Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 151 / Monday, August 7, 2006 / Notices

Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 151 / Monday, August 7, 2006 / Notices

Commission’s Office of External Affairs,

at 1–866–208–FERC or on the FERC

Internet Web site (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 www.ferc.gov/

esubscribenow.htm.

Magalie R. Salas,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. E6–12722 Filed 8–4–06; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

Docket No. PF06–28–000

Southeast Supply Header, LLC; Notice

of Intent To Prepare an Environmental

Impact Statement for the Proposed

Southeast Supply Header Project,

Request for Comments on

Environmental Issues, and Notice of

Public Scoping Meetings

July 28, 2006.

The staff of the Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission (FERC or

Commission) will prepare an

environmental impact statement (EIS)

that will identify and address the

environmental impacts that could result

from the construction and operation of

the Southeast Supply Header Project

proposed by Southeast Supply Header,

LLC (SESH) a partnership between Duke

Energy Gas Transmission and

CenterPoint Gas Transmission.

In order to assist staff with the

identification of environmental issues

and to comply with the requirements of

the National Environmental Policy Act

of 1969 (NEPA), a thirty day scoping

period has been opened to receive

comments on the proposed project.

Please note that the scoping period for

this project will close on August 28,

2006.

Additionally, as part of the scoping

process, we will also hold three public

meetings, as described below, to receive

comments on the proposed project.

Date and time

Location

Monday—August 21, 2006, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. (CST) ..........

Multipurpose Building in Gallman, West Gallman Road, Gallman, Mississippi, Telephone: (601) 953–9007.

Hattiesburg Lake Terrace, Convention Center, One Convention Center Plaza, Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39042, Telephone: (800) 638–6877.

Lucedale Rocky Creek Inn, 120 Woods Ridge Road, Lucedale, Mississippi 39452,

Telephone: (601) 947–6900.

Tuesday—August 22, 2006, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. (CST) .........

Thursday—August 24, 2006, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. (CST) .......

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This notice is being sent to 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; all of which are

encouraged to submit comments on the

proposed project. Details on how to

submit comments are provided in the

Public Participation section of this

notice.

If you are a landowner receiving this

notice, you may be contacted by a SESH

representative about the acquisition of

an easement to construct, operate, and

maintain the proposed project facilities.

The pipeline company would seek to

negotiate a mutually acceptable

agreement. However, if the project is

approved by the FERC, that approval

conveys 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?’’ is available for viewing on

the FERC Internet Web site

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(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

SESH proposes to construct, own and

operate a new 36-inch-diameter natural

gas pipeline and associated facilities

that would be capable of receiving and

transporting about 1.0 billion cubic feet

of natural gas per day in Richland and

Madison Parishes, Louisiana; Warren,

Claiborne, Hinds, Copiah, Simpson,

Lawrence, Jefferson Davis, Covington,

Jones, Forrest, Perry, Greene, George,

and Jackson Counties, Mississippi; and

Mobile County, Alabama.

The general location of the proposed

pipeline is shown in the figure included

as Appendix 1.1

Specifically, SESH proposes to

construct and operate the following

facilities:

• Approximately 270 miles of 36inch-diameter pipeline beginning in

Richland Parish, Louisiana and ending

in Mobile County, Alabama;

1 The appendices referenced in this notice are not

being printed in the Federal Register.

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• Three natural gas compressor

stations: Delhi Compressor Station in

Richland Parish (30,000 hp), Louisiana;

Gwenville Compressor Station in

Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi

(15,000 hp) and the Lucedale

Compressor Station in George County,

Mississippi (15,000 hp);

• Three booster compressor stations

at the Texas Eastern Transmission LP

(TETLP) meter and regulation (M&R)

Station, at the Transcontinental Gas

Pipeline Corporation (Transco) M&R

Station, and at the Tennessee Gas

Pipeline Company (Tennessee Gas)

M&R Station in Copiah, Jefferson Davis

and Forrest Counties, Mississippi;

• Twelve natural gas pipeline

interconnects and M&R Stations; and

• Three pig launching and receiving

facilities and several mainline valves.

