ These facilities would consist of new natural gas 
pipeline, abandonment by removal of existing pipeline, new existing 
injection/withdrawal wells, new gathering pipelines, a new salt water 
disposal pipeline, conversion of existing gas wells to observation 
wells, a new salt water disposal well, a new compressor station and a 
new meter station. This EA will be used by the Commission in its 
decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the 
public convenience and necessity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Southwest's application was filed with the Commission under 
section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission's 
regulations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the 
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested 
agencies on the project. Your input will help determine which issues 
need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that the scoping period 
will close on August 20, 2008. 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 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 FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' was attached to the 
project notice Southwest 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

    Southeast proposes to convert a nearly depleted oil and gas 
reservoir into a high-deliverability natural gas storage facility 
approximately 3.5 miles northwest of Caledonia in Monroe and Lowndes 
Counties, Mississippi. The purpose of this project is to provide 24.7 
billion cubic feet of working gas capacity to customers in the region. 
Southeast would achieve this capacity by drilling new withdrawal/
injection wells, converting, reworking or plugging existing wells, 
constructing lateral and

[[Page 43745]]

gathering pipelines, and installing new compression. Southeast 
proposes:
     4.6 miles of new 24-inch-diameter lateral pipeline, 
designated the Line 547M-100 pipeline, replacing the existing 6-inch-
diameter Line 547E-100 pipeline. The Line 547M-100 pipeline would 
extend from the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company tie-ins to Southwest's 
proposed new Hamilton Compressor Station;
     Removal of 11,600 feet of the existing 6-inch-diameter 
Line 547E-100 pipeline;
     The new electric driven 24,000-horsepower Hamilton 
Compressor Station;
     2.8 miles of 24-inch-diameter gathering pipelines from the 
proposed compressor station to seven well pads;
     5,500 feet of 4.5-inch-diameter salt water disposal 
piping;
     15 new horizontal withdrawal/injection wells and 
associated well pads;
     4 existing active wells to be converted to observation 
wells;
     9 plugged and abandoned wells to be converted to 
observation wells;
     2 existing active wells to be plugged and abandoned;
     2 existing active wells to convert to injection/withdrawal 
wells;
     1 plugged and abandoned well to be re-plugged and 
abandoned;
     1 new salt water disposal well and associated well pad;
     1 plugged and abandoned stratigraphic test well drilled 
under a Commission exemption to be converted to an observation well;
     A new electrical substation; and
     The new Hamilton Meter Station and interconnect.
    Southeast requests certification by December 31, 2008, for an in-
service date of June 2010. The location of the project facilities is 
shown in Appendix 1.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities would require disturbance 
of about 253 acres of widely distributed land surrounding the proposed 
Hamilton Compressor Station. This includes 200 acres under new 
permanent easement and 53 acres that would be restored to previous land 
use following construction.
    Southeast would conduct well drilling, conversion, and abandonment 
on a combination of existing and new well pad sites. The 15 new wells 
would be constructed on 15 new individual well pad sites, at seven 
locations, with well pads ranging in size from 300 by 300 feet to 400 
by 425 feet of permanent easement. One new salt water disposal well 
would be constructed within a 300 by 300-foot area of new permanent 
easement. The proposed Hamilton Compressor Station and associated 
electrical substation would occupy a 27-acre area of new permanent 
easement. The proposed meter station would occupy 0.6 acre of new 
permanent easement. The proposed Line 547M-100 pipeline and the 
gathering pipelines would be constructed with a 75-foot-wide typical 
construction width within a 50-foot-wide new permanent right-of-way. 
Southeast would abandon by removal all of the existing 11,000-foot-long 
Line 547E-100 pipeline, which would be replaced in the same trench with 
the proposed Line 547M-100 pipeline. Construction and operation of the 
salt water disposal pipeline would require 50 and 25 feet of right-of-
way width, respectively. The combined pipeline construction would 
require 83 acres of disturbance. Extra work spaces along the pipelines 
and well pad areas, contractor yards, horizontal directional drill 
sites and access roads would disturb 23 acres of temporary right-of-
way.

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 \3\ will discuss impacts that could occur as a result 
of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these 
general headings:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Geology and soils
     Water resources
     Wetlands and fisheries
     Vegetation and wildlife
     Threatened and endangered species
     Land use
     Cultural resources
     Air quality and noise
     Reliability and safety, and
     Cumulative impacts
    We will also evaluate reasonable 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 Southeast. This preliminary 
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     Cultural resources may be affected by the project.
     Federally listed threatened and endangered species are 
present in the project area.
     The Hamilton Compressor Station may have visual impacts.
     Route variations for the Line 547M-100 pipeline will be 
studied.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the Black Warrior Storage Project. Your 
comments should focus on the potential environmental effects, 
reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental 
impacts. The more specific your comments, the more useful

[[Page 43746]]

they will be. To ensure that your comments are timely and properly 
recorded, please send in your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before August 20, 2008.
    For your convenience, there are three methods which you can use to 
submit your comments to the Commission. In all instances please 
reference the project docket number CP08-418-000 with your submission. 
The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has 
dedicated eFiling expert staff available to assist you at 202-502-8258 
or [email protected]:
    (1) You may file your comments electronically by using the Quick 
Comment feature, which is located on the Commission's Internet Web site 
at http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. A Quick 
Comment is an easy method for interested persons to submit text-only 
comments on a project;
    (2) You may file your comments electronically by using the eFiling 
feature, which is located on the Commission's Internet Web site at 
http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. eFiling 
involves preparing your submission in the same manner as you would if 
filing on paper, and then saving the file on your computer's hard 
drive. You will attach that file as your submission. New eFiling users 
must first create an account by clicking on ``Sign up'' or 
``eRegister.'' You will be asked to select the type of filing you are 
making. A comment on a particular project is considered a ``Comment on 
a Filing''; or
    (3) You may file your comments via mail to the Commission by 
sending 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, 
PJ11.2.
    As described above, we may publish and distribute the EA for 
comment. If you are interested in receiving an EA for review and/or 
comment, please return the Environmental Mailing List Form (Appendix 
3). If you do not return the Environmental Mailing List Form, 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, or ``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 http://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.

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.

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. Click on the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter 
the docket number excluding the last three digits (i.e., enter PF06-
398) 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. E8-17157 Filed 7-25-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P