Southern Natural Gas Co.; Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Southern Natural Gas Company's Proposed Cleveland Branch Pipeline Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket CP94-682-000]

Southern Natural Gas Co.; Notice of Intent to Prepare an

Environmental Assessment for the Southern Natural Gas Company's

Proposed Cleveland Branch Pipeline Project and Request for Comments on

Environmental Issues

October 20, 1994.

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or

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

discuss environmental impacts of the construction and operation of

facilities proposed in the Cleveland Branch Pipeline Project. This EA

will be used by the Commission in its decisionmaking process (whether

or not to approve the individual projects).\1\

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\1\Southern Natural Gas Company's application was filed with the

Commission pursuant to section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and part 157

of the Commission's regulations.

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Summary of the Proposed Facilities

Southern Natural Gas Company (Southern) proposes to construct:

About 20.2 miles of 12-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline

in Catoosa and Whitfield Counties, Georgia and Hamilton and Bradley

Counties, Tennessee. This proposed pipeline, referred to as the

``Cleveland Branch Line'' would extend from milepost (MP) 101.44 on

Southern's existing 12-inch Chattanooga Branch Line in Catoosa County,

Georgia, to a proposed interconnection owned by East Tennessee Natural

Gas Company (East Tennessee) in Bradley County, Tennessee; and

One new meter station in Bradley County. The proposed

meter station would consist of two 6-inch meter runs, pressure

regulators, flow control valves, about 125 feet of miscellaneous buried

piping, and an 8-foot by 10-foot instrumentation building. This

facility would be located adjacent to East Tennessee's existing

mainline system and would require a site of about 150 feet by 150 feet

for construction and operation.

Southern indicates that the proposed pipeline facilities would

deliver a total firm transportation service of about 11,350 thousand

cubic feet (Mcf) per day to its customer group, which is comprised of

various gas distributors and municipalities served exclusively on a

firm basis by East Tennessee.

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 are available from the

Commission's Public Reference Room, Room 3104, 941 North Capitol

Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 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

Southern proposes to use a 75-foot-wide right-of-way for

construction. Following construction, a 50-foot-wide easement would be

permanently maintained; the remaining 25 feet would be restored and

revert back to prior use. About 200.4 acres would be affected by

construction.

Additional working space would be required adjacent to the planned

construction right-of-way at areas of steep side slopes, bored road

crossings, stream crossings and in most areas where topsoil would be

segregated (agricultural and residential areas). No new access roads

would be required.

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, fisheries, and wetlands.

Vegetation and wildlife.

Endangered and threatened species.

Land use.

Cultural resources.

Hazardous waste.

Air quality and noise.

Safety.

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 issues that we think deserve

attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and

the environmental information provided by Southern. Keep in mind that

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

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

Issues are:

The proposed project would cross 37 waterbodies, three of

which are perennial. The perennial waterbodies are Little Tiger Creek,

Tiger Creek and Sugar Creek, all located in Catoosa County, Georgia.

Some of these waterbodies support valuable riparian

vegetation, which helps stabilize soil to prevent erosion and provides

pristine habitat for wildlife. Some creeks may also support fishery

resources.

About 79 acres of upland forest would be disturbed.

About 6 acres of residential land would be affected by

construction; one residence is located within 50 feet of the proposed

construction right-of-way.

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., N.E., Washington,

D.C. 20416;

Reference Docket No. CP94-682-000;

Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Alisa Lykens, EA

Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North

Capitol St., N.E. Room 7312, Washington, D.C. 20426; and

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, D.C. on or before November 23, 1994.

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

from Ms. Lykens 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 information about the proposed project is available from

Ms. Alisa Lykens, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-0766.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 94-26493 Filed 10-25-94; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M