Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Cherokee Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP97-331-000]

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation; Notice of Intent To

Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Cherokee Expansion

Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

June 30, 1997.

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 Cherokee Expansion Project.\1\ This EA

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

determine whether the project is in the public convenience and

necessity.

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\1\ Transco'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

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation (Transco) wants to

expand the capacity of its facilities in Alabama and Georgia to provide

87,070 dekatherms per day of additional firm transportational capacity

to growing markets in the southeast for two existing customers, a local

distribution company and a municipal gas distribution system. Transco

seeks authority to:

Construct about 11.2 miles of 48-inch-diameter pipeline

loop from milepost (MP) 826.3 to MP 837.5 in Marengo County, Alabama;

Uprate the 16-inch-diameter Georgia Extension in Walton

and Gwinnett Counties, Georgia from a maximum allowable operating

pressure (MAOP) of 780 pounds per square inch (psi) to a MAOP of 960

psi. The uprating would include:

a. Replacement of 3.7 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline with 3.7

miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline in five sections;

b. Expansion and/or uprating of four meter and regulator (M&R)

stations;

c. Hydrostatic testing of 26.7 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline;

and

d. Abandonment in place of about 0.1 mile of 16-inch-diameter

pipeline.

Construct a new 15,000 horsepower (hp) compressor station

(Compressor Station 115), in Coweta County, Georgia;

Install an additional 8,000 hp of compression at

Compressor Station 125 in Walton County, Georgia; and

Rewheel existing compressor units at Compressor Station

100 in Chilton County, Alabama and Compressor Station 120 in Henry

County, Georgia and install additional gas cooling capacity at

Compressor Station 110 in Randolph County, Alabama.

The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix

1.\2\ If you are interested in obtaining detailed maps of a specific

portion of the project, or procedural information, please write to the

Secretary of the Commission.

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\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 Transco's proposed pipeline facilities in Alabama

would affect about 156.8 acres, of which 32.0 acres would be within

existing, cleared right-of-way. Following construction, about 34.8

acres would be maintained as new permanent right-of-way. The remaining

122.0 acres of land would be restored and allowed to revert to its

former use.

Replacement of the pipeline facilities in Georgia would affect

about 38.4 acres, of which 29.0 acres would be within existing cleared

right-of-way. The replacement pipeline would be installed in the same

location as the existing 16-inch-diameter pipeline after it is removed

and would not require any new permanent right-of-way.

Construction of Compressor Station 115 would require about 30.0

acres of which 25.5 acres would be maintained during operation of the

compressor station. Construction at Compressor Station 125 would affect

about 1.7 acres of which about 1.0 acre would be maintained with the

existing compressor station area during operation. The installation of

the additional cooling capacity at Compressor Station 110 would require

about 1.0 acre of land of which less than 0.1 acre would be affected by

operation. The work that would occur at Compressor Stations 100 and 120

would take place within the existing compressor station buildings and

would not require additional land.

Modification of the M&R stations would affect a total of about 0.6

acre of land during construction. However, no increases in the size of

the existing fenced areas would occur.

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

[[Page 36278]]

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 make

our recommendations to the Commission.

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 Transco. This preliminary

list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.

Seven perennial waterbodies would be crossed by the

Alabama portion of the project.

About 2.5 miles of wetlands in Alabama and Georgia would

be disturbed.

Construction may affect water wells, structures, and other

utilities.

About 61.2 acres of forest would be cleared.

About 36 residences would be within 50 feet of the

proposed construction work area.

Additional compression would be constructed at Compressor

Station 125 in Walton County, Georgia.

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 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:

Send two copies of your letter to: Lois Cashell,

Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE.,

Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;

Reference Docket No. CP97-331-000; and

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, DC on or before July 30, 1997.

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).

You do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97-17544 Filed 7-3-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M