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Distrigas of Massachusetts LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed High Pressure Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

 [Federal Register: October 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 197)]
[Notices]
[Page 60426-60427]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr11oc00-70]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP00-447-000]


Distrigas of Massachusetts LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed High Pressure Expansion
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

October 4, 2000.
    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 High Pressure Expansion
Project involving construction and operation of facilities by Distrigas
of Massachusetts LLC (DOMAC) at its existing liquefied natural gas
(LNG) storage facility Everett, Massachusetts.\1\ These facilities
would consist of new vaporization equipment and associated systems to
provide regasified LNG to a nonjurisdictional electric power generating
plant currently under construction. 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.
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    \1\ DOMAC's application was filed with the Commission under
Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and part 157 of the Commission's
regulations.
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Summary of the Proposed Project

    The proposed project would allow DOMAC to supply 280,000 million
British thermal units per day of regasified LNG to an electric power
generating plant. Specifically, DOMAC requests Commission authorization
to:
     Install four submerged combustion vaporization units
capable of 600,000 thousand cubic feet per day;
     Replace the existing LNG tank pumps with higher capacity
pumps;
     Install eight LNG booster pumps;
     Modify the LNG impoundment and vapor control systems; and
     Install various cross-connections, tie-ins, pollution
control systems, and odorization equipment.
    In addition to the above jurisdictional facilities, Sithe Mystic
Development LLC is constructing the New Mystic Station, a 1,550
megawatt natural gas-fired, combined-cycle electric generating power
plant at Everett, Massachusetts. The New Mystic Station, approved by
the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board on September 30, 1999,
is currently under construction and was 40 percent complete at the time
of DOMAC's filing with the Commission. A 24-inch-diameter
nonjurisdictional pipeline, approximately 1,200 feet in length, would
also be constructed by Boston Gas Company to transport the regasified
LNG to the New Mystic Station.
    The general location of DOMAC's proposed project facilities is
shown on the map attached as appendix 1.\2\ Construction of the
proposed facilities would occur completely on DOMAC's existing LNG
plant site.
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    \2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the
Commission's website at the ``RIMS'' link or from the Commission's
Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First Street,
NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 208-1371. For instructions
on connecting to RIMS 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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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''.\3\ 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 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.
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    \3\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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    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
     Vegetation and wildlife
     Public safety
     Cultural resources
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands
     Endangered and threatened species
     Land use
     Air quality and noise impacts
    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 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.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, 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, 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

[[Page 60427]]

comments are received in time and properly recorded:
     Send two copies of your letter to: David P. Boergers,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE.,
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas
Group 1, PJ-11.1.
     Reference Docket No. CP00-447-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before November 3, 2000.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want
to become an official party to the proceeding known as an
``intervenor''. Intervenors play a more formal role in the process.
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 14 copies of its filings to the
Secretary of the Commission and must send a copy of its filings to all
other parties on the Commission's service list for this proceeding. If
you want 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) (see appendix 2). Only intervenors have the
right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
    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.
    Additional information about the proposed project is available from
the Commission's Office of External Affairs at (202) 208-0004 or on the
FERC website (www.ferc.fed.us) using the ``RIMS'' link to information
in this docket number. Click on the ``RIMS'' link, select ``Docket #''
from the RIMS Menu, and follow the instructions. For assistance with
access to RIMS, the RIMS helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2222.
    Similarly, the ``CIPS'' link on the FERC Internet website provides
access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such
as orders, notices, and rulemakings. From the FERC Internet website,
click on the ``CIPS'' link, select ``Docket #'' from the CIPS menu, and
follow the instructions. For assistance with access to CIPS, the CIPS
helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2474.

Lindood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-26056 Filed 10-10-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M

 
 

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