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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 61 / Thursday, March 30, 2006 / Notices

alternatives (including alternative

facility sites and pipeline routes), 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 carefully follow these

instructions:

• 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 your comments

for the attention of Gas Branch 2, DG2E.

• Reference Docket No. PF06–16–000

on the original and both copies.

• Mail your comments so that they

will be received in Washington, DC on

or before April 24, 2006.

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. The Commission strongly

encourages electronic filing of any

comments in response to this Notice of

Intent. For information on electronically

filing comments, please see the

instructions on the Commission’s Web

site at http://www.ferc.gov under the ‘‘eFiling’’ link and the link to the User’s

Guide, as well as information in 18 CFR

385.2001(a)(1)(iii). Before you can

submit comments you will need to

create a free account, which can be

created on-line.

Public scoping meetings are designed

to provide another opportunity to offer

comments on the proposed project. The

FERC is arranging and will announce

plans for public scoping meetings in the

vicinity of the proposed project before

the close of the scoping period on April

24, 2006. Interested groups and

individuals are encouraged to attend

these meetings and to present comments

on the environmental issues they

believe should be addressed in the EIS.

A transcript of each meeting will be

generated so that your comments will be

accurately recorded.

Once Kinder Morgan formally files its

application with the Commission, you

may want to become an official party to

the proceeding known as an

‘‘intervenor.’’ 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’’

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link on the Commission’s Web site.

Please note that you may not request

intervenor status at this time. You must

wait until a formal application is filed

with the Commission.

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-ofway 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 received this notice, you are on

the environmental mailing list for this

project. 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 removed from the

Commission’s environmental mailing

list.

Availability of Additional Information

Additional information about this

project can be obtained by contacting

the Commission’s Office of External

Affairs, at 1–866–208–FERC (3372).

Additional information is also available

on the Internet at http://www.ferc.gov.

The ‘‘eLibrary link’’ on the FERC Web

site provides access to documents

submitted to and issued by the

Commission, such as comments, orders,

notices and rulemakings. Once on the

FERC website, click on the ‘‘eLibrary

link,’’ select ‘‘General Search’’ and in

the ‘‘Docket Number’’ field enter the

project docket number excluding the

last three digits (PF06–16). When

researching information be sure to select

an appropriate date range. In addition,

the FERC now offers a free e-mail

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 http://www.ferc.gov/

esubscribenow.htm.

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.

For assistance with the FERC Web site

or with eSubscription, please contact

FERC Online Support at

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll

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free at 1–866–208–3676, or TTY, contact

(202) 502–8659.

Kinder Morgan has also established

an Internet Web site for this project at

http://www.kindermorgan.com/

business/gas_pipelines/KMLP. This Web

site includes a description of the

project, a map of the proposed pipeline

route and answers to frequently asked

questions. You can also request

additional information or provide

comments directly to Kinder Morgan at

1–877–751–7626 or by e-mail at

kmlpinfo@kindermorgan.com.

Magalie R. Salas,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. E6–4643 Filed 3–29–06; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. PF06–14–000; COTP

Savannah–06–04]

Southern LNG, Inc. and Elba Express

Company, L.L.C.; Notice of Intent To

Prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement and U.S. Coast Guard Letter

of Recommendation for the Proposed

Elba III Project, Request for Comments

on Environmental Issues, and Notice

of Public Comment Meetings

March 24, 2006.

The Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission (FERC or Commission) and

the U.S. Department of Homeland

Security, U.S. Coast Guard (Coast

Guard) are in the process of evaluating

the Elba III Project planned by Southern

LNG, Inc. and Elba Express Company,

L.L.C., both wholly-owned subsidiaries

of Southern Natural Gas Company

(SNG). The project would consist of an

expansion of SNG’s existing onshore

Elba Island Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

Import Terminal on the Savannah River

in Georgia, and construction and

operation of onshore natural gas

pipeline and compressor facilities in

various counties in Georgia and South

Carolina.

