# East Tennessee Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed ETNG 1997 Open Season Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A96-26864 ## Record - **Collection:** Federal Register - **Document type:** Notice - **Published:** October 21, 1996 - **Citation:** 61 FR 54639 ## Text DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY [Docket No. CP96-696-000] East Tennessee Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed ETNG 1997 Open Season Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues October 15, 1996. 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 ETNG 1997 Open Season 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 to approve the project. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\ East Tennessee Natural Gas Company's application was filed with the Commission under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission's regulations. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summary of the Proposed Project East Tennessee Natural Gas Company (ETNG) wants to expand the capacity of its facilities in Tennessee to transport an additional 31,902 Dekatherms per day to various shippers along its system. ETNG's facilities would be constructed in Tennessee and would consist of: About 2.52 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline loop in Sullivan County, commencing at the discharge side of Compressor Station No. 3309 at milepost (MP) 3308-1+17.18 and ending at MP 3308-1+19.70; About 2.00 miles of 20-inch-diameter pipeline loop in Bedford County, commencing at MP 3207-2+3.25 and ending at MP 3207- 2+5.25; About 1.54 miles of 20-inch-diameter pipeline loop in Franklin County, commencing at the discharge side of Compressor Station No. 3209 at MP 3209-1+0.00 and ending at MP 3209-1+1.54; A new meter station in Franklin County, at MP 3209-1+6.28; A new meter station in Marion County, at MP 3211-1+0.001; Four new valve stations in Bedford, Franklin, and Sullivan Counties, as appurtenances to the loop segments; Three modified valve stations in Franklin and Sullivan Counties, as appurtenances to the loop segments; A 360-horsepower (hp) uprate of existing compressor units at ETNG's Compressor Station No. 3107 in Putnam County, Tennessee; A 650-hp uprate of existing compressor units at ENTG's Compressor Station No. 3201 in Perry County, Tennessee; A 340-hp uprate of existing compressor units at ETNG's Compressor Station No. 3206 in Marshall County, Tennessee; A 230-hp uprate of existing compressor units at ETNG's Compressor Station No. 3209 in Franklin County, Tennessee; and A 240-hp uprate of existing compressor units at ETNG's Compressor Station No. 3217 in Monroe County, Tennessee. The general location of the project facilities and specific locations for facilities on new sites are 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, 888 First 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Land Requirements for Construction Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 138.8 acres of land. Following construction, about 45.4 acres of existing right-of-way (ROW) would continue to be maintained as permanent ROW. An additional 0.4 acre of new ROW would be maintained for new aboveground facility sites. The remaining 93 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. 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 environmental information provided by ETNG. This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis. Two federally listed endangered or threatened species may occur in the proposed project area. Two cultural resource sites that may be eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places may be affected by the project. One wetland (palustrine broad-leaved deciduous forest) and three small perennial streams would be affected. There are 31 residences located within 50 feet of the Loop 3309 construction ROW. [[Page 54640]] There may be additional noise impact on nearby noise- sensitive areas from the uprate in compression at the five compressor stations. 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 instruction below to ensure that your comments are received and properly recorded: Address your letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE., Washington, DC 20426; Reference Docket No. CP96-696-000; Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Rafael Montag, EA Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE., [PR-11.1], Washington, DC 20426; and Mail your comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before November 14, 1996. If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one from Mr. Montag 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 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. Rafael Montag, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-0985. Lois D. Cashell, Secretary. [FR Doc. 96-26864 Filed 10-18-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717-01-M --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A96-26864. Public record. Not legal advice.