Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 234 / Wednesday, December 7, 2005 / Notices

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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 234 / Wednesday, December 7, 2005 / Notices

electronic filings. See 18 CFR

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

on the Commission’s Web site under the

‘‘e-Filing’’ link.

Please contact Kenneth Hogan by

telephone at (202)502–8434 or by e-mail

at Kenneth.Hogan@ferc.gov if you have

any questions.

Magalie R. Salas,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. E5–6931 Filed 12–6–05; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

which was issued November 22, 2005,

and is available for review and

reproduction at the Commission’s

Public Reference Room, located at 888

First Street, NE., Room 2A, Washington,

DC 20426. The EA may also be viewed

on the Commission’s Web site at

http://www.ferc.gov using the ‘‘elibrary’’

link. Enter the project number (prefaced

by P-) and 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 (866) 208–3676, or for TTY,

contact (202) 502–8659.

Magalie R. Salas,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. E5–6932 Filed 12–6–05; 8:45 am]

[Project No. 2246–047]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

Yuba County Water Agency; Notice of

Availability of Environmental

Assessment

November 28, 2005.

In accordance with the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and

the Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission’s (Commission)

regulations, 18 CFR part 380 (Order No.

486, 52 FR 47897), the Office of Energy

Projects has reviewed an application for

an amendment of license for the Yuba

River Development Project (FERC No.

2246) and has prepared an

Environmental Assessment (EA) for the

proposed amendment. The project is

located on the North Yuba River

downstream of Englebright Dam in Yuba

County, California, about 20 miles

northeast of Marysville and about 24

miles upstream from the confluence of

the Yuba and Feather Rivers.

The licensee requests approval to

construct and operate a 3,000 cubic feet

per second (cfs) synchronous flow

bypass system and to revise flow

reduction and fluctuation criteria under

article 33(d) of the license for the

Narrows II development. Currently, the

licensee is only capable of bypassing

650 cfs through the plant, which has a

capacity of 3,400 cfs under full

generation load. The proposed bypass

system will allow the licensee,

especially during emergency shutdown

periods, to be able to minimize flow

fluctuations downstream. The EA

contains Commission staff’s analysis of

the probable environmental impacts of

the proposal and concludes that

approving the licensee’s application

would not constitute a major federal

action significantly affecting the quality

of the human environment.

The EA is attached to a Commission

order titled ‘‘Order Modifying and

Approving Amendment of License,’’

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. CP06–018–000]

Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company;

Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Assessment for the

Proposed Essex-Middlesex Project;

Request for Comments on

Environmental Issues, and Notice of

Site Visit and Public Scoping Meeting

November 28, 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 Essex-Middlesex Project involving

construction and operation of facilities

by Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company

(Tennessee Gas) in Essex and Middlesex

Counties, Massachusetts.1 These

facilities would consist of about 7.8

miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline and

aboveground pig receiver and tie-in

facilities. 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.

If you are a landowner receiving this

notice, you may be contacted by a

pipeline company representative about

the acquisition of an easement to

construct, operate, and maintain the

proposed facilities. The pipeline

company would seek to negotiate a

mutually acceptable agreement.

However, if the project is approved by

the Commission, that approval conveys

1 Tennessee Gas’ application was filed with the

Commission under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act

and Part 157 of the Commission’s regulations.

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with it the right of eminent domain.

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?’’ was attached to the project

notice Tennessee Gas 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

available for viewing on the FERC

Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

Tennessee Gas wants to increase its

ability to receive and transport gas into

the Northeast natural gas pipeline

network by constructing its facilities in

Essex and Middlesex Counties,

Massachusetts to provide up to 82,300

decatherms per day of incremental firm

transportation capacity. Tennessee Gas

would connect its Beverly-Salem Line

270C–100 near Saugus, Massachusetts

to its DOMAC Line 270C–1100 near

Lynnfield, Massachusetts. The proposed

alignment follows New England Power

Company’s (NEPCO) powerline right-ofway. Tennessee Gas seeks authority to

construct and operate:

• 7.8 miles of 24-inch-diameter

pipeline in Essex and Middlesex

Counties, Massachusetts;

• One tie-in facility at the northern

terminus, milepost 7.83;

• One new pig receiver at the north

end, milepost 7.62; and

• One tie-in facility at the southern

terminus, milepost 0.0.

The general location of the project

facilities is shown in Appendix 1.2

Land Requirements for Construction

Construction of the proposed facilities

would require about 81 acres of land.

Following construction, about 47 acres

would be maintained as new permanent

pipeline right-of-way. The remaining 34

acres of land would be restored and

allowed to revert to its former use.

Tennessee Gas would use a total

construction right-of-way width of 75 to

100 feet during construction. Following

construction, Tennessee Gas would

2 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, NE., Washington,

DC 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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maintain the pipeline in a 50-foot-wide

permanent right-of-way easement with

periodic mowing. Tennessee Gas’

construction right-of-way would overlap

NEPCO’s maintained right-of-way by as

much as 50 feet. Tennessee Gas

proposes to use unidentified additional

land for pipe yards and staging areas.

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.

In the EA we 3 will discuss impacts

that could occur as a result of the

construction and operation of the

proposed project under these general

headings:

• Residential and planned development

• Construction air quality and noise

• Land use impacts

• Public safety

• Water resources (groundwater,

drinking water, and streams),

fisheries, and wetlands

• Vegetation

• Geology and soils

• Wildlife, including endangered and

threatened species

• Hazardous waste

• Cultural resources

We will also evaluate possible

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 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

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

environmental staff of the Office of Energy Projects

(OEP).

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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.

To ensure your comments are

considered, please carefully follow the

instructions in the public participation

section below.

