[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 19 (Monday, January 31, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4837-4838]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-337]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PF05-2-000]
Midwestern Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed MGT Eastern Extension
Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of
Public Scoping Meeting
January 21, 2005.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of Midwestern Gas Transmission
Company's (MGT) MGT Eastern Extension Project in Sumner and Trousdale
Counties, Tennessee. This notice announces the opening of the scoping
process the Commission will use to gather input from the public and
interested agencies on the project. Your input will help the Commission
staff determine which issues need to be evaluated in the EA. The
Commission will use the EA in its decision making process to determine
whether or not to authorize the project. Please note that the scoping
period will close on March 3, 2005.
Comments may be submitted in written form or verbally. Further
details on how to submit written comments are provided in the public
participation section of this notice. In lieu of sending written
comments, you are invited to attend the public scoping meeting that is
scheduled as follows:
Tuesday, February 24, 2005, 7 p.m. (CST): Sumner County Building,
355 No. Belvedere Drive, Gallatin, TN, (615) 452-3604.
This notice is being sent to affected landowners; federal, state,
and local government representatives and agencies; environmental and
public interest groups; Native American tribes; other interested
parties; and local libraries and newspapers in this proceeding. We \1\
encourage government representatives to notify their constituents of
this planned project and encourage them to comment on their areas of
concern.
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\1\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Office of Energy Projects.
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Summary of the Proposed Project
MGT proposes to construct and operate about 30 miles of 16-inch-
diameter pipeline commencing at the MGT Portland Station in Sumner
County, Tennessee and traversing southeasterly to proposed
interconnects with Columbia Gulf Transmission Company and East
Tennessee Natural Gas Company in Trousdale County, Tennessee. The
proposed pipeline would deliver up to 120,000 decatherms per day (Dth/
d) to Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc., a local distribution company,
for long-term transportation. Additional pipeline facilities would
consist of a pig launcher and piping modifications to existing
reciprocating engines at the MGT Portland Station, mainline valve
assemblies and a pig receiver at the terminus of the line, ultrasonic
meters with electronic flow measurement, flow control valves, and data
acquisition control buildings.
MGT plans to file a formal application for this project with the
FERC in May 2005. They are requesting approval to begin construction in
June 2006, with a proposed in-service date of November 1, 2006.
A map depicting MGT's proposed pipeline route is provided in
Appendix 1.\2\
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\2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the
Commission's Web site at the ``eLibrary'' link or from the
Commission's Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, Room 2A
or call (202) 502-8371. For instructions on connecting to
``eLibrary'' refer to the end of this notice. Copies of the
appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in the mail.
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Several issues have already been raised by concerned citizens,
which include public safety, eminent domain, proximity to residences,
and property values.
The EA Process
Although no formal application for authorizing natural gas
facilities has been filed, the FERC staff is initiating its National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review now. The purpose of the FERC's
Pre-filing Process is to encourage the early involvement of interested
stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before an application
is filed with the FERC.
The FERC will use the EA to consider the environmental impact that
could result if it issues MGT a Certificate of Public Convenience and
Necessity.
This notice formally announces our preparation of the EA and the
beginning of the process referred to as ``scoping''. We are soliciting
input from the public and interested agencies to help us focus the
analysis in the EA on the potentially significant environmental issues
related to the proposed action.
Our independent analysis of the issues will be included in an EA
that will be mailed to federal, state, and local
[[Page 4838]]
government agencies; elected officials; environmental and public
interest groups; affected landowners; other interested parties; Native
American tribes; local newspapers and libraries; and the FERC's
official service list for this proceeding. A 30-day comment period will
be allotted for review of the EA. We will consider all comments on the
EA in any Commission Order that is issued for the project.
We have held early discussions with other jurisdictional agencies
to identify their issues and concerns. These agencies include the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville District; Tennessee Wildlife
Resources Agency; and the Tennessee Department of Environment and
Conservation, Divisions of Natural Heritage and Water Pollution
Control. With this notice, we are asking these and other federal,
state, and local agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise
with respect to environmental issues to formally cooperate with us in
the preparation of the EA. Agencies that would like to request
cooperating status should follow the instructions for filing comments
provided below.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the proposal. Your comments should focus on
the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives (including
alternative locations/routes), and measures to avoid or lessen
environmental impact. The more specific your comments, the more useful
they will be. To ensure that your comments are timely and properly
recorded, please mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before March 3, 2005, and carefully follow these
instructions:
Send an original and two copies of your letter to: Magalie
R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First
St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
Label one copy of your comments for the attention of Gas
Branch 1; DG2E; and
Reference Docket No. PF05-2-000 on the original and both
copies.
The public scoping meeting to be held on February 24, 2005 in
Gallatin, TN is designed to provide another opportunity to offer
comments on the proposed project. Interested groups and individuals are
encouraged to attend this meeting and to present comments on the
environmental issues they believe should be addressed in the EA.
Transcripts of the meeting will be made so that your comments will be
accurately recorded.
Please note that the Commission encourages electronic filing of
comments. See 18 Code of Federal Regulations 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and
the instructions on the Commission's Internet Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the ``eFiling'' link and the link to the User's
Guide. Prepare your submission in the same manner as you would if
filing on paper and save it to a file on your hard drive. Before you
can file comments you will need to create an account by clicking on
``Login to File'' and then ``New User Account''. You will be asked to
select the type of filing you are making. This filing is considered a
``Comment on Filing''.
When MGT submits its application for authorization to construct and
operate the MGT Eastern Extension Project, the Commission will publish
a Notice of Application in the Federal Register and will establish a
deadline for interested persons to intervene in the proceeding. Because
the Commission's NEPA Pre-filing Process occurs before an application
to begin a proceeding is officially filed, petitions to intervene
during this process are premature and will not be accepted by the
Commission.
Environmental Mailing List
An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals,
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially
affected by the proposed project. This includes all landowners who are
potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used temporarily
for project purposes, or who own homes within distances defined in the
Commission's regulations of certain above-ground facilities. If you
wish to remain on our environmental mailing list, please return the
Information Request Form included in Appendix 2. If you do not return
this form, you will be removed from our mailing list.
Availability of Additional Information
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is also available
for viewing on the FERC Internet website. This fact sheet addresses a
number of typically asked questions, including the use of eminent
domain and how to participate in the Commission's proceedings.
Additional information about the project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208-FERC (3372) or on
the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). Using the
``eLibrary'' link, select General Search from the ``eLibrary'' menu,
enter the selected date range and Docket Number (i.e., PF05-2), and
follow the instructions. Searches may also be done using the phrase MGT
Extension Project in the Text Search field. For assistance, please
contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ ferc.gov or toll free
at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659. The ``eLibrary''
link on the FERC Internet Web site also provides access to the texts of
formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and
rule makings.
In addition, the FERC now offers a free service called
``eSubscription'' that allows you to keep track of all formal issuances
and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time
you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with
notification of these filings, document summaries, and direct links to
the documents. To register for this service, go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
Finally, MGT has established an Internet Web site for its project
at http://www.mgt.nborder.com. The Web site includes a description of
the project, overview map, contact information for MGT, and links to
related documents.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-337 Filed 1-28-05; 8:45 am]
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