Atlantic Gas Systems, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Myer Compressor Station and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[Docket No. CP95-92-000]

Atlantic Gas Systems, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Myer Compressor Station and

Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

February 15, 1995.

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 the

proposed Myer Compressor Station.\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\Atlantic Gas Systems, Incorporated'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

Atlantic Gas Systems, Incorporated (Atlantic) wants Commission

authorization to construct and operate a new 825-horsepower (hp)

compressor station on the site of an existing compressor foundation in

Cabell County, West Virginia.

Atlantic would construct the following facilities:

One skid-mounted 825-hp reciprocating engine-driven compressor

unit leased from Cardinal Compression, Inc.;

An insulated compressor building; and

An office/control building.

The location of these 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

Atlantic purchased a 3.42-acre site in Cabell County that was

previously used for a compressor station. Atlantic would keep all

construction disturbance within this site.

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. 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 [[Page 9674]]

Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands

Vegetation and wildlife

Endangered and threatened species

Public safety

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 information provided by Atlantic. 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 Myer Compressor Station would be a new source of air

pollutant emissions.

The operating noise of the proposed facility may impact the

surrounding residences. The nearest noise-sensitive area is a residence

810 feet south of the Myer Compressor Station.

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, 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. CP95-92-000;

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

Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St.,

NW., room 7312, Washington, DC 20426; and

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, DC on or before March 15, 1995.

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 in 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

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

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 95-4146 Filed 2-17-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M