[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 51 (Thursday, March 14, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10574-10575]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-6061]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP96-201-000]
Algonquin Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Middletown Lateral Project
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
March 8, 1996.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of the construction and operation of
the facilities proposed in the Middletown Lateral Project.\1\ This EA
will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to
determine whether an environmental impact statement is required and
whether or not to approve the project.
\1\ Algonquin Gas Transmission Company's application was filed
with the Commission under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act.
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Summary of the Proposed Project
Algonquin Gas Transmission Company (Algonquin) wants Commission
authorization to construct and operate natural gas pipeline and related
facilities to deliver up to 82,500
[[Page 10575]]
million British thermal units of gas per day to The Connecticut Light
and Power Company (CL&P). CL&P intends to use the gas as an alternate
fuel for Unit Nos. 2 and 3 at its electric generating station in
Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut (Middletown Plant). The
Middletown Lateral would extend from Algonquin's existing mainline
system in Glastonbury, Hartford County, Connecticut to the Middletown
Plant.
Algonquin seeks authority to construct and operate:
8.4 miles of 20-inch-diameter pipeline;
a meter station; and
a tap valve site and appurtenant facilities.
CL&P would construct nonjurisdictional facilities consisting of
approximately 1,500 feet of piping, a regulator station, and burner
conversion equipment. All of CL&P's facilities would be constructed
within its plant site.
The general location of the project facilities and specific
locations for facilities on new sites are shown in appendix 1.\2\
\2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being
printed in the Federal Register Copies are available from the
Commission's Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888
First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, or call (202) 208-1371.
Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving this
notice in the mail.
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Land Reqirements for Construction
The project would require about 72 acres of land of which 47.9
acres would be new permanent right-of-way (ROW). The proposed pipeline
would be built on or adjacent to existing electric transmission line or
abandoned railroad ROWs for about 84 percent of its length. The
construction ROW would typically be 75 feet wide consisting of a 50-
foot-wide permanent ROW and a 25-foot-wide temporary ROW. Following
construction, the disturbed area would be restored and the 25 feet of
temporary ROW would be allowed to revert to its former land use. The
project would require horizontal directional drilling of the
Connecticut River for about 2,100 feet.
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.
We call this ``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 requests public comments on the
scope of the issues it will address in the EA. All comments received
are taken into account 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.
The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the
construction and operation of the proposed project under these general
headings:
geology and soils
water resources, fisheries, and wetlands
vegetation and wildlife
land use
cultural resources
hazardous waste
endangered and threatened species
public safety
We will also evaluate possible 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 officials 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
recommend that the Commission approve or not approve the project.
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 Algonquin. Keep in mind that
this is a preliminary list:
The Meshomasic State Forest would be crossed.
Three streams would be crossed that are coldwater
fisheries and support trout.
Twenty-three wetlands would be crossed totalling about
4,495 feet.
Federally and state-listed threatened or endangered
species may be affected.
The project may impact cultural resources.
The list of issues may be added to, subtracted from, or changed
based on your comments and our analysis.
Also, we have made a preliminary decision to not address the
impacts of the nonjurisdictional facilities. We will briefly describe
their location and status in the EA.
Public Participation
You can made a difference by sending a letter with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. You should focus on the
potential environmental effects of the proposal, alternatives to the
proposal (including alternative routes), and measures to avoid or
lessen environmental impact. The more specified your comments, the more
useful they will be. Please follow the instructions below to ensure
that your comments are received and properly recorded:
Address your letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., N.E., Washington, D.C.
20426;
Reference Docket No. CP96-201-000;
Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. John Wisniewski, EA
Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St.,
N.E., PR-11.2, Washington, D.C. 20426; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, D.C. on or before April 15, 1996.
If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one
from Mr. Wisniewski at the above address.
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want
to become an official party to the preceeding or become an
``intervenor''. Among other things, intervenors have the right to
receive copies of case-related Commission documents and filings by
other intervenors. Likewise, each intervenor must provide copies of its
filings to all other parties. If you want be become an intervenor you
must file a Motion to Intervene according to Rule 214 of their
Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.214) (see
appendix 2). You do not need intervenor status to have your scoping
comments considered.
Additional information about the proposed project is available from
Mr. John Wisniewski, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1073.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-6061 Filed 3-13-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M