Texas Gas Transmission Corporation; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Herbert-Cannelton Looping Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[Docket No. CP95-341-000]

Texas Gas Transmission Corporation; Notice of Intent To Prepare

an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Herbert-Cannelton Looping

Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

May 31, 1995.

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 construction and operation of

the facility proposed in the Herbert-Cannelton Looping 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 to approve the project.

\1\ Texas Gas Transmission Corporation's 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

Texas Gas Transmission Corporation (Texas Gas) wants to expand the

capacity of its facilities in Ohio and Hancock Counties, Kentucky to

transport 500 million British thermal units per day of natural gas to a

local distribution company. Texas Gas requests Commission authorization

to construct and operate 0.93 mile of 8-inch-diameter pipeline in Ohio

and Hancock Counties. Kentucky needed to transport those volumes.

The general location of the project facility is shown in appendix

1.\2\

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

printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available from the

Commission's Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 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

Construction of the proposed facility would disturb about 24.66

acres of land. Following construction, about 2.82 acres would be

maintained as new right-of-way. About 4.53 acres are located within an

existing right-of-way. The remaining 17.33 acres of land would be

restored and allowed to revert to its former use.

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 considered during the preparation of the EA. State and local

government representatives are encouraged to notify their constituents

of this proposed action and encourage them to comment on their areas of

concern.

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. [[Page 29840]]

Land use.

Cultural resources.

Air quality and noise.

Public 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 two issues that we think deserve

attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and

the environmental information provided by Texas Gas. 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:

Two federally listed endangered or threatened species may

occur in the proposed project area.

Two proposed workspace areas may be located within 50

feet of a residence, one of which may directly impact an adjacent

building.

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 Capital Street NE., Washington,

D.C. 20426;

Reference Docket No. CP95-341-000;

Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Amy Olson, EA Project

Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol Street

NE., Room 7312, Washington, D.C. 20426; and

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, D.C. on or before June 30, 1995.

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

from Ms. Olson 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) (see

appendix 2).

The date for filing of 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. Amy Olson, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1199.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 95-13728 Filed 6-5-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M