[Federal Register: July 31, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 146)]
[Notices]
[Page 41733-41735]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31jy07-68]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP07-406-000]
Monroe Gas Storage Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Monroe Gas Storage Project
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
July 23, 2007.
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 Monroe Gas Storage Project
involving construction and operation of facilities by Monroe Gas
Storage Company, LLC (MGSC) in Monroe County, Mississippi and Lamar
County, Alabama.\1\ MGSC proposes to convert an existing, but depleted,
natural gas well field, the Four Mile Creek Field originally developed
by Grace Petroleum, to natural gas storage service in Monroe County,
Mississippi. The 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\ On June 26, 2007, MGSC filed its application with the
Commission under section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act, 15 United
States Code section 717(b)(a), and Parts 157 and 284 of the
Commission's regulations. The Commission filed its notice of
application on July 3, 2007.
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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 prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' was attached to the
project notice MGSC provided to landowners. 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. It is
available for viewing on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov
).
Summary of the Proposed Project
MGSC proposes to expand the capacity of its natural gas facilities
in Mississippi and Alabama to provide approximately 12.0 billion cubic
feet of working gas capacity, for the purpose of receiving, injecting,
withdrawing and redelivering natural gas to its system. MGSC seeks
authority to:
Develop nine new natural gas injection/withdrawal wells;
Convert five existing natural gas production wells to
observation wells;
Install approximately 2.0 miles of gathering pipelines of
12- and 18-inch diameters;
Build an integrated compressor station/control facility
consisting of three 4,735 brake horsepower (bhp) natural gas fueled
engines driving reciprocating compressors equipped with air intake
filters/silencers, critical grade exhaust silencer/catalyst, a glycol
[[Page 41734]]
dehydration system, control and safety systems, and associated
facilities;
Install approximately 5.7 miles of 24-inch diameter
lateral pipeline connecting the proposed compressor station with the
Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation (TETCO) pipeline (TETCO
lateral);
Install approximately 17.2 miles of 24-inch diameter
lateral pipeline connecting the compressor station with the Tennessee
Gas Pipeline Company (TGP) pipeline (TGP lateral), including two
isolation block valves within the pipeline right-of-way; and
Build two metering and regulation stations, one at each
interconnection point of the TETCO and TGP laterals with the TETCO and
TGP pipeline systems.
MGSC states that the only nonjurisdictional facility associated
with the Monroe Gas Storage Project consists of the local electric
distribution line that will supply power to the facility. This facility
would be constructed and operated by local electric utility companies.
The general location of the project facilities is shown in Appendix
1.\2\
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\2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of all appendices, other
than Appendix 1 (maps), are available on the Commission's Web site
at the ``eLibrary'' link or from the Commission's Public Reference
Room, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202)
502-8371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the
last page of this notice. 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 would require about 262.8
acres of land. Following construction, about 149.1 acres would be
maintained as new aboveground facility sites or pipeline right-of-way.
MGSC has proposed to locate the storage facilities within a depleted
natural gas reservoir originally developed by Grace Petroleum. Land
requirements for meter stations would be purchased, and the remainder
of pipeline rights-of-way would be acquired by easement.
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.
This process is referred to as ``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 staff
requests public comments on the scope of the issues to 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.
In the EA, we \3\ will discuss impacts that could occur as a result
of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these
general headings:
\3\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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Geology and Soils
Land Use
Water Resources, Fisheries, and Wetlands
Cultural Resources
Vegetation and Wildlife
Threatened and Endangered Species
Air Quality and Noise
We will also evaluate reasonable 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 below.
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 MGSC. This preliminary list
of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
A total of 118.7 acres of forested land would be cleared
during construction.
Air and noise quality may be affected by added facilities.
Aboveground facilities would be located in wetlands.
Also, we have made a preliminary decision to not address the
impacts of the nonjurisdictional facility. We will briefly describe its
location and summarize the status of state and local environmental
reviews in the EA.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commenter, 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 an original and two copies of your letter to:
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Label one copy of the comments for the attention of OEP/
DG2E, Gas Branch 3.
Reference Docket No. CP07-406-000.
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before August 24, 2007.
We will include all comments that we receive within a reasonable
time frame in our environmental analysis of this project. However, the
Commission strongly encourages electronic filing of any comments or
interventions or protests to this proceeding. See 18 CFR
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web site
at http://www.ferc.gov under the ``e-Filing'' link and the link to the
User's Guide. Before you can file comments you will need to create a
free account which can be created on-line.
We may mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in receiving
it, please return the Information Request (Appendix 3). If you do not
return the Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing list.
Site Visit
On August 10, 2007, the OEP staff will conduct a site visit of the
planned MGSC Gas Storage Project. We will view the proposed facility
locations and pipeline route. Examination will be by automobile and on
foot. Representatives of MGSC will be accompanying the OEP staff.
All interested parties may attend. Those planning to attend must
provide
[[Page 41735]]
their own transportation and should meet at 9 a.m. (CST) at the Amory
City Hall, 109 South Front Street, Amory, MS on August 10, 2007.
For additional information, please contact the Commission's Office
of External Affairs at 1-866-208-FERC (3372).
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want
to become an official party to the proceeding, or ``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.
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 aboveground facilities. By this
notice we are also asking governmental agencies, especially those in
Appendix 2, to express their interest in becoming cooperating agencies
for the preparation of the EA.
Additional Information
Additional information about the project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on the
FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link.
Click on the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the
docket number excluding the last three digits 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 for TTY,
contact (202) 502-8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the
texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders,
notices, and rulemakings.
In addition, the Commission now offers a free service called
eSubscription which 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. Go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the
Commission's calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx
along with other related information.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7-14743 Filed 7-30-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P