As a part of this evaluation, the FERC

staff will prepare an environmental

impact statement (EIS) that will address

the environmental impacts of the

project. The Commission will use the

EIS in its decision-making process to

determine whether or not to authorize

the project. The Coast Guard will assess

the safety and security of the import

terminal expansion portion of the

project and issue a Letter of

Recommendation. As described below,

the FERC and the Coast Guard will hold

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public comment meetings to allow the

public to provide input to these

assessments.

This Notice of Intent (Notice) explains

the scoping process that will be used to

gather information on the project from

the public and interested agencies, and

summarizes the Coast Guard’s process.

Your input will help identify the issues

that need to be evaluated in the EIS and

in the Coast Guard’s safety and security

assessment. Please note that the scoping

period for the project will close on April

24, 2006.

The FERC will be the lead federal

agency in the preparation of an EIS that

will satisfy the requirements of the

National Environmental Policy Act of

1969 (NEPA). Two other federal

agencies have already agreed to serve as

cooperating agencies during preparation

of the EIS: the Coast Guard and the U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers (COE). The

COE (Savannah and Charleston

Districts) has agreed to participate as a

cooperating agency in the preparation of

this EIS to satisfy its NEPA

responsibilities under section 404 of the

Clean Water Act and section 10 of the

Rivers and Harbors Act. In addition, we

have invited the U.S. Fish & Wildlife

Service; the U.S. Department of

Commerce, National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration, National

Marine Fisheries Service; the Georgia

Department of Natural Resources; and

the South Carolina Department of

Natural Resources to serve as

cooperating agencies in the preparation

of this EIS.

With this Notice, we 1 are asking other

Federal, state, and local agencies with

jurisdiction and/or special expertise

with respect to environmental issues in

the project area to formally cooperate

with us in the preparation of this EIS.

These agencies may choose to

participate once they have evaluated the

planned project relative to their

responsibilities. Agencies that would

like to request cooperating agency status

should follow the instructions for filing

comments described in the Public

Participation section of this Notice.

We encourage government

representatives to notify their

constituents of this planned project and

encourage them to comment on their

areas of concern. Comments on the

project may be submitted in written

form or verbally. Instructions for the

submission of written comments are

provided in the Public Participation

section of this Notice. In lieu of sending

written comments, we invite you to

attend the public scoping meetings that

we have scheduled as follows:

SCHEDULE AND LOCATIONS FOR PUBLIC MEETINGS

Date and time

Location

Monday, April 10, 2006, at 7:00 p.m. .................

Comfort Inn & Suites Conference Center (Southburg Chateau Room), 301 Governor Truetlen

Drive, Pooler, GA 31322; Phone: (912) 748–6464.

Sylvania Recreation Building, 605 Millen Highway, Sylvania, GA 30467; Phone: (912) 863–

2388.

Thomson High School Cafeteria, 1160 White Oak Road, Thomson, GA 30824; Phone: (706)

986–4200.

Washington-Wilkes High School Cafeteria, 304 Gordon Street, Washington, GA 30673; Phone:

(706) 678–2426.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006, at 7:00 p.m. ................

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. ............

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Thursday, April 13, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. ................

The scoping meeting in Pooler,

Georgia, will be combined with the

Coast Guard’s public meeting regarding

the safety and security of the import

terminal expansion. At that meeting, the

Coast Guard will discuss the process for

assessing the suitability of the Savannah

River to accommodate increased LNG

carrier traffic, and the comprehensive

review of the facility’s operations

manual, emergency response plan, and

security plan. The Coast Guard’s Letter

of Recommendation process is further

described below.

This Notice is being sent to Federal,

state, and local government agencies;

elected officials; environmental and

public interest groups; Native American

tribes; commentors and other interested

parties; and local libraries and

newspapers. This includes all

landowners who are potential right-ofway 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. We

encourage government representatives

to notify their constituents of this

planned project and encourage them to

comment on their areas of concern. To

ensure that your comments are

considered, please follow the

instructions in the Public Participation

section below.

If you are a landowner receiving this

Notice, you may be contacted by an

SNG representative about the

acquisition of an easement to construct,

operate, and maintain the proposed

pipeline facilities. The pipeline

company would seek to negotiate a

mutually acceptable agreement.

