[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 226 (Friday, November 21, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70633-70635]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-27691]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP09-10-000]


Dominion Transmission, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Rural Valley Project, Request 
for Comments on Environmental Issues

November 17, 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 Rural Valley Project involving 
construction and operation of facilities by Dominion Transmission, Inc. 
(DTI) in Armstrong, Westmoreland, Elk and McKean Counties, PA.\1\ These 
facilities would consist of about 1.40 miles of various diameter 
pipeline, 57,500 horsepower (hp) of compression and four new Metering 
and Regulation (M&R) stations. 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.
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    \1\ On October 15, 2008, DTI filed its application with the 
Commission under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of 
the Commission's regulations. The Commission issued its Notice of 
Application on October 27, 2008.
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    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted 
by a DTI company representative about survey permission and/or 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, the 
natural gas 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 DTI 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 (http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    DTI proposes to create a firm transportation outlet for natural gas

[[Page 70634]]

supplies in western Pennsylvania by providing 57,500 dekatherms per day 
from multiple locations along lines LN-19 and LN-20 to an existing 
interconnect with Texas Eastern Transmission. DTI seeks authority to:
     Install a compressor station, consisting of two high speed 
reciprocating gas compressor units, one 1,775 unit hp and one 3,550 hp 
unit, totaling 5,325 hp, known as the Rural Valley Compressor Station, 
located approximately three miles west of Rural Valley, PA;
     Install 1.08 miles of 10-inch-diameter pipeline 
interconnecting Dominion People's Line TP-7625 with DTI's new Rural 
Valley Compressor Station;
     Install 0.02 mile of 10-inch-diameter pipeline 
interconnecting DTI's LN-19 with the new compressor station;
     Install 0.30 mile of 8-inch-diameter discharge pipeline 
connecting the compressor station to DTI's LN-50X3;
     Install a new M&R station (Rural Valley) adjacent to the 
Rural Valley Compressor Station in Armstrong County, PA;
     Install a pig launcher and receiver adjacent to the Rural 
Valley M&R station;
     Install a new M&R station (Oakford) within the existing 
Oakford Compressor Station boundary in Westmoreland County, PA;
     Install a new M&R station (National Forest) located on a 
former M&R site adjacent to the LN-20 right-of-way (ROW) in Elk County, 
PA; and
     Install a new M&R station (Big Springs), located at an 
existing pig launcher location adjacent to the LN-20 ROW in McKean 
County, PA.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in Appendix 
1.\2\
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    \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.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Project activities will occur on property that will be purchased by 
DTI from private landowners who adjoin the property of the proposed 
compressor and M&R station sites in Armstrong County, property already 
owned by DTI, and land to be leased from the Alleghany National Forest 
and the Commonwealth of PA, Bureau of Forestry. Construction of the 
proposed aboveground facilities would impact about 7.0 acres of land. 
Following construction, approximately 6.4 acres would be maintained for 
operation. The remaining 0.6 acres of land would be restored and 
allowed to revert to its former use. Construction of the proposed 
pipelines would impact about 15.3 acres of land. Following 
construction, approximately 8.35 acres of land would be maintained for 
operation. The remaining 6.95 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 \3\ 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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    \3\ ``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 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 DTI. This preliminary list of 
issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     Proposed right-of-way width and configuration.
     Impacts on 8.6 acres of agricultural land, including a 
total of 3.2 acres of prime farmland soils.
     Impacts of air and noise emissions.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the Rural Valley Project. Your comments 
should focus on the potential environmental effects of the proposal, 
reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen the 
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 18, 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 with your submission. The docket 
number can be found on the front of this notice. 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

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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.''
    (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 Street, NE., 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
    Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas Branch 3, 
PJ11.3.

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

    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. All individuals who provide written 
comments will remain on our environmental mailing list for this 
project.

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 (http://www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. 
Click on the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the 
docket number, (CP09-10-000), 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 http://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. E8-27691 Filed 11-20-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P