[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 219 (Wednesday, November 12, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66890-66892]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-26783]



[[Page 66890]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF08-21-000]


Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 85 North Expansion 
Project Request for Comments on Environmental Issues and Notice of 
Public Meetings and Public Site Visits

November 4, 2008.
    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) is in 
the process of preparing an environmental assessment (EA) on the 
environmental impacts of the 85 North Expansion Project (85 North 
Project) involving the construction and operation of new underground 
natural gas pipeline looping \1\ and new and modified compressor 
stations proposed by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation 
(Transco). The 85 North Project is under review in Docket No. PF08-21-
000.
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    \1\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipeline immediately 
adjacent to an existing pipeline.
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    This Notice of Intent (NOI) explains the scoping process that will 
be used to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the 
Project. Your input will help determine which issues will be evaluated 
in the EA. Please note that the scoping period for this Project will 
close on December 5, 2008.
    Comments on the Project may be submitted in written form or 
verbally. In lieu of, or in addition, to sending written comments, we 
also invite you to attend the public scoping meetings and public site 
visits that have been scheduled in the Project area during the week of 
November 17, 2008. Details on how to submit comments and additional 
details of the public scoping meetings are provided in the Public 
Participation section of this notice.
    Although a formal application has not been filed, the FERC has 
already initiated its NEPA review under its pre-filing process. A pre-
filing docket number has been assigned to the 85 North Project (PF08-
21-000). The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early 
involvement of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve 
issues before an application is filed with the FERC.
    This NOI is being sent to federal, state, and local government 
agencies; elected officials; affected landowners; environmental and 
public interest groups; Indian tribes and regional Native American 
organizations; commentors and other interested parties; and local 
libraries and newspapers. We \2\ encourage government representatives 
to notify their constituents of this proposed Project and encourage 
them to comment on their areas of concern.
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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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    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted 
by a Transco representative about the acquisition of an easement to 
construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. Transco would 
seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if the 
Project is approved by the FERC, that approval conveys with it the 
right of federal eminent domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations 
fail to produce an agreement, and the Project is ultimately approved by 
the FERC, Transco could initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance 
with federal law.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility on My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is available for 
viewing on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov/for-citizens/citizen-guides.asp). This fact sheet addresses a number of 
typically asked questions, including the use of eminent domain and how 
to participate in FERC's proceedings.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Transco has proposed to construct and operate an expansion of 
Transco's existing Main Line and associated structures with a maximum 
delivery capacity of 308,500 dekatherms per day. As shown in Appendix 
1,\3\ the 85 North Project would be located in portions of Mississippi, 
Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Transco has 
proposed: Approximately 22 miles of 42-inch-diameter pipeline in 3 
pipeline loop segments; 1 new Compressor Station; and modifications to 
8 other compressor stations on the Transco Mainline.
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    \3\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not printed in 
the Federal Register, but they are being provided to all those who 
receive this notice in the mail. Copies of the NOI can be obtained 
from the Commission's Web site at the ``eLibrary'' link, from the 
Commission's Public Reference Room, or by calling (202) 502-8371. 
For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the end of this 
notice.
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    Location maps depicting the proposed facilities are attached to 
this NOI as Appendix 1.
    Specifically, Transco proposes the following primary components for 
the 85 North Project:
     22 miles of 42-inch diameter underground natural gas 
pipeline consisting of four segments:
    [rtarr8] Coosa Loop: 4.39 miles of pipeline loop adjacent to 
Transco's Main line D in Coosa County, Alabama;
    [rtarr8] Cowpens Loop: 9.39 miles of pipeline loop adjacent to 
Transco's Main Line C in Spartanburg and Cherokee Counties, South 
Carolina; and
    [rtarr8] Iredell Loop: 8.24 miles of loop adjacent to Transco's 
Main Line C in Iredell and Rowan Counties, North Carolina.
     Construction and operation of the new 20,500 horsepower 
(hp) Compressor Station 135 in Anderson County, South Carolina;
     Installation of gas cooling facilities at Compressor 
Station 80 in Jones County, Mississippi;
     Uprate the existing turbine by 1,430 hp and rewheel two 
compressors at Compressor Station 90 in Marengo County, Alabama;
     Installation of one 42,000 hp electric motor-driven 
compressor unit, and abandon 4 existing engine-compressor units for a 
net increase of 16,000 hp at Compressor Station 100 in Chilton County, 
Alabama;
     Installation of 20,500 hp turbine-compressor unit at 
Compressor Station 110 in Randolph County, Alabama;
     Uprate the existing electric motor by 3,025 hp at 
Compressor Station 115 in Coweta County, Georgia;
     Uprate 2 turbines, and replace compressors at Compressor 
Station 125 in Walton County, Georgia;
     Install additional gas cooling facilities and modify 
valves at Compressor Station 150 in Iredell County, North Carolina;
     Minor compressor modifications at Station 155 in Davidson 
County, North Carolina.