However, if the pipeline portion of the

project is approved by the FERC, that

approval conveys with it the right of

eminent domain to secure easements for

the facilities. Therefore, if easement

negotiations fail to produce an

agreement, the pipeline 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 Internet Web site (http://

www.ferc.gov. This fact sheet addresses

a number of typically asked questions,

including the use of eminent domain for

pipeline facilities and how to

participate in the FERC’s proceedings.

Summary of the Planned Project

Southern LNG, Inc. plans to construct

and operate an expansion of its existing

Elba Island LNG Import Terminal on the

Savannah River in Georgia (Elba

Terminal Expansion), and Elba Express

Company, L.L.C. plans to construct and

operate a natural gas transmission

pipeline in Georgia and South Carolina

(Elba Express Pipeline). The general

location of the project is shown in

appendix 1.

Elba Terminal Expansion

Southern LNG Inc. plans to construct

and operate an expansion to its existing

LNG import terminal on Elba Island

near Savannah, in Chatham County,

Georgia. The expansion would (a) more

than double the site’s LNG storage

capacity by adding 400,000 cubic meters

1 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the

environmental staff of the FERC’s Office of Energy

Projects.

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(m3) of new storage; (b) substantially

increase the facility’s existing

vaporization capacity; (c) upgrade the

terminal’s send-out meter station to

increase the natural gas send-out

capacity of the facility by an additional

900 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd);

and (d) modify the terminal’s LNG

tanker berthing and unloading facilities

to accommodate larger tankers and

provide faster and simultaneous

unloading of two LNG tankers. All of

the planned facilities would be located

entirely within the existing 190-acre

facility site on Elba Island.

The LNG terminal expansion would

be constructed in two phases, A and B.

Phase A would be completed as early as

January 2010 and would include the

following facilities:

a. One new 200,000 m3 LNG storage

tank, one associated boil-off gas

condenser, and three boil-off gas

compressors;

b. Three submerged combustion

vaporizers, each with a peak capacity of

180 MMcfd, providing an incremental

peak send-out capacity of 540 MMcfd

(or a total peak send-out capacity of

1,755 MMcfd for the full facility at the

completion of phase A); and

c. Modifications to the unloading

docks to accommodate new, larger LNG

tankers and to allow simultaneous

unloading of two LNG tankers. The

modifications to the dual berthing slip

include:

• Adding four mooring dolphins (two

for each berth);

• Dredging approximately 20,500

cubic yards of material from the slope

at the back of the existing slip (and

disposing of dredged material into the

existing spoil disposal area adjacent to

the terminal); and

• Installing a sheetpile bulkhead at

the back of the slip. These modifications

would allow the slip to accommodate

larger LNG tankers with an approximate

overall length of 345 meters (m)

(compared to the current 288 m),

breadth of 55 m (compared to the

current 49 m), design laden draft of 12.0

m (compared to the current 11.7 m), and

displacement of 177,000 metric tons

(compared to the current 128,000 metric

tons).

Phase B would be completed no later

than December 2012 and would include

the following facilities:

a. One new 200,000 m3 LNG storage

tank; and

b. Three submerged combustion

vaporizers (two for service and one

spare), each with a peak capacity of 180

MMcfd, providing an incremental peak

send-out capacity of 360 MMcfd (or a

total peak send-out capacity of 2,115

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MMcfd for the full facility at the

completion of phase B).

Each of the two phases would include

all necessary ancillary equipment

including related pumps, piping,

controls and appurtenances, and

associated systems (electrical,

mechanical, civil, instrumentation,

hazard detection, and fire protection)

and buildings necessary to

accommodate the associated tanks and

vaporizer units. Southern LNG estimates

that following the expansion, the

terminal would receive LNG shipments

about every 5 to 10 days, depending on

natural gas demand and LNG carrier

size.

Elba Express Pipeline

Elba Express Company, L.L.C. plans

to construct and operate about 188 miles

of new natural gas pipeline and

appurtenant facilities in Georgia and

South Carolina. The pipeline would be

constructed in two phases, extending

between an interconnection with SNG

near Port Wentworth, Chatham County,

Georgia on the southern end and an

interconnection with Transcontinental

Gas Pipe Line Corporation (Transco) in

Anderson County, South Carolina on

the northern end.

