[Federal Register: November 15, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 220)]
[Notices]
[Page 66513-66514]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15no06-49]
[[Page 66513]]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PF06-35-000]
Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation; Notice of Intent To
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Eastern Market
Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
November 7, 2006.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of Columbia Gas Transmission
Corporation's (Columbia) planned Eastern Market Expansion Project
located in certain counties in West Virginia, Virginia, and Ohio.
This notice announces the opening of the scoping process we will
use to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the
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 December 11, 2006.
This notice is being sent to affected landowners; federal, state,
and local government representatives and agencies; environmental and
public interest groups; Native American tribes; other interested
parties in this proceeding; and local libraries and newspapers. We
encourage government representatives 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 Columbia representative about the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. Columbia
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, Columbia 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 Internet website (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 FERC's proceedings.
Summary of the Proposed Project
The planned Eastern Market Expansion Project consists of:
(a) Expanding the existing Crawford Storage Field in Fairfield and
Hocking Counties, Ohio;
(b) Expanding the existing Coco Storage Field in Kanawha County,
West Virginia;
(c) Installing an additional 12,600 horsepower at four existing
compressor stations in West Virginia; and
(d) Constructing three sections of 26- to 36-inch-diameter pipeline
loop totaling about 15.5 miles in Clay and Randolph Counties, West
Virginia and Warren, Clarke, and Fauquier Counties, Virginia.
A general overview map of the major project facilities is provided
in Appendix 1.\1\
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\1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the
Commission's Web site (excluding maps) at the ``eLibrary'' link or
from the Commission's Public Reference Room or call (202) 502-8371.
For instructions on connecting to eLibrary refer to the end of this
notice. Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving
this notice in the mail.
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Columbia indicates that these facilities would provide an
additional 97,050 dekatherms per day of storage deliverability and
associated firm pipeline transportation capacity to four local gas
distribution companies in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Columbia anticipates filing an application with the FERC in March
2007. If approved, Columbia would seek approval to begin construction
by April 1, 2008, with a proposed in-service date of April 1, 2009.
Land Requirements
Construction of the project facilities would disturb about 327
acres of land. Following construction, about 272 acres of the total
would be retained for the operation of the pipeline and the aboveground
facilities. Columbia currently plans to use a nominal right-of-way
(ROW) width of 75 feet to construct its pipelines, with occasional
increases in width for additional workspace at waterbody, wetland,
road, and railroad crossings. For operation of the pipeline facilities,
Columbia plans to use a 70-foot-wide permanent ROW. Temporary extra
workspaces may also be required in areas with site-specific
constraints, such as side-slope construction and areas needed for pipe
storage and equipment yards. The well connect lines at the Coco and
Crawford Storage Fields would require a ROW width of 50 feet for
construction, with the same width maintained as permanent ROW for
operation. For new well installation at the Coco and Crawford Storage
Fields, a 400-foot-by-400-foot work area would be utilized while for
reconditioned wells a 300-foot-by-300-foot work area would be used.
After installation, a 300-foot-radius buffer would be associated with
each well.
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
information provided by Columbia. This list of issues may be changed
based on your comments and our analysis:
Impacts on residential areas;
The effect of blasting on groundwater;
Potential noise impacts associated with construction and
operation;
Difficult ROW restoration in areas of side-slope
construction; and
Impact on visual resources due to vegetation clearing to
create a new ROW.
The EA Process
The FERC will be the lead federal agency for the preparation of the
EA. The document will satisfy the requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Eastern Market Expansion Project
is in the preliminary design state.
For this project, the FERC staff has initiated its NEPA review
prior to receiving the application. The purpose of the Commission's
Pre-Filing Process is to involve interested stakeholders early in
project planning and to identify and resolve issues before an
application is filed with the FERC. A docket number (PF06-35-000) has
been established to place information filed by Columbia, and related
documents issued by the Commission, into the public record. Once a
formal application is filed with the FERC, a new docket number will be
established.
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, we are
requesting public comments on the scope of the issues that should be
addressed in the
[[Page 66514]]
EA. We will consider all comments received during scoping in the
preparation of the EA.
Staff's independent analysis and evaluation of the issues will be
included in the EA. The EA will also include possible alternatives to
the proposed project or portions of the project, and will make
recommendations on how to lessen or avoid impacts on the various
resource areas of concern. Depending on the comments received during
the scoping process, the EA may be published and mailed to federal,
state, and local agencies; elected officials; environmental and public
interest groups; other interested parties; affected landowners; Native
American tribes; libraries, and newspapers; and the Commission's
official service list for this proceeding. A 30-day comment period will
be allotted for review of the EA, if it is published.
FERC staff will be involved in discussions with other
jurisdictional agencies to identify their issues and concerns. These
agencies include the National Park Service; U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (West Virginia, Virginia, and Ohio Field Offices); U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (Huntington, Pittsburgh, and Norfolk Districts);
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection; West Virginia
Department of Natural Resources; West Virginia State Historic
Preservation Office (SHPO); Virginia Marine Resource Commission;
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation; Virginia Department
of Environmental Quality; Virginia Game and Inland Fisheries; Virginia
SHPO; Ohio Environmental Protection Agency; Ohio Department of Natural
Resources; and Ohio SHPO. By this notice, we are asking these and other
federal, state, and local agencies with jurisdiction and/or special
expertise with respect to environmental issues to formally enter
cooperating agency status with us in the preparation of the EA.
Agencies that would like to request cooperating status should follow
the instructions for filing comments provided below.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the proposal. Your comments should focus on
the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and
measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. The more specific
your comments, the more useful they will be. Please carefully follow
these instructions to ensure that your comments are received in time
and properly recorded:
Send an original and two copies of your letter to: Magalie
R. Salas, 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 1, DG2E;
Reference Docket No. PF06-35-000 on the original and both
copies; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before December 11, 2006.
Please note that the Commission encourages electronic filing of
comments. See 18 Code of Federal Regulations 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and
the instructions on the Commission's Internet website at http://www.ferc.gov
under the ``eFiling'' link and the link to the User's
Guide. Before you can file comments you will need to create an account
by clicking on ``Login to File'' and then ``New User Account.'' You
will be asked to select the type of filing you are making. This filing
is considered a ``Comment on Filing''.
When Columbia submits its application for authorization to
construct and operate the Eastern Market Expansion Project, the
Commission will publish a Notice of Application in the Federal Register
and will establish a deadline for interested persons to intervene in
the proceeding. Because the Commission's Pre-Filing Process occurs
before an application to begin a proceeding is officially filed,
petitions to intervene during this process are premature and will not
be accepted by the Commission.
Environmental Mailing List
The determination of whether to distribute the EA for public
comment will be based on the response to this notice. If the EA is
published and you are interested in receiving it, please return the
Information Request (Appendix 2).
Availability of 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, select ``General Search'' from the eLibrary menu,
enter the selected date range and a docket number field (i.e., PF06-35-
000), and follow the instructions. Searches may also be done using the
phrase ``Eastern Market Expansion Project'' in the Text Search field.
For assistance with access to eLibrary, the helpline can be reached at
1-866-208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov.
The eLibrary link on the FERC Internet 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 the eSubscription
link in the FERC Internet Web site.
Public meetings or site visits will be posted on the Commission's
calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/[fxsp0]EventCalendar/
[fxsp0]EventsList.aspx along with other related information.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-19219 Filed 11-14-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P