Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Brazos River Crossing Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Site Visit

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP95-595-000]

Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation; Notice of Intent To

Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Brazos River

Crossing Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and

Notice of Site Visit

July 21, 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 facilities proposed in the Brazos River Crossing 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 Eastern 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 Eastern Transmission Corporation (Texas Eastern) wants to

abandon about 1.8 miles of its mainline No. 11, and replace it with

about 1.6 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline, including a new crossing

of the Brazos River by directional drill, in Austin and Waller

Counties, Texas. Texas Eastern's

[[Page 38552]]

existing mainline No. 11 Brazos River crossing has been exposed by

erosion.

The location of the project facilities 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, 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

Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 16.8

acres of land. An 85-foot-wide right-of-way would be used during

construction on the land portion of the project, as well as additional

extra work spaces. Following construction, the permanent right-of-way

would be 50 feet wide. Extra work spaces and right-of-way beyond the

50-foot-wide permanent right-of-way would revert to their original land

uses. Vegetation would be restored in all disturbed areas.

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;

Public safety;

Land use;

Cultural resources;

Air quality and noise;

Polychlorinated biphenyls.

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 Texas Eastern. 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 project would cross cropland and rangeland. An

undetermined amount of prime farmland soils would be temporarily

affected. The project would also cross an existing pecan orchard,

ranch, corrals, and the construction right-of-way is within 23 feet of

a residence.

Several landowners have stated that an alternative route

which uses existing right-of-way would be preferable to the proposed

route.

The project would affect about 5.8 acres of herbaceous

wetlands, and about 1.0 acre of forested wetland.

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 following the instructions below to ensure

that your comments are received and properly recorded:

Address your letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal

Energy Regulation Commission, 825 North Capitol Street NE., Washington,

DC 20426;

Reference Docket No. CP95-595-000;

Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Jeff Gerber, 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 August 21, 1995.

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

from Mr. Gerber at the above address.

Site Visit

On August 9, 1995, the FERC staff, accompanied by representatives

of Texas Eastern, will inspect the proposed location of the facilities.

All interested parties may attend. Those planning to attend must

provide their own transporation. For further information, call Mr. Jeff

Gerber, EA Project Manager, (202) 208-1121.

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 timely motions to intervene in this proceeding

is August 4, 1995. Parties seeking to file late interventions must show

good cause, as required by Section 385.124(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

Mr. Jeff Gerber, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1121.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 95-18413 Filed 7-26-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M