The first phase is proposed to be

placed in service as early as January

2010 with a design capacity of 945

MMcfd, and would consist of:

a. The ‘‘Southern Segment,’’ which

includes about 104.6 miles of 42-inchdiameter pipeline extending from Port

Wentworth to the existing SNG Wrens

Compressor Station (Wrens) in Jefferson

County, Georgia (to be collocated with

the existing SNG pipelines); and

b. The ‘‘Northern Segment,’’ which

includes about 83.8 miles of 36-inchdiameter pipeline extending from Wrens

to interconnects with Transco in Hart

County, Georgia, and Anderson County,

South Carolina.

The second phase would also involve

construction and operation of a new

compressor station of about 1,000

horsepower near Woodcliff, Screven

County, Georgia, where SNG currently

operates other aboveground facilities.

The compressor station would increase

the pipeline design capacity by 230

MMcfd to a total of 1,175 MMcfd, and

is proposed to be placed in service no

later than December 2012

(corresponding to the in-service date for

Phase B of the Elba terminal expansion).

Land Requirements for Construction

Construction workspace for the Elba

Terminal Expansion is undetermined at

this time, but would be located entirely

within the existing 190-acre facility site.

SNG estimates that construction of the

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Elba Express Pipeline facilities would

require about 1,600 acres of land, not

including warehouses, staging areas,

pipe storage yards, contractor yards, and

access roads. The typical construction

right-of-way for the Southern Segment

would be 125 feet wide (for the 42-inchdiamter pipeline) and would overlap the

existing SNG rights-of-way by varying

widths based upon the existing right-ofway configuration. The typical

construction right-of-way for the

Northern Segment would be 110 feet

wide (for the 36-inch-diameter pipeline)

and, as currently planned, would not be

located adjacent to existing rights-ofway. Temporary extra workspace would

also be required outside the typical

construction right-of-way at certain

feature crossings (e.g., roads, railroads,

waterbodies) and in areas requiring

extensive topsoil segregation or special

construction techniques.

The construction and operation

workspace at the compressor station

would be on a 15-acre site and used for

certain miscellaneous facilities (i.e.,

metering, mainline valves, pig

launching and receiving equipment).

This site would be primarily within, or

adjacent to, the proposed right-of-way.

Following construction, new

permanent right-of-way would be

required for the pipeline, compressor

station, and miscellaneous facilities.

Temporary workspace that is used

outside existing rights-of-way would be

restored and allowed to revert to its

current use.

The EIS Process

NEPA requires the FERC to take into

account the environmental impacts that

could result from an action when it

considers whether an LNG import

terminal expansion or an interstate

natural gas pipeline should be

approved. The FERC will use the EIS to

consider the environmental impacts that

could result if it issues project

authorizations to SNG under sections 3

and 7 of the Natural Gas Act. 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

EIS on the important environmental

issues and reasonable alternatives. With

this Notice, we are requesting public

comments on the scope of the issues to

be addressed in the EIS. All comments

received will be considered during

preparation of the EIS.

In the EIS we will discuss impacts

that could occur as a result of the

construction, operation, maintenance,

and abandonment of the project. We

will also evaluate possible alternatives

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to the planned project or portions of the

project, and make recommendations on

how to lessen or avoid impacts on

various resource areas. The EIS will be

used by the Commission in its decisionmaking process to determine whether

the project is consistent with the public

interest. If it finds such, it will issue an

order authorizing the project.

Our independent analysis of the

issues will be included in a draft EIS.

The draft EIS will be mailed to Federal,

state, and local government agencies;

elected officials; environmental and

public interest groups; Native American

tribes; commentors; other interested

parties; local libraries and newspapers;

and the FERC’s official service list for

this proceeding. A 45-day comment

period will be allotted for review of the

draft EIS. We will consider all timely

comments on the draft EIS and revise

the document, as necessary, before

issuing a final EIS.

