Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation, Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 1998 Lebanon Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP97-626-000]

Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation, Notice of Intent To

Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 1998 Lebanon

Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

October 28, 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

an additional 17,070 horsepower (hp) of compression, proposed in the

1998 Lebanon 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\ Texas Eastern 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

Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation (Texas Eastern) proposed to

expand the capacity of its facilities in Indiana and Ohio to transport

an additional 302,290 dekatherms per day of natural gas for Spectrum

Interstate Pipeline Corporation. Texas Eastern seeks authority to

construct and operate:

One reciprocating gas engine rated at 3,400 hp and one

reciprocating gas engine rated at 5,500 hp at the existing Gas City

Compressor Station in Grant Country, Indiana;

An expansion to the compressor building and associated

ancillary facilities and piping at the existing Gas City Compressor

Station;

One 8,170 hp gas turbine-driven centrifugal compressor at

its existing Glen Karn meter station site in Darke County, Ohio;

Compressor station buildings and associated ancillary

facilities and piping at the existing Glen Karn meter station site;

A modification at the existing Lebanon Meter Station by

adding two 12-inch orifice meters and the associated instrumentation in

Warren County, Ohio; and

A modification at the existing Glen Karn Meter Station by

adding one additional 12-inch turbine meter and the associated

instrumentation.

The location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.\2\

If you are interested in obtaining 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 the proposed facilities would be within the

boundaries of existing station properties.

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 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.

Land use.

Cultural resources.

Vegetation and wildlife.

Endangered and threatened species.

Public safety.

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 make

our recommendations to the Commission.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

We have already identified one issue that we think deserves

attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and

the environmental information provided by Texas Eastern. Addition

issues may be included based on your comments and our analysis.

Potential impacts to noise-sensitive areas that are near

the Gas City Compressor Station and Glen Karn Meter Station.

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

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measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. The more specific

your comments, the more useful they will be. Please carefully follow

these instructions to ensure that your comments are received in time

and properly recorded:

Send two copies of your letter to:

Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888

First St., N.E., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;

Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the

Environmental Review and Compliance Branch II, PR-11.2;

Reference Docket No. CP97-626-000; and

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, DC on or before November 28, 1997.

Becoming an Intervenor

Besides 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 comments considered.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97-28974 Filed 10-31-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M