Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corp.; Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 1995/1996 Southeast Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP94-109-000]

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corp.; Intent to Prepare an

Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 1995/1996 Southeast Expansion

Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

February 2, 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 1995/1996 Southeast Expansion 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\Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation's (TGPL)

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

TGPL wants Commission authorization to construct, operate, and

modify the following facilities, on a phased basis. TGPL would use the

facilities to transport up to 165,000 Mcfd of natural gas (115,000 Mcfd

in 1995 [Phase I] and 50,000 Mcfd in 1996 [Phase II]) from the

interconnection of TGPL's main line and its Mobile Bay Lateral near

Butler in Choctaw County, Alabama, to certain points of delivery

upstream of TGPL's Compressor Station No. 165 near Chatham, Virginia:

Phase I Facilities (1995)

12,600-horsepower (HP) compressor addition at Compressor

Station No. 90 in Marengo County, Alabama.

Two 7,000-HP electric drive units to replace two existing

5,620-HP steam turbines on Units 1 and 2 at Compressor Station No. 100

in Chilton County, Alabama.

15.13 miles of 42-inch-diameter loop on Main Line E in

Chilton and Autauga Counties, Alabama.

Modifications to existing compressor equipment at

Compressor Station No. 110 in Randolph County, Alabama.

12,000-HP compressor addition at Compressor Station No.

120 in Henry County, Georgia.

12,600-HP compressor addition at Compressor Station No.

150 in Iredell County, North Carolina.

Phase II Facilities (1996)

6,500-HP compressor addition at Compressor Station No. 100

in Chilton County, Alabama.

12,000-HP compressor addition at Compressor Station No.

120 in Henry County, Georgia.

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

The proposed loop would be built adjacent and parallel to existing

rights-of-way. TGPL intends to use a 75-foot-wide construction right-

of-way. About 15 feet of the planned 75-foot width would use existing

right-of-way. Consequently, about 60 feet of new clearing would be

required in most areas. Following construction, about 35 feet of the

construction right-of-way would be allowed to revert to its former land

use. In agricultural areas, a 100-foot-wide construction right-of-way

is planned in order to segregate topsoil.

Also, additional working space would be required adjacent to the

planned construction right-of-way at road and stream crossings.

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.

Air quality and noise.

Hazardous waste.

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 TGPL. 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. Issues are:

The loop would cross within 50 feet of 5 residences and a

church, and would cross 2 orchards.

The pipeline would cross 9 perennial streams, 2 ponds, and

50 wetlands.

The compressor stations are near residences.

The project may potentially impact federally listed

threatened or endangered species.

The pipeline may cross or be near cultural resource/

archeological sites.

Public Participation

You can make a difference by sending a letter addressing your

specific comments or concerns abut 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. CP94-109-000;

Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Philip Veres, 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 March 3, 1994.

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

Mr. Veres 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 Sec. 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 for

Mr. Philip Veres, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1073.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 94-2810 Filed 2-7-94; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M