Although no formal application has

been filed with the FERC, we have

already initiated our NEPA review

under the Commission’s Pre-Filing

Process. The purpose of the Pre-Filing

Process is to encourage early

involvement of interested stakeholders

and to identify and resolve issues before

an application is filed with the FERC.

The Coast Guard, which will be

responsible for reviewing the safety and

security aspects of the planned terminal

expansion and regulating safety and

security if the project is approved, has

initiated its review as well.

Coast Guard Letter of Recommendation

Process

In accordance with the requirements

of Title 33 of the Code of Federal

Regulations, part 127.009 (33 CFR

127.009), the Coast Guard Captain of the

Port (COTP) Savannah is preparing a

Letter of Recommendation as to the

suitability of the Savannah River for a

potential increase in LNG marine traffic.

The Letter of Recommendation is in

response to a Letter of Intent submitted

by Southern LNG, Inc. to expand its

LNG import terminal facility on Elba

Island near Savannah, Georgia. The

COTP Savannah is soliciting written

comments and related material, and will

hold a public meeting in conjunction

with the FERC seeking comments,

pertaining specifically to maritime

safety and security aspects of the

proposed LNG facility expansion. In

preparation for issuance of a Letter of

Recommendation and the completion of

certain other regulatory mandates, the

COTP Savannah will consider

comments received from the public as

input into a formalized risk assessment

process. This process will assess the

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safety and security aspects of the

facility, adjacent port areas, and

navigable waterways.

Background and Purpose

In accordance with the requirements

of 33 CFR 127.007, Southern LNG, Inc.

submitted a Letter of Intent on January

12, 2006, to expand its LNG import

facility on Elba Island near Savannah,

Georgia. This portion of the overall

project is referred to as the Elba III

Terminal Expansion Project.

Southern LNG, Inc.’s Elba Island

facility is designed for marine receipt of

LNG for storage, re-gasification, and

delivery into the interstate natural gas

pipeline network. The proposed

expansion is described in the Summary

of Planned Project—LNG Terminal

Expansion section of this Notice. The

Coast Guard exercises regulatory

authority over LNG facilities which

affect the safety and security of port

areas and navigable waterways under

Executive Order 10173, the Magnuson

Act (50 U.S.C. 191), the Port and

Waterways Safety Act of 1972, as

amended (33 U.S.C. 1221 et seq.) and

the Maritime Transportation Security

Act of 2002 (46 U.S.C. 701). The Coast

Guard is responsible for matters related

to navigation safety, vessel engineering

and safety standards, and all matters

pertaining to the safety of facilities or

equipment located in or adjacent to

navigable waters up to the last valve

immediately before the receiving tanks.

The Coast Guard also has authority for

LNG facility security plan review,

approval, and compliance verification

as provided in 33 CFR part 105, and

recommendation for siting as it pertains

to the management of vessel traffic in

and around the LNG facility.

Upon receipt of a Letter of Intent from

an owner or operator intending to build

or expand an LNG facility, the Coast

Guard COTP conducts an analysis that

results in a Letter of Recommendation

issued to the owner or operator and to

the state and local governments having

jurisdiction, addressing the suitability of

the waterway to accommodate an

increase of LNG carrier traffic.

Specifically, the Letter of

Recommendation addresses the

suitability of the waterway based on:

• The physical location and layout of

the facility and its berthing and mooring

arrangements;

• The LNG vessels characteristics and

the frequency of LNG shipments to the

facility;

• Commercial, industrial,

environmentally sensitive, and

residential areas in and adjacent to the

waterway used by LNG vessels en route

to the facility;

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• Density and character of marine

traffic on the waterway;

• Bridge or other manmade

obstructions in the waterway;

• Depth of water;

• Tidal range;

• Natural hazards, including rocks

and sandbars;

• Underwater pipelines and cables;

and

• Distance of berthed LNG vessels

from the channel, and the width of the

channel.

