DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP94-292-000]

Riverside Gas Storage Co.; Intent To Prepare an Environmental

Assessment for the Proposed Riverside Gas Storage Field Project and

Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

June 10, 1994.

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the

Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will

discuss environmental impacts of the construction and operation of

facilities proposed in the Riverside Gas Storage Field Project.\1\ This

EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to

determine whether an environmental impact statement is necessary and

whether or not to approve the project.

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\1\Riverside Gas Storage Company's (Riverside) 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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Summary of the Proposed Project

Riverside Gas Storage Company (Riverside) wants Commission

authorization to construct and operate a new underground natural gas

storage field in Greene and Fayette Counties, Pennsylvania. Riverside

proposes to convert a nearly depleted gas field to gas storage use. The

proposed storage facility would have 5.1 billion cubic feet (BCF) of

storage capacity (3.1 BCF working gas capacity). To develop the

Riverside Gas Storage Field, Riverside would:

Recomplete 21 existing wells as injection/withdrawal

wells;

Recomplete one existing well as an observation well;

Plug and abandon 9 existing gas wells (all remaining wells

in field);

Construct 3.42 miles of 12-inch-diameter gathering

pipeline;

Construct 2.44 miles of 6-inch-diameter pipeline (22

segments of various lengths to attach wells to the gathering pipeline);

Construct a new 3,150-horsepower compressor station; and

Construct ancillary facilities at the compressor station

including meters, dehydrator trains, storage tanks for oil and glycol,

access roads, and water and electric utilities.

The general location of these 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 are available from the

Commission's Public Reference Branch, room 3104, 941 North Capitol

Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 208-1371. Copies of

the appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in the

mail.

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Land Requirements for Construction

Riverside would use 101.3 acres of land for the Riverside Gas

Storage Field Project. Of this total, 10 acres would be used for the

compressor station, 43.4 acres would be associated with well pads (1.4

acres per well) and 47.9 acres would be associated with the right-of-

way for the storage pipelines.

Following completion of construction, approximately 12.6 acres

associated with the nine plugged and abandoned wells would be allowed

to revert to the land use desired by the property owner.

Riverside proposes to use a an 85-foot-wide construction right-of-

way for its 12-inch-diameter pipeline and a 50-foot-wide construction

right-of-way for its 6-inch-diameter pipeline. Riverside proposes to

use an 85 to 100-foot-wide right-of-way for construction across

streams.

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.

We call this ``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 requests public comments on the

scope of the issues it will address in the EA. All comments received

are taken into account during the preparation of the EA.

The EA 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;

Vegetation and wildlife;

Pipeline safety;

Land use;

Cultural resources;

Air quality and noise.

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 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

recommend that the Commission approve or not approve the project.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

We have already identified several environmental issues that we

think deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed

facilities and the information provided by Riverside. Keep in mind that

this is a preliminary list. The list of issues will be added to,

subtracted from, or changed based on your comments and our analysis.

The list of environmental issues:

Riverside would recomplete 22 existing wells in Greene and

Fayette Counties, Pennsylvania: one observation well and 21 injection/

withdrawal wells. These wells and drilling operations have potential

groundwater impacts.

Riverside may affect up to five wetlands in the project

area while constructing its pipelines.

There may be noise concerns at residences surrounding

Riverside's new compressor station.

There may be federally listed threatened or endangered

species in the project area.

The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Officer

indicated there is potential cultural resources sites in the project

area and requested a survey.

Existing and future coal mining operations and the

Riverside Gas Storage Field Project may affect each other.

Public Participation

You can make a difference by sending a letter addressing your

specific comments or concerns about the project. 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 follow the instructions below to ensure that your comments

are received and properly recorded:

Address your letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St. NE., Washington, DC

20426;

Reference Docket No. CP94-292-000;

Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Steven G. Grape, EA

Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North

Capitol St. NE., room 7312, Washington, DC 20426; and

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, DC on or before July 11, 1994.

If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one

from Mr. Grape at the above address.

Becoming an Intervenor

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

to become an official party to the proceeding or become an

``intervenor''. Among other things, intervenors have the right to

receive copies of case-related Commission documents and filings by

other intervenors. Likewise, each intervenor must provide copies of its

filings to all other parties. If you want to become an intervenor you

must file a Motion to Intervene according to Rule 214 of the

Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.214) attached

as appendix 2.

The date for filing timely motions to intervene in this proceeding

has passed. Therefore, parties now seeking to file late interventions

must show good cause, as required by Section 385.214(b)(3), why this

time limitation should be waived. Environmental issues have been viewed

as good cause for late intervention. You do not need intervenor status

to have your scoping comments considered.

Additional Questions?

Additional information about the proposed project is available from

Mr. Steven G. Grape, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1046.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 94-14650 Filed 6-15-94; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-P