# CNG Transmission Corporation, Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Seasonal Service Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A96-31520 ## Record - **Collection:** Federal Register - **Document type:** Notice - **Published:** December 12, 1996 - **Citation:** 61 FR 65383 ## Text DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY [Docket Nos. CP96-492-000, CP96-492-002, and CP96-606-000] CNG Transmission Corporation, Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Seasonal Service Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues December 6, 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 Seasonal Service Expansion Project.\1\ The total project involves the construction of about 43.6 miles of pipeline, five salt caverns, four brine injection wells, one new compressor station, and additional facilities at an existing compressor station; use of five existing caverns at a storage facility; and hydrostatic testing of existing pipeline for operation at higher pressure. The facilities would be in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, and Virginia. (See appendix 1 for location maps of the proposed facilities.)\2\ 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\ CNG Transmission Corporation's and Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation's applications were filed with the Commission under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission's regulations. \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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summary of the Proposed Projects CNG Transmission Corporation (CNG) in Docket No. CP96-492-000 (``SSE Project'') and Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation (Texas Eastern) in Docket No. CP96-606-000 (``Winternet Project'') (together these projects are referred to as the ``Seasonal Service Expansion Project'') want to expand the capacity of their facilities.\3\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \3\ CNG filed a related application in Docket No. CP96-493-000. The staff will prepare a separate environmental assessment for that project. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the SSE Project, CNG proposes facilities to provide 103,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of transmission service and 9.3 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of storage capacity for various customers. CNG seeks authority to: [[Page 65384]] construct about 15.1 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline in Wetzel County, West Virginia (Line TL-492 Extensions 1 and 2); construct a 4,000 horsepower (hp) addition to the existing Chambersburg Compressor Station in Franklin County, Pennsylvania; conduct hydrostatic testing of five segments of the existing 30-inch-diameter Line PL-1 in Loudoun County, Virginia; Frederick and Washington Counties, Maryland; and Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and to increase the maximum allowable operating pressure of those pipeline segments to 1,250 pounds per square inch gauge (psig); construct a new compressor station (Bath Compressor Station) with three 3,200 hp compressors in Steuben County, New York; construct metering and regulating facilities at the Bath Compressor Station; construct about 20.4 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline in Steuben County, New York, connecting CNG's Woodhull Compressor Station to the Bath Compressor Station (Line TL-504); lease from Texas Eastern 64,000 Dth/d of transmission capacity on the CRP Line in Pennsylvania from November 1, 1997, through October 31, 1999; and lease, operate, convert, and develop (over a period of four years) salt cavern storage facilities near the Town of Bath, New York, at the Bath Petroleum Storage Inc. (Bath Petroleum) storage facility including: --conversion of five existing liquid hydrocarbon storage caverns to gas storage caverns (well numbers 1, 3, 5, 6, and 7); --development of five gas storage caverns (well numbers 9, 10, 11, 12, and 14); --drilling or four brine disposal wells (wells 1BD, 2BD, 3BD, and 4BD) and use of an existing brine disposal well (well 8BD); and --construction of various lengths of 16-, 12-, and 8-inch-diameter pipeline to connect the 10 storage wells to the Bath Compressor Station. Bath Petroleum, acting as a contractor for CNG, would convert the caverns to gas storage and construct the additional salt caverns and pipelines within its existing storage facility. For the Winternet Project, Texas Eastern proposes to lease to CNG 64,000 Dth/d of transmission capacity on the CRP Line (jointly-owned by Texas Eastern and CNG) in Pennsylvania from November 1, 1997, through October 31, 1999. After October 31, 1999, this capacity would be committed to Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation pursuant to a pending application in Docket No. CP96-559-000. In order to provide CNG with continued transmission capacity after October 31, 1999, Texas Eastern proposes to construct additional capacity in 1999 on the CRP Line including: 4.96 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline on the discharge of the Uniontown Compressor Station from mileposts (MPs) 1071.64 to 1076.60 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, replacing 24-inch-diameter idled pipeline; 3.13 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline on the discharge of the Bedford Compressor Station from MPs 1123.73 to 1126.86 in Fulton County, Pennsylvania, replacing 24-inch-diameter idled pipeline; and the following aboveground facilities: --mainline, crossover, and blowoff piping and valving; --pressure regulating devices; --pig launchers and receivers; and --associated pipeline and valves for operating and maintenance purposes. Land Requirements for Construction The following table summarizes the acres of land required for the projects by docket. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Disturbed areas CP96-492-000 CP96-606-000 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Temporary Work Space.................... 246 79 Permanent Right-of-way.................. 194 60 New Aboveground Facilities.............. 44 0 ------------------------------- Total (by project).................. 484 139 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Construction of all facilities proposed by CNG and Texas Eastern would require about 623 acres of land. Following construction, about 254 acres would be maintained as new permanent right-of-way and about 44 acres as new aboveground facility sites. The remaining 325 acres of land would be restored and allowed to revert to its former use. Additional temporary work spaces may be required at road, stream, and wetland crossings. Access to most of the project would be along existing roads that may require widening and/or grading. A few new access roads may be constructed. 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 [[Page 65385]] 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 CNG and Texas Eastern. This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis. About 8 acres of prime farmland would be taken permanently out of agricultural production by the expansion at the Chambersburg Compressor Station. Hydrostatic testing of the Myersville segment, Frederick County, Maryland, is within the South Mountain State Park. Federally listed endangered or threatened species may occur in the proposed project area. The crossing of the Canisteo River requires a Section 401 permit and a site specific crossing plan. Increase in noise and emissions would occur due to the construction of the Bath Compressor Station and the expansion of the Chambersburg Compressor Station. A total of 39 wetlands would be crossed. A total of 41 streams (18 perennial and 23 intermittent) would be crossed. Four of the perennial streams in West Virginia are classified as high quality streams. Six perennial streams in Pennsylvania and six in New York are classified as cold water fisheries. The use of the Bath Petroleum storage facility would involve: --conversion of existing liquid petroleum products storage caverns to natural gas storage; --development by solution mining (leaching) of new storage caverns; --drilling and use of brine disposal wells; --withdrawal of groundwater to use in the leaching process; --disposal of brine and solid wastes created by the leaching process; and --long-term operation issues involved in using salt caverns. Public Participation Your 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 locations/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, 888 First St., N.E., Washington, DC 20426; Reference Docket Nos. CP96-492-000, CP96-492-002, and CP96-606-000; Also, send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Jennifer Goggin, EA Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., N.E., PR-11.2, Washington, DC 20426; and Mail your comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before January 6, 1997. If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one from Ms. Goggin at the above address by using the form attached as Appendix 3. 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). Your do not need intervenor status to have your scoping comments considered. Additional procedural information about the proposed project is available from Ms. Jennifer Goggin, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208- 2226. Lois D. Cashell, Secretary. [FR Doc. 96-31520 Filed 12-11-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717-01-M --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A96-31520. Public record. Not legal advice.