[Federal Register: August 24, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 164)]
[Notices]
[Page 50059-50060]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24au06-52]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP06-85-000]
CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission Company; Notice of
Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the
Proposed Carthage to Perryville Project
August 18, 2006.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared this Final Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for the natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by CenterPoint
Energy Gas Transmission (CEGT) under the above-referenced docket.
CEGT's Carthage to Perryville Project (Project) would be located in
various counties and parishes in eastern Texas and northern Louisiana.
The Final EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act. The FERC staff concludes that the
proposed Project, with the appropriate mitigation measures as
recommended, would have limited adverse environmental impact.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (COE) are Federal cooperating agencies for the development of
this EIS. A Federal cooperating agency has jurisdiction by law or
special expertise with respect to any environmental impact involved
with the proposal and is involved in the NEPA analysis.
The general purpose of the proposed Project is to facilitate the
transport of up to 1.2 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas
received from production areas in eastern Texas, as well as northern
Louisiana, to markets in the Midwest and Northeastern regions of the
United States that can be accessed through interconnects with existing
pipeline infrastructure.
The Final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of
construction and operation of the following facilities:
About 172.1 miles of 42-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline
in Panola County, Texas, and Caddo, DeSoto, Red River, Bienville,
Jackson, Ouachita, and Richland Parishes, Louisiana;
Two new, 20,620 horsepower (hp) gas-turbine-driven
compressor stations, the Panola and Vernon Compressor Stations, located
in Panola County, Texas, and Jackson Parish, Louisiana, respectively;
Two meter and regulator stations at receipt points with
three intrastate pipelines, including:
--Houston Pipe Line (HPL) Meter/Regulator (M/R) Station in Panola
County, Texas;
--Duke Energy Field Services-Enbridge M/R Station in Panola County,
Texas;
Four new meter and regulator stations at interconnects
with existing interstate pipelines, including:
--Texas Gas M/R Station in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana;
--ANR M/R Station in Richland Parish, Louisiana;
--Trunkline M/R Station in Richland Parish, Louisiana;
--Columbia Gulf M/R Station in Richland Parish, Louisiana;
11 mainline valves; and
Four pig launcher/receiver facilities associated with the
Panola and Vernon Compressor Stations and the HPL and Columbia Gulf M/R
Stations.
CEGT proposes to construct its pipeline facilities in two phases.
Construction of Phase I would be initiated in October 2006 and
completed by February 2007, at which point CEGT would place the
proposed Project in-service. Under Phase I, a single, 10,310-hp turbine
compressor would be installed at each compressor station. Under Phase
II, a second compressor would be installed to bring the total installed
compression at each facility to 20,620 hp. CEGT indicates that Phase II
facilities would be installed and operational by October 2008.
The Final EIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC and
is available for public inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE., Room 2A,
Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
A limited number of copies of the Final EIS are available from the
Public Reference Room identified above. In addition, CD copies of the
Final EIS have been mailed to affected landowners; various Federal,
state, and local government agencies; elected officials; environmental
and public interest groups; Native American tribes; local libraries and
newspapers; intervenors; and other individuals that expressed an
interest in the proposed Project. Hard-copies of the Final EIS have
also been mailed to those who requested that format during the scoping
and comment periods for the proposed Project.
In accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ)
[[Page 50060]]
regulations implementing NEPA, no agency decision on a proposed action
may be made until 30 days after the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) publishes a notice of availability of a Final EIS.
However, the CEQ regulations provide an exception to this rule when an
agency decision is subject to a formal internal process that allows
other agencies or the public to make their views known. In such cases,
the agency decision may be made at the same time the notice of the
Final EIS is published, allowing both periods to run concurrently.
Should the FERC issue CEGT authorizations for the proposed Project, it
would be subject to a 30-day rehearing period. Therefore, the
Commission could issue its decision concurrently with the EPA's notice
of availability.
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'' and enter the project docket number
excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP06-85) in the ``Docket
Number'' field. Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range.
For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or TTY (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
.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-14012 Filed 8-23-06; 8:45 am]
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