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

[[Page 66891]]

constituents of this proposed action and encourage them to comment on 
their areas of concern.
    In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the proposed project under these 
general headings:
     Geology and soils.
     Water resources.
     Aquatic resources.
     Vegetation and wildlife.
     Threatened and endangered species.
     Land use, recreation, and visual resources.
     Cultural resources.
     Socioeconomics.
     Air quality and noise.
     Reliability and safety.
     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.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified issues that we think deserve attention 
based on our previous experience with similar projects in the region. 
This preliminary list of issues, which is presented below, may be 
revised based on your comments and our continuing analyses specific to 
the 85 North Project.
     Potential for disturbance to residents along pipeline 
construction route, including noise, and aesthetics;
     Potential impacts of the pipeline on waterbodies and 
wetlands, including issues of erosion control;
     Potential air quality impacts due to increased emissions 
from compressor stations; and
     Potential noise and vibration impacts from compressor 
stations.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the 85 North 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 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 
December 5, 2008.
    Comments on the proposed Project can be submitted to the FERC in 
written form or verbally at the public scoping meetings. For your 
convenience, there are three methods which you can use to submit your 
written comments to the Commission. In all instances please reference 
the Project docket number (PF08-21-000) with your submission. The three 
methods are:
    (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 3, 
PJ-11.3.
    The public scoping meetings and public site visits (dates, times, 
and locations listed below) are designed to provide another opportunity 
to offer comments on the proposed Project. Interested groups and 
individuals are encouraged to attend the meetings and to present 
comments on the environmental issues that they believe should be 
addressed in the EA. Please note that attendees at the site visit must 
obtain their own transportation.
    A transcript of the scoping meetings will be generated so that your 
comments can be accurately recorded. There will be no official 
proceedings of the public site visits. All Scoping Meetings are 
scheduled to run from 7 to 9 p.m. The schedule for meetings and site 
visits are as follows:

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                  Date                               Location
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Tuesday, November 18, Scoping Meeting,   Best Western Horseshoe Inn,
 7 to 9 p.m. CST.                         3146 Highway 280, Alexander
                                          City, AL 35010.
Wednesday, November 19, Public Site      Transco Compressor Station 125,
 Visit, 1 p.m. EST.                       1001 James Huff Road, Monroe,
                                          GA 30656.
Thursday, November 20, Scoping Meeting,  American Legion Post 28, 94
 7 to 9 p.m. EST.                         West Park Drive, Spartanburg,
                                          SC 29306.
Friday, November 21, Public Site Visit,  Transco Compressor Station 150,
 10 a.m. EST.                             236 Transco Road, Mooresville,
                                          NC 28115.
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    The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has 
dedicated eFiling expert staff available to assist you at 202-502-8258 
or [email protected].
    Once Transco formally files its application with the Commission, 
you may want to become an ``intervenor,'' which is an official party to 
the proceeding. Intervenors play 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. An intervenor 
formally participates in a Commission proceeding by filing a request to 
intervene. Instructions for

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becoming an intervenor are included in the User's Guide under the ``e-
filing'' link on the Commission's Web site. Please note that you may 
not request intervenor status at this time. You must wait until a 
formal application is filed with the Commission.

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 whose 
property may be used temporarily for project purposes, who have 
existing easements from the pipeline, 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.

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, select ``General Search'' and enter 
the Project docket number, excluding the last three digits (i.e., PF08-
21) in the ``Docket Number'' field. Be sure you have selected an 
appropriate date range. For assistance with eLibrary, the eLibrary 
helpline can be reached at 1-866-208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or by e-
mail at [email protected]. The eLibrary link on the FERC 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 FERC now offers a free service called 
eSubscription that 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. To register for this service, go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    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. E8-26783 Filed 11-10-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P