[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 33 (Friday, February 19, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7472-7473]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-3108]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP10-36-000]


Southern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 2011/2012 Abandonment and 
Replacement Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

February 5, 2010.
    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 Southern 2011/2012 Abandonment 
and Replacement Project, involving the abandonment and replacement of 
facilities by Southern Natural Gas Company (Southern) in Louisiana and 
Mississippi. 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 scoping period will close on March 8, 2010.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing for this project. 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 Southern 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 Web site (http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Southern proposes to abandon, replace, and modify certain pipeline 
facilities located within East Carroll and West Carroll Parishes, 
Louisiana, and Issaquena, Sharkey, Yazoo, Madison, Attala, and Winston 
Counties, Mississippi. Specifically, Southern proposes to abandon in 
place 68.5 miles (in five segments) of its North Main Loop Line, 
consisting of 16- to 24-inch-diameter pipeline. To adjust for the 
abandonment, Southern would also replace and/or modify small segments 
of its North Main and North Main Loop pipelines. These pipeline 
segments were installed using a mechanical coupling technology in the 
late 1930s and early 1940s. The pipeline, consisting of 18- to to 24-
inch-diameter pipe, would be cut, cleaned, sealed, and abandoned in 
place.
    Overall, the project would involve 29 separate areas of disturbance 
along Southern's system in Louisiana and Mississippi. The general 
location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of appendices were sent to 
all those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at 
http://www.ferc.gov using 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

    The proposed project would temporarily disturb about 6.91 acres of 
land for the abandonment and modification of the facilities. 
Afterwards, all areas of disturbance would be revegetated and return to 
its previous use. All pipeline abandonment activities would be 
conducted within the existing right-of-way and compressor station 
areas. No new access roads would be required to facilitate the 
abandonment of the pipeline facilities.

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 proposed project under these general headings:

 Geology and soils;
 Land use;
 Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
 Cultural resources;
 Vegetation and wildlife;
 Air quality and noise;
 Endangered and threatened species; and
 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 presented in the EA. 
The EA will be placed into the public record and, depending on the 
comments received during the scoping process, the EA may be published 
and distributed to the public. A comment period will be allotted if the 
EA is published for review. 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 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 section of this notice.

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 in your comments 
so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before March 8, 
2010.
    For your convenience, there are three methods which you can use to 
submit

[[Page 7473]]

your written comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages 
electronic filing of comments and has expert eFiling 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 at http://www.ferc.gov under the link 
called ``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 that is listed 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 to your submission. 
New eFiling users must first create an account by clicking on the links 
called ``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 a paper copy of your comments at the following 
address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.

Environmental Mailing List

    The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local 
agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; 
Native American tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries 
and newspapers. This list also includes all affected landowners (as 
defined in the Commission's regulations) who are potential right-of-way 
grantors, whose property may be used temporarily for project purposes, 
or who own homes within certain distances of aboveground facilities, 
and anyone who submits comments on the project. We will update the 
environmental mailing list as the analysis proceeds to ensure that we 
send the information related to this environmental review to all 
individuals, organizations, and government entities interested in and/
or potentially affected by the proposed project.
    If the EA is published for distribution, copies will be sent to the 
environmental mailing list for public review and comment. If the EA is 
published for distribution, copies will be sent to the environmental 
mailing list for public review and comment. If you would prefer to 
receive a paper copy of the document instead of the CD version or would 
like to remove your name from the mailing list, please return the 
attached Information Request (appendix 2).

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 ``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 Web site at 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 
(i.e., CP10-36). 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. 2010-3108 Filed 2-18-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P