[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 53 (Friday, March 20, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11932-11934]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-6076]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP04-379-002]


Pine Prairie Energy Center, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Pine Prairie Energy Center 
Supplemental Expansion Project and Request for Comments on 
Environmental Issues

March 13, 2009.
    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 Pine Prairie Energy Center 
Supplemental Expansion Project (Expansion Project, or Project) 
involving construction and operation of facilities by Pine Prairie 
Energy Center, LLC (Pine Prairie) in Evangeline and Acadia Parishes, 
Louisiana.\1\ This EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-
making process to determine whether the Expansion Project is in the 
public convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ Pine Prairie submitted an amendment application on February 
6, 2009 under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act.
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    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process we will 
use to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the 
Expansion 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 April 13, 2009.
    This notice is being sent to affected landowners; Federal, State, 
and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other 
interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. State and local 
government representatives are asked 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 Pine Prairie representative about survey permission and/or the 
acquisition of an easement to construct, operate, and

[[Page 11933]]

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?'' is available for 
viewing on the FERC Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). 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

    Pine Prairie proposes to expand the existing capacity at the 
existing Pine Prairie Energy Center. Pine Prairie proposes to:
     Construct two new natural gas salt-dome storage caverns 
with a capacity of 12.8 billion cubic feet (bcf);
     Increase the working gas capacity of two of the three 
authorized natural gas storage caverns from 8 Bcf to 10 Bcf;
     Construct one additional raw water withdrawal well and one 
additional saltwater disposal well;
     Construct 5.3 miles of 24-inch diameter natural gas 
pipeline loop;
     Install six compression units totaling 34,800 horsepower 
at the Gas Handling Facility, expand the Gas Handling Facility to 
accommodate the additional compressors;
     Install pipeline facilities related to the two additional 
caverns; and
     Expand the previously authorized brine disposal well 
injection intervals to conform to the intervals approved by the 
Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.
    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 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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    If approved, Pine Prairie proposes to commence construction of the 
proposed Expansion Project in September 2009.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the pipeline would temporarily impact about 75.6 
acres and approximately 38.2 acres of additional right-of-way would be 
permanently affected by the Expansion Project. Pine Prairie would use 
existing access roads, contractor yards, and utilize the existing Pine 
Prairie Energy Center to minimize land impacts.

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.
     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.
    With this NOI, we are asking Federal, State, and local agencies 
with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to 
environmental issues to formally cooperate with us in the preparation 
of the EA. These agencies may choose to participate once they have 
evaluated the proposal relative to their responsibilities. Additional 
agencies that would like to request cooperating agency status should 
follow the instructions for filing comments provided under the Public 
Participation section of this NOI.

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 Pine Prairie. This 
preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and 
our analysis.
     Potential impacts on air quality;
     Potential increase in noise emissions may occur, and
     Potential impacts to wetlands.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the Expansion 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 
April 13, 2009.
    For your convenience, there are three methods that you can use to 
submit your comments to the Commission. In all instances please 
reference the project docket number CP04-379-002 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

[[Page 11934]]

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, 
PJ11.3.

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.
    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 2). 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 ``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 becoming an intervenor are included in the 
User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web site.

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 excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number 
field and enter ``002'' in the Sub-Docket field. Be sure you have 
selected an appropriate date range. For assistance, please contact FERC 
Online Support toll free at 1-866-208-3676, for TTY contact 1-202-502-
8659 or e-mail at [email protected]. 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. E9-6076 Filed 3-19-09; 8:45 am]
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