In addition, the Coast Guard will

review and approve the updated facility

operations manual and emergency

response plan (33 CFR 127.019), as well

as the updated facility security plan (33

CFR 105.410). The Coast Guard will also

provide input to other Federal, state,

and local government agencies

reviewing the project. Under an

interagency agreement, the Coast Guard

will provide input to FERC—the lead

Federal agency for authorizing the siting

and construction of onshore LNG

facilities—on the maritime safety and

security aspects of the Elba III Terminal

Expansion Project. To help FERC make

sure that the EIS covers the Coast

Guard’s Letter of Recommendation and

other actions under this proposal, the

Coast Guard will serve as a cooperating

agency.

In order to complete a thorough

analysis and fulfill the regulatory

mandates cited above, the COTP

Savannah will be conducting a formal

risk assessment and evaluation of

various safety and security aspects

associated with the Elba III Terminal

Expansion Project. This assessment will

be accomplished through workshops

focusing on waterways safety, port

security, and consequence management,

with involvement from a broad crosssection of government and port

stakeholders with expertise in each of

the respective areas. The workshops

will be by invitation only, but

comments received during the public

comment period will be considered as

input into the risk assessment process.

Currently Identified Environmental

Issues

We have already identified issues that

we think deserve attention based on

attendance at SNG’s Open House

meetings, verbal comments and

comment letters received thus far, a

preliminary review of the project area,

and information provided by SNG. This

preliminary list of issues will be revised

based on your comments and our

continuing analyses.

• Conversion of the planned pipeline

right-of-way from private/commercial

and forested land uses to pipeline

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easement, and associated economic

impact;

• Potential impacts on watersheds

and associated wetlands, tributaries and

streams, and sensitive aquatic and

terrestrial wildlife;

• Potential biological impacts from

ballast water intake by the LNG carriers;

• Potential impacts on federally listed

threatened and endangered species;

• Potential impacts on essential fish

habitat;

• Consistency with Georgia Coastal

Zone Management program;

• Potential impacts on air quality

resulting from operation of the pipeline

compressor station, expanded LNG

terminal, and increased LNG carrier

traffic;

• Potential impacts of increased LNG

carrier traffic and associated support

vessels on other river users;

• Potential impacts on cultural

resources;

• Risks associated with the transport

and storage of LNG;

• Alternative locations for the LNG

terminal expansion and pipeline route

alignment, respectively; and

• Assessment of the cumulative

effects of the project when combined

with other past, present, or reasonably

foreseeable future actions in the project

area.

cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

Public Participation

You can make a difference by

providing us with your specific

comments or concerns about the

planned project. By becoming a

commentor, your concerns will be

addressed in the EIS and considered by

the Commission. Your comments

should focus on the potential

environmental effects, reasonable

alternatives (including alternative

facility sites and pipeline routes), and

measures to avoid or lessen

environmental impacts. In addition, the

Coast Guard encourages you to submit

written comments and related material

pertaining specifically to marine safety

and security aspects associated with the

proposed LNG facility expansion. To

maintain a single administrative record

and public comment repository, all

original written comments and related

material associated with the Coast

Guard’s Letter of Recommendation

process must be submitted to the FERC.

The more specific your comments, the

more useful they will be. To ensure that

your comments are timely and properly

recorded, please follow these

instructions:

• Send an original and two copies of

your letter to: Magalie R. Salas,

Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory

VerDate Aug<31>2005

15:32 Mar 29, 2006

Jkt 208001

Commission, 888 First Street, NE.,

Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;

• Label one copy of your comments

for the attention of Gas Branch 1, DG2E;

• Reference Docket No. PF06–14–000

on the original and both copies; and

• Mail your comments so that they

will be received in Washington, DC on

or before April 24, 2006.

If you submit comments by mail,

submit them in an unbound format, no

larger than 8.5 by 11 inches, suitable for

copying and electronic filing. However,

the Commission strongly encourages

electronic filing of any comments in

response to this Notice. For information

on electronically filing comments,

please see 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 as well

as information in 18 CFR

385.2001(a)(1)(iii). Before you can file

comments you will need to create a free

account, which can be accomplished

online.

