[Federal Register: October 30, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 209)]
[Notices]
[Page 63307-63309]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30oc06-77]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP06-452-000]
Trunkline Gas Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Field Zone Expansion Project
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
October 24, 2006.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of constructing and operating
Trunkline Gas Company LLC's (Trunkline) proposed Field Zone Expansion
Project.
The Field Zone Expansion Project would include the abandonment,
removal, relocation, installation, modification, construction and
operation of natural gas pipeline facilities in Texas, Louisiana and
Illinois to increase the capacity of Trunkline's existing pipeline
system and allow for the flow of natural gas from expanding gas
production in Texas to delivery points in Louisiana. Specifically,
Trunkline is seeking authority to undertake the following activities:
Texas and Louisiana
Construct the 45-mile-long 36-inch-diameter NTX Line 100-2
Loop natural gas pipeline and associated facilities from the Gate Valve
43 in Jasper County, Texas to the Longville Meter Station in Beauregard
Parish, Louisiana, running through Jasper and Newton Counties, Texas
and Beauregard Parish, Louisiana.
Texas
Construct a metering station in Hardin County, Texas;
Construct a metering station in either Hardin or Jasper
Counties, Texas;
Construct a metering station in Liberty County, Texas; and
Replace by abandonment a 6,350-horsepower (hp) gas-turbine
centrifugal compressor unit with a new 10,350-hp electric motor-driven
compressor unit for a total of 10,350-hp of compression at the Kountze
Compressor Station in Hardin County, Texas.
Louisiana
Construct approximately 13.5 miles of 36-inch-diameter
natural gas pipeline, known as the Henry Hub Lateral and associated
facilities in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana;
Construct two bi-directional metering stations in
Vermilion Parish, Louisiana;
Relocate two 3,000-hp compressor units from the
Centerville Compressor Station to the Kaplan Compressor Station in
Vermilion Parish, Louisiana; and
Install a 10,350-hp compressor unit at the Longview
Compressor Station in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana.
Illinois
Remove a 3,000-hp compressor unit at the Joppa Compressor
Station in Massac County, Illinois; modify it and uprate to 5,100-hp,
and then re-install it at the Kaplan Compressor Station in Louisiana.
A map depicting Trunkline's proposed facilities is provided in
Appendix 1.\1\
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\1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not be printed
in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the Commission's
Web site (excluding maps) at http://www.ferc.gov or from the
Commission's Public Reference Room--(202) 502-8371.
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Construction of these facilities would require the temporary use of
approximately 800 acres of land. Operation of these facilities would
require the permanent use of approximately 300 acres of land.
Approximately 500 acres of land would not be permanently affected by
operation of these facilities and would be restored and/or allowed to
revert to their previous use.
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted
by a Trunkline representative about the acquisition of an easement to
support this project. Trunkline would seek to negotiate a mutually
acceptable agreement for any easement; however, if the project is
approved by the Commission, this approval conveys with it the right of
eminent domain. If easement negotiations between you and Trunkline
fail, it would have the authority to initiate condemnation proceedings.
A fact sheet prepared by the Commission entitled ``An Interstate
Natural Gas Facility on my Land? What do I need to know?'' should have
been attached to the project notice provided to landowners by
Trunkline. 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. This fact sheet is also available
online at http://www.ferc.gov.
The Environmental Assessment Process
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the
Commission to
[[Page 63308]]
consider the environmental impacts of a proposed project whenever it
considers the issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience and
Necessity as has been requested by Trunkline. NEPA also requires the
Commission to undertake a process to identify and address concerns the
public may have about proposed projects. This process is commonly
referred to as ``scoping''. The main goal of the ``scoping'' process is
to identify public concerns and then address them in the environmental
assessment. By this Notice of Intent, the Commission requests public
comments on environmental issues that should be addressed in the
environmental assessment.
The Commission's staff will prepare an environmental assessment
that will discuss the potential environmental impacts resulting from
the proposed project under the following general headings:
Geology and Soils.
Water Resources and Wetlands.
Fisheries, Vegetation and Wildlife.
Threatened and Endangered Species.
Air Quality and Noise.
Land Use.
