USG Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed USG Pipeline Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[Docket No. CP97-202-000]

USG Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Assessment for the Proposed USG Pipeline Project and

Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

March 25, 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, about 14.5 miles of 10-inch-diameter pipeline and

appurtenances, proposed in the USG pipeline 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\ USG Pipeline Company'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

USG Pipeline Company (USGPC) wants to construct facilities in order

to transport up to 7,000 Dekatherms per day to United States Gypsum

Company (USGC) near Bridgeport, Alabama, where USGC is planning to

construct a nonjurisdictional wallboard manufacturing plant. USGPC's

facilities would be constructed in Tennessee and Alabama and would

consist of:

About 14.5 miles of 10-inch-diameter pipeline commencing

at interconnecting facilities with East Tennessee Natural Gas Company

in Marion County, Tennessee, and ending in Jackson County, Alabama;

A block valve assembly in Marion County, Tennessee, near

milepost (MP) 6.85; and

Launching and receiving facilities in Marion County,

Tennessee, at MP 0.0, and Jackson County, Alabama, at MP 14.5,

respectively;

USGPC has also identified a alternative pipeline route.

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 the proposed facilities for the preferred route

would require about 148.0 acres of mostly agricultural land. Following

construction, about 87.9 acres of existing right-of-way (ROW) would

continue to be maintained as permanent ROW. If the alternative pipeline

route is chosen, construction activities would take place almost

entirely on existing railroad ROW.

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.

[[Page 15174]]

Vegetation and wildlife.

Endangered and threatened species.

Land use.

Cultural resources.

Air quality and noise.

Hazardous waste.

Public safety.

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 several issues that we think deserve

attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and

the environmental information provided by USGPC. This preliminary list

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

Six federally listed endangered or threatened species may

occur in the proposed project area.

Eight wetlands and seven perennial streams would be

affected.

There are 75 residences located within 50 feet of the

construction ROW of the alternative route.

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 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., NE., Room 1A, Washington,

DC 20426;

Reference Docket No. CP97-202-000; and

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, DC on or before April 24, 1997.

If you do not want to send comments at this time but still want to

remain on our mailing list, please return the Information Request

(appendix 3). If you do not return the Information Request, you will be

taken off the mailing list.

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).

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 later intervention.

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

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97-8007 Filed 3-28-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M