Comment letters received by the FERC

regarding the Coast Guard’s safety and

security assessment and Letter of

Recommendation will be forwarded to

the Coast Guard. Although original

written comments must be submitted to

the FERC, you may submit an identical

copy of your written comments to:

Commanding Officer, U.S. Coast Guard

Marine Safety Unit Savannah, 100 W.

Oglethorpe, Savannah, GA 31401.

Marine Safety Unit Savannah

maintains a file for this Notice.

Comments and material received will

become part of this file and will be

available for inspection and copying at

Marine Safety Unit Savannah between

7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through

Friday, except federal holidays. The

Coast Guard’s comment period will run

concurrently with the FERC’s 30-day

public scoping period.

The public scoping meetings (details

provided above) are designed to provide

another opportunity to offer comments

on the proposed project. Interested

groups and individuals are encouraged

to attend the meetings and to present

comments on the environmental issues

that they believe should be addressed in

the EIS. A transcript of each meeting

will be generated so that your comments

will be accurately recorded.

To provide the public an opportunity

to comment on the planned LNG facility

expansion, the Coast Guard will hold a

public meeting in conjunction with the

FERC staff in Pooler, Georgia, on April

10, 2006. Organizations and members of

the public may provide oral statements

regarding the suitability of the Savannah

River for an increase in LNG vessel

traffic at the Pooler public meeting. In

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16147

the interest of time and use of the public

meeting facility, oral statements may be

limited to five minutes (depending on

the number of speakers). Persons

wishing to make oral statements should

notify the FERC when signing in at the

meeting. Written comments may be

submitted at the meeting or to the FERC

as discussed above.

When SNG formally files its

application to site, construct, and

operate its proposed project, the

Commission will publish a Notice of

Application in the Federal Register. The

applicant will provide a copy of this

notice to affected landowners within 3

days of its issuance. The Notice of

Application will establish a deadline for

interested parties 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 and EIS

Format

If you do not wish to remain on the

environmental mailing list to receive

notices or the EIS for this planned

project, please return the mailer

attached as appendix 2.

To reduce printing and mailing costs,

the draft and final EIS will be issued in

both compact disk (CD–ROM) and hard

copy formats. The FERC strongly

encourages the use of CD–ROM format

in its publication of large documents.

Thus, all recipients will automatically

receive the EIS on CD–ROM. If you wish

to receive a paper copy of the draft EIS

instead of a CD–ROM, you must

indicate that choice on the return

mailer.

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.

Click on the eLibrary link, select

‘‘General Search’’ and enter the project

docket number excluding the last three

digits (i.e., PF06–14) in the ‘‘Docket

Number’’ field. Be sure you have

selected an appropriate date range. For

assistance with eLibrary, the eLibrary

helpline can be reached at 1–866–208–

3676, TTY (202) 502–8659, or by e-mail

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.

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16148

Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 61 / Thursday, March 30, 2006 / Notices

If you have any questions about the

Coast Guard’s safety and security

assessment or its Letter of

Recommendation process, contact

Lieutenant Andy Meyers or Charlie

Johnson at Marine Safety Unit

Savannah, (912) 652–4353 or (912) 652–

4180 (fax).

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 http://www.ferc.gov/

esubscribenow.htm.

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.

Finally, SNG has established an

Internet Web site for this project at

http://www.elba3.com. The Web site

includes a description of the project,

additional maps of the project area, and

answers to frequently asked questions.

You can also request additional

information or provide comments

directly to SNG at (800) 793–4514.

Magalie R. Salas,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. E6–4654 Filed 3–29–06; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Project No. 2145–060]

Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan

County, WA (Chelan PUD); Notice of

Settlement Agreement, Soliciting

Comments, and New Procedural

Schedule

cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

March 23, 2006.

