Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, L.L.C.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues and Notice of Public Meetings (NOI)

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[Docket No. CP96-178-000]

Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, L.L.C.; Notice of Intent To

Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Maritimes &

Northeast Pipeline Project, Request for Comments on Environmental

Issues and Notice of Public Meetings (NOI)

May 23, 1996.

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or

Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that

will discuss the environmental impacts of the construction and

operation of the 66.0 miles of pipeline facilities and metering

proposed in the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline Project (Maritimes

Project).\1\ This EIS will be used by the Commission in its decision-

making process to determine whether to approve the project.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\1\ Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, L.L.C.'s application was

filed with the Commission under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and

Part 157 of the Commission's regulations.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

We are asking a number of Federal agencies to indicate whether they

wish to cooperate with us in the preparation of the EIS. These agencies

are listed in appendix 1 and may choose to participate once they have

evaluated the proposal relative to their agencies' responsibilities.\2\

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\2\ Appendices 2 through 5 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, 888

First Street, N.E., Room 2A-1, Washington, DC 20426, or call (202)

208-1371. Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving

this notice in the mail.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summary of the Proposed Project

Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, L.L.C. (M&NP) wants to build a new

natural gas transmission system in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and

southern Maine to transport 60,000 million cubic feet per day of

natural gas for two shippers. The proposed facilities are Phase I of

the Maritimes Project, a new high-pressure natural gas pipeline

delivery system for the Sable Offshore Energy Project. The Phase I

facilities would be the southernmost segment of a pipeline that would

eventually extend from Country Harbor, Nova Scotia, Canada, to the

Canadian-U.S. border near Calais, Maine, through Maine and

[[Page 27068]]

New Hampshire and into Massachusetts. M&NP requests Commission

authorization, in Docket No. CP96-178-000, to construct and operate the

following Phase I facilities:

66.0 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline from Dracut,

Massachusetts to Wells, Maine in Middlesex and Essex Counties,

Massachusetts (14.4 miles), Rockingham County, New Hampshire (34.7

miles), and York County, Maine (16.9 miles);

two meter stations, one in Dracut, Massachusetts and one

in Newington, New Hampshire;

one meter and regulator station in Wells, Maine; and

associated pipeline facilities, such as mainline block

valves and pig launchers and receivers.

The information in this NOI is based on the route maps which were

filed with the Commission on May 16, 1996. The general location of the

project facilities is shown in appendix 2. The general location of

other natural gas projects under Commission review occurring in the

same region and within the same time frame (Granite State Gas

Transmission, Inc. (Granite State LNG Project, Docket No. CP95-52-000)

and Portland Natural Gas Transmission System (PNGTS Project, Docket No.

CP96-249-000)) are shown in appendix 3. If you are interested in

obtaining detailed maps of a specific portion of the Maritimes Project,

contact the EIS Project Manager identified at the end of this notice.

Land Requirements for Construction

Based on information supplied by M&NP, over about 50 percent of the

proposed pipeline would parallel existing road, pipeline, or powerline

rights-of-way. Construction of the pipeline would require a 75-foot-

wide construction right-of-way and would affect about 600 acres of

land. Following construction, 50 feet of the construction right-of-way

(about 400 acres) would be retained for operation of the pipeline and 1

acre would be retained for operation of each meter station. Existing

land uses on the remainder of the disturbed area, as well as most land

uses on the permanent right-of-way, would be allowed to continue

following construction.

The EIS 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 EIS 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 EIS. All comments received

are considered during the preparation of the EIS. 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 EIS will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the

construction and operation of the proposed project. We have already

identified a number of issues under each topic that we think deserve

attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and

the environmental information provided by the applicant. These issues

are listed below. This preliminary list of issues may be changed based

on your comments and our analysis.

Geology and Soils

--About 60 miles of near-surface bedrock may require blasting.

--Effect on exploitable mineral resources.

--Effect on prime farmland soils.

--Erosion control and right-of-way revegetation procedures.

Water Resources

--Effect on groundwater and surface water supplies.

--About 80 crossings of waterbodies, including 2 crossings of

waterbodies over 100 feet (Squamscott and Piscataqua Rivers), and

crossings of the Spickett, Little, Exeter, and Great Works Rivers.

--Consistency with state Coastal Zone Management Programs.

Biological Resources

--Clearing of upland forest and the permanent conversion of forest to

open land.

--Effect on wetland habitat, including tidal salt marshes along the

Squamscott and Piscataqua Rivers.

--Effect on warmwater, coldwater, anadromous, and estuarine fisheries

habitat.

--Effect on wildlife habitat.

--Effect on Federal threatened and endangered and state special concern

species.

Cultural Resources

--Effect on historic and prehistoric sites.

--Native American and tribal concerns.

--Effect on land sacred to the Baha'i Faith in the vicinity of MP 50.1.

Land Use

--Effect on 107 residences within 100 feet of the proposed pipeline.

--Effect on planned or proposed residential developments.

