Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Mainline Extension Interconnect Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP10-76-000]

Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Mainline Extension

Interconnect Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

April 27, 2010.

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 Mainline Extension

Interconnect Project involving construction and operation of facilities

by Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company (ESNG) in Lancaster and Chester

Counties, Pennsylvania. 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.

This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the

Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested

agencies on the project. Your input will help the Commission staff

determine what issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that

the scoping period will close on May 28, 2010.

This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental

mailing list for this project. 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.

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 company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement.

However, if the project is approved by the Commission, that approval

conveys with it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement

negotiations fail to produce an agreement, 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 ESNG 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

also available for viewing on the FERC Web site (http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

ESNG proposes to construct and operate approximately 8.3 miles of

16-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline and other associated facilities

in Lancaster and Chester Counties, Pennsylvania. The Mainline Extension

Interconnect Project would provide its shippers the opportunity to

receive natural gas supplies, with a capacity of 40,000 dekatherms per

day, from the Appalachian region and other areas through an

interconnection with Texas Eastern Transmission, LP's pipeline system.

The Mainline Extension Interconnect Project would consist of the

following facilities:

8.3 miles of 16-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline;

One meter station/pig \1\ launcher at the interconnect

with Texas Eastern Transmission, LP, near Honey Brook, Pennsylvania;

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\1\ A ``pig'' is a tool that is inserted into and moves through

the pipeline, and is used for cleaning the pipeline, internal

inspections, or other purposes.

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One mainline valve; and

One interconnect/pig receiver at the existing ESNG meter

station near Parkesburg, Pennsylvania.

The general location of the project facilities is shown in Appendix

1.\2\

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\2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being

printed in the Federal Register. Copies of appendices were sent to

all those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at

http://www.ferc.gov using the link called ``eLibrary'' 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.

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Land Requirements for Construction

Construction of the proposed facilities would disturb about 76.4

acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipeline.

Following construction, about 51.1 acres would be maintained for

permanent operation of the project's facilities; the remaining acreage

would be restored and allowed to revert to former uses.

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

\3\ 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, the Commission requests public

comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. All comments

received will be considered during the preparation of the EA.

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\3\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff

of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.

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In the EA 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;

Land use;

Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;

Cultural resources;

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Vegetation and wildlife;

Air quality and noise;

Endangered and threatened species; and

Public 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.

Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the EA.

The EA will be placed in the public record and, depending on the

comments received during the scoping process, may be published and

distributed to the public. A comment period will be allotted if the EA

is published for review. 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.

With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction and/or

special expertise with respect to environmental issues to formally

cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA. These agencies may

choose to participate once they have evaluated the proposal relative to

their responsibilities. Agencies that would like to request cooperating

agency status should follow the instructions for filing comments

provided under the Public Participation section of this notice.

Consultations Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation

Act

In accordance with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's

implementing regulations, we are using this notice to solicit the views

of the public on the project's potential effects on historic

properties.\4\ We will document our findings on the impacts on cultural

resources and summarize the status of consultations under section 106

of the National Historic Preservation Act in our EA.

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\4\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's regulations

are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Historic

properties are defined in those regulations as any prehistoric or

historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in

or eligible for inclusion in the National Register for Historic

Places.

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Public Participation

You can make a difference by providing us with your specific

comments or concerns about the project. Your comments should focus on

the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, 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 send your comments so

that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before May 28, 2010.

For your convenience, there are three methods which you can use to

submit your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please

reference the project docket number CP10-76-000 with your submission.

The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert

eFiling staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or

[email protected].

(1) You may file your comments electronically by using the Quick

Comment feature, which is located at http://www.ferc.gov under the link

called ``Documents and Filings''. A Quick Comment is an easy method for

interested persons to submit text-only comments on a project;

(2) You may file your comments electronically by using the

``eFiling'' feature that is listed under the ``Documents and Filings''

link. eFiling involves preparing your submission in the same manner as

you would if filing on paper, and then saving the file on your

computer's hard drive. You will attach that file to your submission.

New eFiling users must first create an account by clicking on the links

called ``Sign up'' or ``eRegister''. You will be asked to select the

type of filing you are making. A comment on a particular project is

considered a ``Comment on a Filing''; or

(3) You may file a paper copy of your comments at the following

address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.

Environmental Mailing List

The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local

government representatives and agencies; elected officials; Native

American Tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries and

newspapers. This list also includes all affected landowners (as defined

in the Commission's regulations) who are potential right-of-way

grantors, whose property may be used temporarily for project purposes,

or who own homes within certain distances of aboveground facilities,

and anyone who submits comments on the project. We will update the

environmental mailing list as the analysis proceeds to ensure that we

send the information related to this environmental review to all

individuals, organizations, and government entities interested in and/

or potentially affected by the proposed project.

If the EA is published for distribution, copies will be sent to the

environmental mailing list for public review and comment.

Becoming an Intervenor

In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want

to become an ``intervenor'' which is an official party to the

Commission's proceeding. 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 the 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.

Additional Information

Additional information about the project is available from the

Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the

FERC Web site at 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

(i.e., CP10-76). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range.

For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at

[email protected] or toll free at (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.

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.

FR Doc. 2010-10355 Filed 5-3-10; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-P