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SCG Pipeline, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed SCG Pipeline 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: January 29, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 19)]
[Notices]
[Page 4249-4251]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29ja02-58]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP02-57-000]
SCG Pipeline, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Assessment for the Proposed SCG Pipeline Project and Request for
Comments on Environmental Issues
January 23, 2002.
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 SCG Pipeline Project involving
construction and operation of facilities by SCG Pipeline, Inc. (SCG) in
Chatham and Effingham Counties, Georgia and Jasper County, South
Carolina.\1\ These facilities would consist of about 18.2 miles of 20-
inch-diameter pipeline and appurtenant facilities. In addition, SCG
seeks to acquire capacity in certain facilities owned by Southern
Natural Gas Company (Southern). 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\ SCG'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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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
[[Page 4250]]
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 SCG 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 (www.ferc.gov). 
Summary of the Proposed Project
SCG proposes to construct and operate about 18.2 miles of 20-inch-
diameter pipeline and appurtenant facilities extending from an
interconnect with Southern's pipeline system in Port Wentworth, Georgia
to a terminus in Jasper County, South Carolina. SCG also seeks
authority to acquire capacity in Southern's existing 13.25-mile-long,
30-inch-diameter twin pipelines which extend between Elba Island,
Georgia and SCG's proposed interconnection at Port Wentworth, Georgia.
SCG would construct and maintain meter stations at the interconnection
with Southern's pipeline system in Port Wentworth, Georgia and at the
pipeline terminus in Jasper County, South Carolina.
The capacity of the SCG Pipeline Project would be 190,000 Mcf per
day, and the primary source of natural gas would be imported liquefied
natural gas (LNG) from the Elba Island LNG terminal in Savannah,
Georgia. SCG's interconnection at Port Wentworth also provides the
capability to receive up to 90,000 Mcf per day from Southern's Savannah
Lateral in the event that Elba Island LNG supply is unavailable.
The SCG Pipeline Project would interconnect with two
nonjurisdictional projects at its proposed terminus in Jasper County,
South Carolina: a new electric generation facility planned by South
Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G) and an expansion and extension
of an existing intrastate pipeline system planned by South Carolina
Pipeline Corporation (SCPC). SCE&G's planned 875 megawatt electric
generation facility is located about 5 miles north of Hardeeville,
South Carolina. SCPC's planned 16- and 20-inch-diameter pipeline
facilities would consist of 43 miles of loop on its existing system and
39 miles of new pipeline. SCPC's 82-mile-long pipeline facilities would
extend from the SCG Pipeline Project receipt point to an
interconnection with SCPC's existing pipeline system in Dorchester
County, South Carolina.
The location of the SCG Pipeline 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 are available on the
Commission's Web site 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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Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 275.7
acres of land for construction right-of-way, extra workspaces, and
contractor yards. Following construction, about 107.2 acres would be
maintained as permanent right-of-way and new aboveground facility
sites. The remaining 168.5 acres of temporary workspace would be
restored and allowed to revert to its former use.
The nominal construction right-of-way for the pipeline would be 100
feet wide, with 50 feet retained as permanent right-of-way. About 91
percent of the pipeline route would parallel existing transportation or
energy rights-of-way, and 50 feet of SCG's construction right-of-way
would generally overlap these existing maintained rights
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
\3\ 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 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
Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands
Vegetation and wildlife
Air quality and noise
Land use
Cultural resources
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 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 beginning on page 5.
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 SCG. This preliminary list of
issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
Twelve perennial waterbodies are crossed by the pipeline,
including the Savannah River.
About 49 acres of wetlands, including 33.4 acres of
forested wetlands, are affected by construction of the pipeline.
Eight single-family residences are within 50 feet of the
proposed pipeline construction corridor.
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 make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project.
[[Page 4251]]
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
(including alternative routes), 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: Linwood
A. Watson, Jr., Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the
Gas 1, PJ-11.1.
Reference Docket No. CP02-57-000.
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before February 25, 2002.
Comments may also be filed electronically via the Internet in lieu
of paper. 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 an account which can be created by clicking on
``Login to File'' and then ``New User Account.'' Due to current events,
we cannot guarantee that we will receive mail on a timely basis from
the U.S. Postal Service, and we do not know how long this situation
will continue. However, we continue to receive filings from private
mail delivery services, including messenger services, in a reliable
manner. The Commission encourages electronic filing of any comments or
interventions or protests to this proceeding. We will include all
comments that we receive within a reasonable time frame in our
environmental analysis of this project.
If you do not want to send comments at this time but still want to
remain on our mailing list, please return the Information Request
(appendix 3). If you do not return the Information Request, you will be
taken off the 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 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).\4\ Only intervenors have
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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\4\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing
comments electronically.
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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) 208-1088 or on the
FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov) 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 Web site provides
access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such
as orders, notices, and rulemakings. From the FERC Internet Web site,
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.
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 02-2092 Filed 1-28-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P