Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Eastern Express Project 2000 and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP99-262-000]

Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Eastern Express Project 2000

and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

May 19, 1999.

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or

Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will

discuss the environmental impacts of Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company's

(Tennessee) proposed Eastern Express Project 2000. This project

involves the modification of Tennessee's existing pipeline system in

Massachusetts and Connecticut to allow the transportation of an

additional 173,000 decatherms per day (Dth/d) to American National

Power in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and El Paso Gas Services in

Haverhill, Massachusetts and Dracut, Massachusetts. 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.

If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted

by a pipeline company representative about the acquisition of an

easement to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities.

The pipeline company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable

agreement. However, if the project is approved by the Commission, that

approval conveys with it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if

easement negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the pipeline

company could initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with

state law.

A fact sheet addressing a number of typically asked questions,

including the use of eminent domain, is attached to this notice as

Appendix 1.\1\

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\1\ 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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Summary of the Proposed Project

In order to transport the additional volumes, Tennessee proposes to

make the following system changes (see Appendix 2 for a map of the

proposed project area):

[[Page 28171]]

Install a 6,150 ISO-rated horsepower (hp) Solar Centaur

compressor, associated piping and appurtenant equipment, and restage an

existing compressor at the existing Agawam Compressor Station (CS-261)

in Agawam, Massachusetts, to increase down stream capacity by 83,000

Dth/d;

Install a 7,170 ISO-rated hp Solar Taurus compressor unit

with associated building, minor piping and appurtenant equipment and

relocate blowdown silencers at the existing Mendon Compressor Station

(CS-226A) in Mendon, Massachusetts, to increase downstream capacity by

250,000 Dth/d;

Install a larger flow control valve in place of an

existing flow control valve at a delivery point to Algonquin on the

Blackstone Lateral in Mendon, Massachusetts, to allow incremental

volumes to be delivered to Algonquin;

Install pressure regulation immediately downstream of CS-

266A on the Blackstone Lateral in Mendon, Massachusetts, to enable

efficient operational flexibility for deliveries;

Install station piping at the existing Hopkinton

Compressor Station (CS-267) in Westborough, Massachusetts, to provide a

reverse flow capability that would enable natural gas received from

Haverhill and Dracut, Massachusetts to flow westerly during periods

when the market demand east of CS-267 is low;

Install mainline regulation in East Granby, Connecticut,

approximately 9 miles south of CS-261 on the 300-Line to allow for new

deliveries in Connecticut south of CS-261 without having to install 7.8

miles of replacement piping or looping; and

Modify the existing Southern Connecticut-Milford delivery

point, Meter 2-245, on the 300 Line in Orange, Connecticut, by

installing an additional connection to deliver additional natural gas

to Southern Connecticut for the Milford Power Plant.

Land Requirements for Construction

The proposed activities would be performed within a 20.45 acre area

of the existing right-of-way/fee property.

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 the proposed action and encourage them to comment on their areas of

concern.

The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of

activities associated with 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.

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.

To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the

instructions in the public participation section beginning on page 4 of

this notice.

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 Tennessee. This preliminary

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

Air and noise impacts associated with installation of one

new compressor unit at CS-261 and one new compressor unit at CS-266A.

Approximately 1.0 acre of upland forest would be cleared.

Public Participation

You can make a difference by providing us with your specific

comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your

concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission.

You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the

proposal, alternatives to the proposal (including alternative

locations), and 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: David P. Boergers,

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

Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.

Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the

Environmental Review and Compliance Branch, PR-11.2.

Reference Docket No. CP99-262-000; and

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, DC on or before June 18, 1999,

Becoming an Intervenor

In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want

to become an official party to the proceeding known as an

``intervenor''. Intervenors play a more formal role in the process.

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 14 copies of its filings to the

Secretary of the Commission and must send a copy of its filings to all

other parties on the Commission's service list for this proceeding. 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 3). Only intervenors have the

right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.

You do not need intervenor status to have your environmental

comments considered. Additional information about the proposed project

is available from Mr. Paul McKee of the Commission's Office of External

Affairs at (202) 208-1088 or on the FERC website (www.ferc.fed.us)

using the ``RIMS'' link to information in this docket number. Click on

the ``RIMS'' link, select ``Docket #'' from the RIMS Menu, and follow

the instructions. For assistance with access to RIMS, the RIMS helpline

can be reached at (202) 208-2222.

Similarly, the ``CIPS'' link on the FERC Internet website provides

access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such

as orders,

[[Page 28172]]

notices, and rulemakings. From the FERC Internet website, click on the

``CIPS'' link, select ``Docket #'' from the CIPS menu, and follow the

instructions. For assistance with access to CIPS, the CIPS helpline can

be reached at (202) 208-2474.

David P. Boergers,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 99-13175 Filed 5-24-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M