SESH proposes to have the project

constructed and operational by June

2008.

Land Requirements for Construction

As proposed, the typical construction

right-of-way for the project pipeline

would be 100 feet wide. Following

construction, SESH has proposed to

retain a 50-foot-wide permanent rightof-way for operation of the project.

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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 151 / Monday, August 7, 2006 / Notices

sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES

Additional, temporary extra workspaces

beyond the typical construction right-ofway limits may also be required at

certain feature crossings (e.g., roads,

railroads, wetlands, or waterbodies), in

areas with steep side slopes, or in

association with special construction

techniques. In residential areas,

wetlands, and other sensitive areas, the

construction right-of-way width would

be reduced as necessary to protect

homeowners and environmental

resources.

Based on preliminary information,

construction and operation of the

proposed project facilities would affect

about 3,789 acres of land. Following

construction, about 1,616 acres would

be maintained as permanent right-ofway, and about 120 acres of land would

be maintained as new aboveground

facility sites. The remaining 2,053 acres

of temporary workspace (including all

temporary construction rights-of-way,

extra workspaces, and pipe storage and

contractor yards) would be restored and

allowed to revert to its former use.

The EIS Process

The National Environmental Policy

Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to

take into account the environmental

impacts that could result from the

approval of an interstate natural gas

pipeline. The FERC will use the EIS to

consider the environmental impact that

could result if the CEGT project is

authorized under section 7 of the

Natural Gas Act.

NEPA also requires us to discover and

address concerns the public may have

about proposals to be considered by the

Commission. 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. With this Notice

of Intent, the Commission staff is

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 and operation of the

proposed project under these general

headings:

• Geology and soils;

• Water resources;

• Wetlands and vegetation;

• Fish and wildlife;

• Threatened and endangered

species;

• Land use, recreation, and visual

resources;

• Air quality and noise;

• Cultural resources;

• Socioeconomics;

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• Reliability and safety; and

• Cumulative impacts.

In the EIS, 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 affected

resources.

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; affected landowners;

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 comments on

the draft EIS and revise the document,

as necessary, before issuing a final EIS.

We will consider all comments on the

final EIS before we make our

recommendations to the Commission.

To ensure that your comments are

considered, please follow the

instructions in the Public Participation

section of this notice.

Although no formal application has

been filed, the FERC staff has already

initiated its NEPA review under the

Commission’s Pre-filing Process. The

purpose of the Pre-filing Process is to

encourage the early involvement of

interested stakeholders and to identify

and resolve issues before an application

is filed with the FERC.

With this notice, we are asking

Federal, State, and local governmental

agencies with jurisdiction and/or

special expertise with respect to

environmental issues, especially those

identified in Appendix 2, to express

their interest in becoming cooperating

agencies for the preparation of the EIS.

These agencies may choose to

participate once they have evaluated the

proposal relative to their

responsibilities. Agencies that would

like to request cooperating status should

follow the instructions for filing

comments provided in Appendix 2.

Currently Identified Environmental

Issues

The EIS will discuss impacts that

could occur as a result of the

construction and operation of the

proposed project. We have already

identified several issues that we think

deserve attention based on a

preliminary review of the project site

and the facility information provided by

CEGT. This preliminary list of issues

may be changed based on your

comments and our analysis.

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• Potential effects on prime farmland

and erodable soils.

• Potential impacts to perennial and

intermittent waterbodies, including

waterbodies with Federal and/or State

designations/protections.

• Evaluation of temporary and

permanent impacts on wetlands and

development of appropriate mitigation.

• Potential impacts to fish and

wildlife habitat, including potential

impacts to federally and state-listed

threatened and endangered species.

• Potential visual effects of the

aboveground facilities on surrounding

areas.

