[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 2, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9404-9406]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-4252]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PF09-14-000]
Turtle Bayou Gas Storage Company, LLC; Amended Notice of Intent
To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Planned Turtle Bayou
Natural Gas Storage Project and Request for Comments on Environmental
Issues
February 23, 2010.
As previously noticed on November 20, 2009, and amended herein, 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 Turtle Bayou Natural Gas Storage Project
involving construction and operation of facilities by Turtle Bayou Gas
Storage Company, LLC (Turtle Bayou) in Liberty County, Texas. 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.
This notice announces the opening of a second scoping period (due
to pipeline route changes in the project design) the Commission will
use to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the
project. Your input will help the Commission staff determine what
issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that the scoping
period will close on March 25, 2010.
This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental
mailing list for this project, which includes newly identified affected
landowners along the revised pipeline route; landowners who would no
longer be affected by Turtle Bayou's previous pipeline route; federal,
state, and local government representatives and agencies; elected
officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native American
Tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers.
State and local government representatives are asked to notify their
constituents of this planned project and encourage them to comment on
their areas of concern.
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 planned facilities.
The 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
[[Page 9405]]
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?'' is available for
viewing on the FERC Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). 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.
Summary of the Planned Project
Since issuance of our \1\ November 20, 2009 notice, Turtle Bayou
has changed the preferred location of about 7.6 miles of its planned
pipeline (from milepost 4.8 to 12.4). Turtle Bayou's current
configuration of the planned facilities was changed to avoid an
identified superfund site.
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\1\ ``We,'' us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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Turtle Bayou plans to construct and operate a new natural gas
storage facility in a solution-mined salt dome in Liberty County,
Texas. The Turtle Bayou Natural Gas Storage Project would provide about
12.0 billion cubic feet of working gas storage and would be integrated
into the regional gas transmission system through interconnects with
existing and planned interstate pipelines. According to Turtle Bayou,
its project would store natural gas from Gulf Coast producers,
liquefied natural gas import terminals, and new gas pipeline projects
through interconnects with Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America
(NGPA) and Texas Eastern Transmission Company (Texas Eastern). The
planned storage facility would provide needed deliverability to end
users in the eastern United States. Additionally, Turtle Bayou's
planned project would provide its customers with flexibility to
contract for varying levels of deliverability by interconnecting with
other pipeline systems throughout the region.
The Turtle Bayou Natural Gas Storage Project would consist of the
following facilities:
Two salt storage caverns, wells, and well pads;
A 17,000-horsepower compressor station;
Two meter stations and tie-in facilities (one for NGPA and
one for Texas Eastern);
Two sections of 24-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline
totaling about 12.4 miles (7.6 and 4.8 miles); and
Three sections of 18-inch-diameter water and brine
pipeline totaling about 1.8 miles (1.6, 0.1, and 0.1 miles).
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 appendices were sent to
all those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at
http://www.ferc.gov using the link called ``eLibrary'' 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.
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Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the planned facilities would disturb about 333
acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipeline.
Following construction, about 170 acres would be maintained for
permanent operation of the project's facilities (111 acres for storage
facilities [including electrical easements] and 59 acres for pipeline
facilities); the remaining acreage would be restored and allowed to
revert to former uses. The planned pipeline route generally parallels
existing pipeline, utility, or road rights-of-way.
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, the Commission requests public
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. All comments
received will be considered during the preparation of the EA.
In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of
the construction and operation of the planned project under these
general headings:
Geology and soils;
Land use;
Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
Cultural resources;
Vegetation and wildlife;
Air quality and noise;
Endangered and threatened species; and
Public safety.
We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the planned project
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
Although no formal application has been filed, we have already
initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing process.
The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early involvement
of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before an
application is filed with the FERC. As part of our pre-filing review,
we have begun to contact some federal and state agencies to discuss
their involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the EA.
Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the EA.
The EA will be placed in the public record and, depending on the
comments received during the scoping process, may be published and
distributed to the public. A comment period will be allotted if the EA
is published for review. 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.
With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction and/or
special expertise with respect to environmental issues to formally
cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA. These agencies may
choose to participate once they have evaluated the proposal relative to
their responsibilities. Agencies that would like to request cooperating
agency status should follow the instructions for filing comments
provided under the Public Participation section of this notice.
Currently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has expressed its intention
to participate as a cooperating agency in the preparation of the EA to
satisfy its NEPA responsibilities related to this project.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. Your comments should focus on
the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and
measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. The more specific
your comments, the more useful they will be. To ensure that your
comments are timely and properly recorded, please send your comments so
that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before March 25,
2010.
For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic
filing
[[Page 9406]]
of comments and has expert eFiling staff available to assist you at
(202) 502-8258 or [email protected].
(1) You may file your comments electronically by using the Quick
Comment feature, which is located at http://www.ferc.gov under the link
called ``Documents and Filings''. A Quick Comment is an easy method for
interested persons to submit text-only comments on a project;
(2) You may file your comments electronically by using the
``eFiling'' feature that is listed under the ``Documents and Filings''
link. eFiling involves preparing your submission in the same manner as
you would if filing on paper, and then saving the file on your
computer's hard drive. You will attach that file to your submission.
New eFiling users must first create an account by clicking on the links
called ``Sign up'' or ``eRegister''. You will be asked to select the
type of filing you are making. A comment on a particular project is
considered a ``Comment on a Filing''; or
(3) You may file a paper copy of your comments at the following
address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local
government representatives and agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; and
local libraries and newspapers. This list also includes all affected
landowners (as defined in the Commission's regulations) who are
potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used temporarily
for project purposes, or who own homes within certain distances of
aboveground facilities, and anyone who submits comments on the project.
We will update the environmental mailing list as the analysis proceeds
to ensure that we send the information related to this environmental
review to all individuals, organizations, and government entities
interested in and/or potentially affected by the planned project. If
the EA is published for distribution, copies will be sent to the
environmental mailing list for public review and comment.
Becoming an Intervenor
Once Turtle Bayou files its application with the Commission, you
may want to become an ``intervenor,'' which is an official party to the
Commission's proceeding. Intervenors play a more formal role in the
process and are able to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be heard
by the courts if they choose to appeal the Commission's final ruling.
An intervenor formally participates in the proceeding by filing a
request to intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are
included in the User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the
Commission's website. Please note that you may not request intervenor
status at this time. You must wait until a formal application for the
project is filed with the Commission.
Additional Information
Additional information about the project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the
FERC 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
(i.e., PF09-14). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range.
For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
[email protected] or toll free at (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 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.
Further, 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.
Finally, Turtle Bayou has established a website for its project at
http://www.turtlebayougasstorage.com and a toll-free number at (877)
558-4521. The Web site includes a description of the project,
frequently asked questions, and other information.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-4252 Filed 3-1-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P