Take notice that the following

settlement agreement has been filed

with the Commission and is available

for public inspection.

a. Type of Application: Final

Comprehensive Settlement Agreement.

b. Project No.: P–2145–060.

c. Date Filed: March 20, 2006.

d. Applicant: Public Utility District

No. 1 of Chelan County, Washington

(Chelan PUD).

e. Name of Project: Rocky Reach

Hydroelectric Project (Project).

f. Location: On the mid-Columbia

River, near the city of Wenatchee, in

VerDate Aug<31>2005

18:18 Mar 29, 2006

Jkt 208001

Chelan and Douglas Counties,

Washington.

g. Filed Pursuant to: Rule 602 of the

Commission’s Rules of Practice and

Procedure, 18 CFR 385.602.

h. Applicant Contact: Gregg

Carrington, Director of Hydro Services,

327 N. Wenatchee Avenue, Wenatchee,

WA 98801, (509) 661–4178,

gregg@chelanpud.org.

i. FERC Contact: Kim A. Nguyen,

(202) 502–6105, kim.nguyen@ferc.gov.

j. The deadline for filing comments on

the Settlement Agreement is 20 days

from the date of this notice, or April 12,

2006. The deadline for filing reply

comments is 30 days from the date of

this notice, or April 24, 2006.

All documents (original and eight

copies) should be filed with: Magalie R.

Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission, 888 First

Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.

The Commission’s Rules of Practice

require all intervenors filing documents

with the Commission to serve a copy of

that document on each person on the

official service list for the project.

Further, if an intervenor files comments

or documents with the Commission

relating to the merits of an issue that

may affect the responsibilities of a

particular resource agency, they must

also serve a copy of the document on

that resource agency.

Comments may be filed electronically

via the Internet in lieu of paper. The

Commission strongly encourages

electronic filings. See 18 CFR

385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions

on the Commission’s Web site (http://

www.ferc.gov) under the ‘‘e-Filing’’ link.

k. Chelan PUD filed the settlement

agreement on behalf of themselves and

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the

Washington Department of Ecology, the

U.S. National Park Service, the U.S.

Bureau of Land Management, the

Washington Department of Fish and

Wildlife, the Washington State Parks

and Recreation Commission, the City of

Entiat, the Entiat Coalition, and Alcoa

Power Generating, Inc. The purpose of

the settlement agreement is to resolve

among the signatories issues regarding

the relicensing of the Rocky Reach

Hydroelectric Project. The signatories

have agreed that the settlement

agreement is fair and reasonable and in

the public interest. On behalf of the

signatories, Chelan PUD requests that

the Commission approve the settlement

agreement and adopt it as part of a new

license without material modification.

l. A copy of the settlement agreement

is available for review at the

Commission in the Public Reference

Room or may be viewed on the

Commission’s Web site at http://

PO 00000

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Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

www.ferc.gov using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link.

Enter the docket number excluding the

last three digits in the docket number

field to access the document. For

assistance, contact FERC Online

Support at

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or tollfree at 1–866–208–3676, or for TTY

(202) 502–8659. A copy is also available

for inspection and reproduction at the

address in item h above.

You may also register online at http://

www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/

esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances

related to this or other pending projects.

For assistance, contact FERC Online

Support.

m. We are modifying our processing

schedule for the relicensing of the

Project. The schedule given in our

Notice on January 30, 2006 is replaced

with the following schedule:

Target Date: Issue Final

Environmental Impact Statement July,

2006; Ready for Commission Action

October, 2006.

Magalie R. Salas,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. E6–4593 Filed 3–29–06; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

Notice of Applications Accepted for

Filing and Soliciting Comments,

Motions To Intervene, and Protests

March 24, 2006.

Take notice that the following

hydroelectric applications have been

filed with the Commission and are

available for public inspection:

a. Type of Applications: Preliminary

Permit (Competing).

b. Applicants, Project Numbers, and

Dates Filed:

Wilkesboro Hydroelectric Company

LLC filed the application for Project No.

12642–000 on January 25, 2006.

Yadkin Hydropower LLC filed the

application for Project No. 12651–000

on February 9, 2006.

c. Name of the Project: W. Kerr Scott

Hydroelectric Project. The project

would be located on the Yadkin River

in Wilkes County, North Carolina. It

would use the U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers’ (Corps) existing W. Kerr

Scott Dam.

d. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power

Act, 16 U.S.C. 791a–825r.

e. Applicants Contacts: For

Wilkesboro Hydroelectric Company: M.

Clifford Phillips, Wilkesboro

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