--Effect on public and recreation land, including conservation land at

the Exeter River, the Henderson-Swasey Town Forest, the Newington Town

Forest, and the Peace Development Authority property.

Socioeconomics

--Effect on construction workforce on surrounding areas.

Air Quality and Noise

--Effect on local air quality and noise environment as a result of

construction.

Reliability and Safety

--Assessment of hazards associated with natural gas pipelines.

Cumulative Impact

--Assessment of the combined effect of the proposed project with other

natural gas projects, such as the PNGTS and Granite State Projects,

occurring in the same region and within the same time frame.

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 Draft EIS

which will be 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 45-day comment period will be allotted for review of

the Draft EIS. We will consider all comments on the Draft EIS and

revise the document, as necessary, before issuing a Final EIS. The

Final EIS will include our response to each comment received and will

be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to determine

whether to approve the project.

Public Participation and Scoping Meetings

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

[[Page 27069]]

your comments are received and properly recorded:

Address your letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, DC

20426;

Reference Docket No. CP96-178-000;

Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Jeff Gerber, EIS

Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First

Street, N.E., Room 71-40, Washington, DC 20426; and

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, DC on or before June 28, 1996.

In addition to sending written comments, you may attend public

scoping meetings. We will conduct three public scoping meetings at the

following times and locations:

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date Time Location

------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 18, 1996........... 7:00 p.m.............. Methuen,

Massachusetts.

June 19, 1996........... 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m Wells, Maine.

June 20, 1996........... 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m Newton, New Hampshire.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The meetings in Newton and Wells will also cover the proposed PNGTS

Project in New Hampshire and Maine. We will send a separate NOI for the

PNGTS Project to landowners affected by that project. M&NP and/or PNGTS

will be invited to present a description of their proposals at the

appropriate meetings. The Newton and Wells meetings will have two

sessions in order to provide sufficient time to discuss both projects.

While all are invited to attend either session, we are requesting that

state and local governments plan on attending a 4:00 p.m. session.

The meeting in Methuen, Massachusetts will be held at the Great

Hall, 41 Pleasant Street. The meeting in Newton, New Hampshire will be

held at the Memorial Grammar School Gymnasium, 31 West Main Street. The

meeting in Wells, Maine will be held at the Wells High School

Gymnasium, Sanford Road.

The purpose of the scoping meetings is to obtain input from state

and local governments and from the public. Federal agencies have formal

channels for input into the Federal process (including separate

meetings which we have arranged) on an interagency basis. Federal

agencies are expected to transmit their comments directly to the FERC

at separate meetings or in writing, and not use the scoping meetings

for this purpose.

Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend the

meetings and present oral comments on the environmental issues which

they believe should be addressed in the Draft EIS. Anyone who would

like to make an oral presentation at the meeting should contact the EIS

Project Manager identified at the end of this notice to have his or her

name placed on the list of speakers. Priority will be given to those

persons representing groups. A list will be available at the public

meetings to allow for non-preregistered speakers to sign up. A

transcript will be made of the meetings and comments will be used to

help determine the scope of the Draft EIS.

Becoming an Intervenor

In addition to involvement in the EIS scoping process, you may want

to become an official party to the proceedings 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 4).

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.

Environmental Mailing List

This notice is being sent to individuals, organizations, and

government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the

proposed project. It is also being sent to all potential rights-of-way

grantors. As details of the project become established, representatives

of M&NP may also separately contact landowners, communities, and public

agencies concerning project matters, including acquisition of permits

and rights-of-way.

All commenters will be retained on our mailing list. If you do not

want to send comments at this time but still want to keep informed and

receive copies of the Draft and Final EISs, please return the

Information Request (appendix 5). If you do not send comments or return

the Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing list.

Additional information about the proposed project is available from

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

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

Appendix 1--Cooperating Agencies

The following Federal and state agencies are asked to indicate

whether they want to be cooperating agencies for purposes of

producing an EIS:

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

Department of Agriculture

Natural Resources Conservation Service

Department of the Air Force

Department of the Army

Army Corps of Engineers

Department of Commerce

National Marine Fisheries Service

Department of Energy

Department of the Interior

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Bureau of Mines

Fish and Wildlife Service

Geological Survey

Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration

Environmental Protection Agency

Massachusetts Energy Facility Siting Board

Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs

New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services

Maine Department of Environmental Protection

These, or any other Federal, state, or local agencies wanting to

participate as a cooperating agency should send a letter describing

the extent to which they want to be involved. Follow the

instructions below if your agency wishes to participate in the EIS

process or comment on the project:

Address your letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary,

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E.,

Washington, DC 20426;

Reference Docket No. CP96-178-000;

Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Jeff Gerber, EIS

Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First

Street, N.E., Room 71-40, Washington, DC 20426; and

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, DC on or before June 28, 1996.

Cooperating agencies are encouraged to participate in the

scoping process and provide us written comments. Agencies are also

welcome to suggest format and content changes that will make it

easier for them to adopt the EIS. However, we will decide what

modifications will be adopted in light of our production constaints.

[FR Doc. 96-13485 Filed 5-29-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M