Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Line VM-108 Replacement Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[Docket No. CP96-189-000]

Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation; Notice of Intent To

Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Line VM-108

Replacement Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

March 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 Line VM-108 Replacement 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\ Columbia Gas 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

Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation (Columbia) wants to replace

7.3 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline, known as Line VM-108, with 7.3

miles of 20-inch-diameter pipeline in Prince George and Sussex

Counties, Virginia. Columbia determined that 6.3 miles of the existing

Line VM-108 have deteriorated and need to be replaced. Columbia also

received a request from an existing customer, Virginia Natural Gas

Company (VNG), to shift a delivery point. By replacing the 6.3 miles of

deteriorated pipeline and extending the replacement an additional mile,

Columbia can reassign 28,525 decatherms per day of natural gas from its

Newport News No. 1 Gate Station to its Norfolk Gate Station to

accommodate VNG's request

The general 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, 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.

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Land Requirements for Construction

Construction of the proposed facilities would affect about 75.4

acres of land, including 31.0 acres of temporary right-of-way.

Following construction, 44.4 acres of land on existing right-of-way

would be required for operation of the facilities. No new permanent

right-of-way is required for the project.

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 issues that we think deserve attention

based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the

environmental information provided by Columbia. Keep in mind that this

is a preliminary list:

Five perennial and seven intermittent streams would be

crossed.

Thirteen wetlands totalling about 9.5 acres would be

affected.

Two bird species, two fish species and two plant species

that are rare or sensitive in Virginia are in the vicinity of the

project area.

Three residences are within 50 feet, and four domestic

water wells are within 150 feet of the construction right-of-way.

The project would cross or be near cultural resources.

The list of issues may be added to, subtracted from, or changed

based on your comments and our analysis.

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, 888 First St., N.E., Washington, D.C.

20426;

Reference Docket No. CP96-189-000;

Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Jeff Shenot, EA Project

Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., N.E., PR-

11.2, Washington, D.C. 20426; and

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, D.C. on or before April 12, 1996.

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

Mr. Shenot 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

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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).

You do not need intervenor status to have your scoping comments

considered.

Additional information about the proposed project is available from

Mr. Jeff Shenot, EA Project Manager, at (202) 219-0295.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 96-5786 Filed 3-11-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M