[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 218 (Friday, November 13, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58622-58624]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-27296]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP10-4-000]


Gulfstream Natural Gas System, L.L.C.; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Phase V Expansion 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

November 6, 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 Phase V Expansion Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities by Gulfstream 
Natural Gas System, L.L.C. (Gulfstream) in Manatee County, Florida. 
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.
    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 the Commission staff 
determine what issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that 
the

[[Page 58623]]

scoping period will close on December 7, 2009.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for the project, which includes affected landowners; 
Federal, State, and local government representatives and agencies; 
elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native 
American Tribes; parties to this proceeding; and local libraries and 
newspapers. State and local government representatives are asked to 
notify their constituents of this proposed project and encourage them 
to comment on their areas of concern.
    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 Gulfstream 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 also available for viewing on the FERC Internet Web site (htpp://
www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Gulfstream proposes to construct and operate a new turbine-driven 
compressor unit at its existing Station 420 Compressor Station in 
Manatee County, Florida. The new 20,500-horsepower Solar Titan 130 
compressor would be located within the existing station boundaries. 
Gulfstream also proposes to replace the impellers of the two existing 
turbines at Station 420 to match the flow conditions present after the 
installation of the new compressor.
    The proposed project would provide an additional 35,000 dekatherms 
per day of firm natural gas service to the Hines Electric Generation 
Station in Polk County, Florida. The location of Station 420 and the 
proposed unit is shown in appendix 1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
published in the Federal Register. Copies of appendices were sent to 
all those receiving this notice by mail and are available at http://www.ferc.gov at the link called ``eLibrary'' 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.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    All construction, including the laydown yard north of the station 
fenceline, would take place on land owned by Gulfstream. Gulfstream 
would extend its existing compressor building to accommodate the new 
unit. The laydown yard would be revegetated and allowed to revert to 
its pre-construction condition after construction is completed. No new 
access roads would be constructed; however, existing station driveways 
would be improved.

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 
\2\ 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, the Commission requests public 
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. All comments 
received will be considered during the preparation of the EA.
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    \2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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    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, fisheries, and wetlands;
     Cultural resources;
     Vegetation and wildlife;
     Threatened and endangered species;
     Land use, recreational, and visual resources;
     Air quality and noise; and
     Public safety.
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed project 
site and make recommendations on how to lessen or avoid impacts on the 
various resource areas.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the EA. 
Depending on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA 
may be published and mailed to those on our mailing list (see 
discussion of how to remain on our mailing list on page 4). 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 
discussion below.
    With this notice, we are asking 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. Agencies that would like to request cooperating 
agency status should follow the instructions for filing comments 
provided under the Public Participation discussion.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the 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 your comments so 
that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before December 7, 
2009.
    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 (CP10-4-000) 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 FERC Internet Web site at 
http://www.ferc.gov under the ``Documents and Filings'' link. 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 under the ``Documents and Filings'' link. 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 with the Commission via mail 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 1, 
PJ-11.1.

Environmental Mailing List

    An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals, 
organizations, and government entities interested in

[[Page 58624]]

and/or potentially affected by the proposed project. This includes all 
landowners who own homes within a certain distance (as defined in the 
Commission's regulations) of the compressor station site.
    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 form 
(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 
Commission's 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 the proceeding by filing a 
request to intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are 
included in the User's Guide under the ``eFiling'' 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 
Internet at http://www.ferc.gov using the ``eLibrary'' link. Click on 
the eLibrary link, then on ``General Search'' and enter the docket 
number, excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP10-4), 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 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. E9-27296 Filed 11-12-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P