Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corp.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Maiden Lateral Looping Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[Docket No. CP97-193-000]

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corp.; Notice of Intent To Prepare

an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Maiden Lateral Looping

Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

February 14, 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

about 17.77 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline loop and upgrades to an

existing meter station, proposed in the Maiden Lateral Looping

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\ Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line 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

Transacontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation (Transco) wants to

expand the capacity of its facilities in North Carolina to transport an

additional 38,000 dekatherms of natural gas per day to Piedmont Natural

Gas Company (Piedmont). Transaco seeks authority to construct and

operate:

About 17.77 miles of 16-diameter pipeline loop on

Transco's existing 10-inch-diameter Maiden Lateral in Lincoln and

Catawba Counties, North Carolina; and

The expansion of Transco's existing Lowesville Meter

Station, which is located at the interconnection of Transco's mainline

and the Maiden Lateral.

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, DC 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, including the meter

station modification, would require about 152.2 acres of land. Transco

proposes to use a construction right-of-way width of about 65 feet (5

feet southerly and 60 feet northerly of its existing 10-inch-diameter

Maiden Lateral). This 20-foot offset would allow Transco to construct

the majority of its new pipeline loop within its existing 50-foot-wide

right-of-way. Since Transco would use its existing right-of-way during

construction activities, only 1.19 acres of new permanent right-of-way

would be required. Temporary work areas would be restored and allowed

to revert to their 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.

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

recommend that the Commission approve or not approve the project.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

We have already identified two 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.

About 48 private water supply wells and springs are within

150 feet of the construction right-of-way; and

About 28 residences are within 50 feet of the edge of the

proposed construction right-of-way; 17 of which would be within or at

25 feet of the construction right-of-way.

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., Room 1A, Washington,

DC 20426;

Reference Docket No. CP97-193-000;

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, DC on or before March 10, 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

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its filings to all other parties. If you want to become 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.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97-4246 Filed 2-20-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M