• Potential impacts and potential

benefits of construction workforce on

local housing, infrastructure, public

services, and economy.

• Potential impacts to local air and

noise quality associated with

construction and operation.

• Public safety and potential hazards

associated with the transport of natural

gas.

• Alternative alignments for the

pipeline route and alternative sites for

the compressor stations.

Public Participation

You can make a difference by

providing us with your specific

comments or concerns about the

proposed 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 impact. 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. PF06–28–000

on the original and both copies.

• Mail your comments so that they

will be received in Washington, DC on

or before August 28, 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 timeframe

in our environmental analysis of this

project. The Commission strongly

encourages electronic filing of any

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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 151 / Monday, August 7, 2006 / Notices

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 www.ferc.gov.

The public scoping meetings 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 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 SESH 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’’

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.

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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 3). 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 the

project is available from the

Commission’s Office of External Affairs,

at 1–866–208–FERC (3372). Additional

information can also be found on the

Internet at www.ferc.gov. The ‘‘eLibrary

link’’ on the FERC Web site provides

access to documents submitted to and

issued by the Commission, such as

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comments, orders, notices and

rulemakings. Once on the FERC Web

site, click on the ‘‘eLibrary link,’’ select

‘‘General Search’’ and in the ‘‘Docket

Number’’ field enter the project docket

number excluding the last three digits

(PF06–28). 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 www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.

Public meetings or site visits will be

posted on the Commission’s calendar

located at 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

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

(202) 502–8659.

Finally, SESH has established an

Internet Web site for this project at

www.duke-energy.com/companies/degt/

projects/sesh/. The 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 SESH at

1–888–312–7374.

Magalie R. Salas,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. E6–12720 Filed 8–4–06; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

Notice of Application Accepted for

Filing and Soliciting Motions To

Intervene, Protests, and Comments

July 28, 2006.

Take notice that the following

hydroelectric application has been filed

with the Commission and is available

for public inspection:

a. Type of Application: Preliminary

Permit.

b. Project No.: 12713–000.

c. Date filed: July 14, 2006.

d. Applicant: Reedsport OPT Wave

Park, LLC.

e. Name of Project: Reedsport OPT

Wave Park Project.

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f. Location: The project would be

located in the Pacific Ocean about 3

miles off shore in Douglas County,

Oregon.

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power

Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r).

h. Applicant Contacts: Charles F.

Dunleavy, Reedsport OPT Wave Park,

LLC, 1590 Reed Road, Pennington, NJ

08534, phone: (609)–730–0400.

i. FERC Contact: Robert Bell, (202)

502–6062.

j. Deadline for filing comments,

protests, and motions to intervene: 60

days from the issuance date of this

notice.

The Commission’s Rules of Practice

and Procedure require all intervenors

filing documents with the Commission

to serve a copy of that document on

each person in 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.

k. Description of Project: The

proposed project would consist of: (1)

200 Power Buoys having a total

installed capacity of 50 megawatts, (2) a

proposed 13.8 kilovolt transmission

line; and (3) appurtenant facilities. The

project is estimated to have an annual

generation of 153.3 gigawatt-hours perunit per-year, which would be sold to a

local utility.

l. Locations of Applications: A copy of

the application is available for

inspection and reproduction at the

Commission in the Public Reference

Room, located at 888 First Street, NE.,

Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, or by

calling (202) 502–8371. This filing may

also be viewed on the Commission’s

Web site at http://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, call toll-free

1–866–208–3676 or e-mail

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. For TTY,

call (202) 502–8659. A copy is also

available for inspection and

reproduction at the address in item h

above.

m. Individuals desiring to be included

on the Commission’s mailing list should

so indicate by writing to the Secretary

of the Commission.

n. Competing Preliminary Permit:

Anyone desiring to file a competing

application for preliminary permit for a

proposed project must submit the

competing application itself, or a notice

of intent to file such an application, to

the Commission on or before the

specified comment date for the

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