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 the

environmental information provided by

Tennessee Gas. This preliminary list of

issues may be changed based on your

comments and our analysis.

• Impacts to sixteen residences

within 50 feet of the construction work

area;

• Clearing of approximately 27 acres

of forest and construction in

approximately 26 acres of wetlands and

stream crossings;

• Impacts to Reedy Meadow National

Natural Landmark, also a Massachusetts

designated potentially sensitive habitat

area; Golden Hills—a Massachusetts

designated Area of Critical

Environmental Concern; and the

Breakheart Reservation—a

Massachusetts designated recreational

and potentially sensitive habitat area;

and

• Potential visual and aesthetic

impact to the Breakheart Reservation

Parkway and Lynn Fells Parkway

National Register of Historic Places

Districts

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 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 2.

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72819

• Reference Docket No. CP06–018–

000.

• Mail your comments so that they

will be received in Washington, DC on

or before December 21, 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.

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 3). If

you do not return the Information

Request, you will be taken off the

mailing list.

Notice of Site Visit and Public Comment

Meeting

The OEP staff will conduct a site visit

on December 14, 2005 to inspect

Tennessee Gas’ proposed pipeline route

and project for the Essex-Middlesex

Project. The areas will be inspected by

automobile. Representatives of

Tennessee Gas will accompany the OEP

staff. Anyone interested in participating

in the December 14 site visit should

meet at the parking lot of the Hill Top

Steakhouse at 9 am in Saugus,

Massachusetts, located at 855 Broadway

Street off of Route U.S. 1 South.

Participants must provide their own

transportation.

In addition to or in lieu of sending

written comments, we invite you to

attend the public scoping meeting the

FERC will conduct in the project area.

The public scoping meeting will be held

jointly with a public hearing conducted

by the Massachusetts Energy Facilities

Siting Board. The location and time for

the meeting is listed below:

Date and Time: December 14, 2005, 7

p.m.

Location: Wakefield High School—

Cafeteria, 60 Farm St, Wakefield,

Massachusetts 01880, (781) 246–6440.

The public scoping meetings are

designed to provide you with more

detailed information and another

opportunity to offer your comments on

the proposed project. Tennessee Gas

representatives will be present at the

scoping meetings to describe their

proposal. Interested groups and

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individuals are encouraged to attend the

meetings and to present comments on

the environmental issues they believe

should be addressed in the EA. A

transcript of each meeting will be made

so that your comments will be

accurately recorded.

For additional information, contact

the Commission’s Office of External

Affairs at 1–866–208–FERC.

Becoming an Intervenor

In addition to involvement in the EA

scoping process, you may want to

become an official party to the

proceeding, or ‘‘intervenor.’’ 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). Intervenors

have the right to seek rehearing of the

Commission’s decision. Motions to

Intervene should be electronically

submitted using the Commission’s

eFiling system at http://www.ferc.gov.

Persons without Internet access should

send an original and 14 copies of their

motion to the Secretary of the

Commission at the address indicated

previously. Persons filing Motions to

Intervene on or before the comment

deadline indicated above must send a

copy of the motion to the Applicant. All

filings, including late interventions,

submitted after the comment deadline

must be served on the Applicant and all

other intervenors identified on the

Commission’s service list for this

proceeding. Persons on the service list

with email addresses may be served

electronically; others must be served a

hard copy of the filing.

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-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. By this

notice we are also asking governmental

agencies, especially those in Appendix

2, to express their interest in becoming

cooperating agencies for the preparation

of the EA.

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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. 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 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.

Magalie R. Salas,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. E5–6926 Filed 12–6–05; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. CP06–16–000]

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line

Corporation; Notice of Intent To

Prepare an Environmental Assessment

for the Proposed Station 50

Horsepower Replacement Project and

Request for Comments on

Environmental Issues

November 28, 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 Station 50 Horsepower Replacement

Project involving abandonment,

construction, and operation of facilities

by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line

Corporation (Transco) in Evangeline

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Parish, Louisiana.1 These facilities

would consist of (a) abandonment by

removal of two 6,250-horsepower (hp)

turbine/compressor units, and (b)

installation of one 10,310-hp turbine/

compressor unit. This EA will be used

by the Commission in its

decisionmaking process to determine

whether the project is in the public

convenience and necessity.

This notice announces the opening of

the scoping period that will be used to

gather environmental input from the

public and interested agencies on the

project. Please note that the scoping

period will close on December 22, 2005.

This notice is being sent to potentially

affected landowners; Federal, state, and

local government agencies; elected

officials; environmental and public

interest groups; Native American Tribes;

other interested parties; and local

libraries and newspapers. State and

local government representatives are

asked to notify their constituents of this

planned 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?’’ should have been attached to

the project notice Transco 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 also is

available for viewing on the FERC

Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

Transco is seeking authorization to

improve the facilities at Compressor

Station 50 in Evangeline Parish,

Louisiana, by performing the following

activities: (a) Abandonment by removal

of two existing 6,520-hp turbine/

compressor units, and (b) installation of

one new 10,310-hp turbine/compressor

unit. The old units, which Transco

describes as obsolete and cumbersome

to operate, would be removed as would

the associated enclosures, building,

equipment, piping, utilities, and

controls. The new unit would be

installed in a new building with

associated interconnecting piping,

equipment, utilities, and controls.

The location of the project facilities is

shown in Appendix 1.2

1 Transco’s application was filed with the

Commission under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act

and Part 157 of the Commission’s regulations.

2 The appendix referenced in this notice is not

being printed in the Federal Register. A copy of this

notice is available on the Commission’s website at

the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link or from the Commission’s

Public Reference Room, 888 First St. NE.,

Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 502–8371. For

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