Cultural Resources.
Pipeline safety and reliability.
The Commission's staff will also evaluate possible alternatives to
the proposed project or portions of the project and make
recommendations on how to lessen or avoid impacts to the identified
environmental resources.
Upon completion of the staff's environmental assessment and
depending on the issues identified and/or comments received during the
``scoping'' process, the EA may be published and mailed to Federal,
State and local government agencies; elected officials; environmental
and public interest groups; affected landowners; other interested
parties; local libraries and newspapers; and the Commission's official
service list for this proceeding. A 30-day comment period would be
allotted for review of the EA if it is published. Staff would consider
all comments submitted concerning the EA before making their
recommendations to the Commission.
To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the
instructions in the public participation section of this notice.
Federal, state, or local agencies wishing to participate in the
development of the environmental assessment may request ``cooperating
agency'' status. Cooperating agencies are encouraged to participate in
the scoping process and provide us with written comments concerning the
proposed project. Cooperating agencies are also welcome to suggest
format and content changes that will make it easier for them to adopt
the EA; however, we will decide what modifications will be adopted in
light of our production constraints. Agencies wanting to participate as
a cooperating agency should send a letter describing the extent to
which they would like to be involved in the development of this EA.
Please submit these letters as indicated in the public participation
section of this notice.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the proposed project. By becoming a
commentor, your comments and concerns will be addressed in the EA and
considered by the Commission. The more specific your comments, the more
useful they will be. Generally, comments are submitted regarding the
potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives and measures
to avoid or lessen environmental impact.
This notice and request for environmental comments is being sent to
affected landowners; Federal, State and local government
representatives and agencies; environmental and public interest groups;
other interested parties in this proceeding; and local libraries and
newspapers. We encourage government representatives to notify their
constituents of this notice and to encourage their comments concerning
this proposed project.
To ensure that your comments are properly recorded, please mail
them to our office on or before November 27, 2006. When filing comments
please:
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 to the attention of Gas
Branch 2, DG2E; and Reference Docket No. CP06-452-000 on the original
and both copies.
Please note that the Commission encourages the electronic filing of
comments. To file electronic comments online please see the
instructions \2\ on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov.
When filing electronic comments, prepare your submission in the same
manner as you would if filing on paper and save it to a file on your
hard drive. Please note before you can file electronic comments with
the Commission you will need to create a free online account.
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\2\ 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii).
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Environmental Mailing List
An effort has been made to send this notice to all individuals,
organizations, and government entities that might be interested in and/
or potentially affected by the proposed project. This includes all
landowners who are potential right-of-way grantors, landowners whose
property may be used temporarily for project purposes, and landowners
with homes within distances defined in the Commission's regulations of
certain aboveground facilities.
If you would like to remain on the environmental mailing list for
this proposed project, please return the Mailing List Retention Form
found in Appendix 2. If you do not comment on this project or return
this form, you will be taken off of the staff's environmental 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, an ``intervenor''. 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). Intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the
Commission's decision. Motions to Intervene should be electronically
submitted using the Commission's eFiling system at http://www.ferc.gov.
Persons without Internet access should send an original and 14 copies
of their motion to the Secretary of the Commission at the address
indicated previously. Persons filing Motions to Intervene on or before
the comment deadline indicated above must send a copy of the motion to
the Applicant. All filings, including late interventions, submitted
after the comment deadline must be served on the Applicant and all
other intervenors identified on the Commission's service list for this
proceeding. Persons on the service list with e-mail addresses may be
served electronically; others must be served a hard copy of the filing.
Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be
granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they
have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which would not be
adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor
status to have your environmental comments considered.
Availability of Additional Information
Additional information about the project is available from the
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Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208 FERC (3372) or
through the Commission's ``eLibrary'' which can be found online at
http://www.ferc.gov. For assistance with the Commission's ``eLibrary'',
the helpline can be reached at 1-866-208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or
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
.
If applicable, public meetings or site visits associated with this
proposed project will be posted on the Commission's calendar which can
be found online at http://www.ferc.[fxsp0]gov/Event[fxsp0]Calendar/
EventsList.aspx.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-18138 Filed 10-27-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P