[Federal Register: March 15, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 49)]
[Notices]
[Page 12676-12678]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15mr05-73]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket Nos. CP05-64-000]
Florida Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Turkey Point Project and
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
March 8, 2005.
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 Turkey Point Project involving
abandonment, construction and operation of facilities by Florida Gas
Transmission (FGT) in Miami-Dade County, Florida. These facilities
would consist of the construction and operation of a new 17,000
horsepower Compressor Station, and the installation of a 24-inch Tee
and Side Valve on the existing FGT lateral on the grounds of the Turkey
Point Power Plant owned by Florida Power and Light (FPL). The EA will
be used by the Commission in its decisionmaking process to determine
whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity.
Summary of the Proposed Project
FGT is requesting authorization to abandon facilities and to
construct, own, and operate facilities consisting of a new 17,000
horsepower (hp) electric Compressor Station No. 22 (CS 22) and
appurtenant facilities located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, on the
existing FGT 24-inch Turkey Point Lateral within the existing Turkey
Point Power Plant owned by FPL. Specifically, FGT plans to:
Construct a 1,600-foot extension of the existing 18-inch
mainline at approximate milepost (MP) 907.7 to the proposed Compressor
Station 22, and back to the 18-inch mainline tie in;
Abandon approximately 50 feet of the existing 18-inch
mainline at MP 907.7 near the intersection of NW., 72nd Avenue (Milam
Dairy Road) and NW., 64th Street;
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Construct Compressor Station 22 with two 8,500 hp electric
driven compressors designed for unmanned operation on the existing FGT
18-inch mainline located in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida
on FPL-owned property located northeast of the intersection of NW.,
72nd Avenue (Milam Dairy Rd) and NW., 64th Street;
Install a motor control center, gas after-cooling, an oily
water storage tank, facility blowdown, a pipeline liquids storage tank,
at the fully fenced Compressor Station 22; and
Install a new 24-inch Tee and Side Valve on the existing
FGT 24-inch Turkey Point Lateral at FPL's new 24-inch lateral to the
FGT system.
The location of the proposed site 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 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, N.E., Washington, D.C. 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
Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 14.68
acres of land. Following construction, about 6.86 acres would be
maintained as new aboveground facility sites and pipeline right-of-way.
The remaining 0.92 acre 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.
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.
In the EA we \2\ will discuss impacts that could occur as a result
of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these
general headings:
\2\ ``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
Reliability and 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.
To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the
instructions in the public participation section below.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission.
You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the
proposal, alternatives to the proposal (including alternative locations
and routes), 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 3.
Reference Docket No. CP05-64-000.
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before April 8, 2005.
Please note that we are continuing to experience delays in mail
deliveries from the U.S. Postal Service. As a result, we will include
all comments that we receive within a reasonable time frame in our
environmental analysis of this project. However, the Commission
strongly encourages electronic filing of any comments or interventions
or protests to this proceeding. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the
instructions on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under
the ``e-Filing'' link and the link to the User's Guide. Before you can
file comments you will need to create a free account which can be
created on-line.
We might mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in
receiving it, please return the Information Request (Appendix 4). 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 official party to the proceeding known as an
``intervenor.'' Intervenors play a more formal role in the process.
Among other things, intervenors have the right to receive copies of
case-related Commission documents and filings by other intervenors.
Likewise, each intervenor must send one electronic copy (using the
Commission's eFiling system) or 14 paper copies of its filings to the
Secretary of the Commission and must send a copy of its filings to all
other parties on the Commission's service list for this proceeding. If
you want 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) (see Appendix 2).\3\ Only intervenors have
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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\3\ Interventions may also be filed electronically. See previous
discussion on electronic filing.
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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
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-
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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. By this notice we are
also asking governmental agencies, especially those in Appendix 3, to
express their interest in becoming cooperating agencies for the
preparation of the EA.
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. Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY,
contact (202) 502-8659.
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.
Linda Mitry,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-1084 Filed 3-14-05; 8:45 am]
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