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East Tennessee Natural Gas Company; Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Patriot Pipeline Project
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: May 2, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 85)]
[Notices]
[Page 22071-22072]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02my02-65]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP01-415-000]
East Tennessee Natural Gas Company; Notice of Availability of the
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Patriot Pipeline
Project
April 26, 2002.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)
on the natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by East Tennessee
Natural Gas Company (East Tennessee) in the above-referenced docket.
The DEIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Commission's implementing
regulations under Title 18, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part
380. The staff concludes that approval of the proposed project with the
appropriate mitigating measures as recommended, would have limited
adverse environmental impact. The DEIS also evaluates alternatives to
the proposed Project, and requests comments on them.
The DEIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the Patriot Project which consists of two
components, the Mainline Expansion and the Patriot Extension.
Mainline Expansion
Construct approximately 87.3 miles of pipeline loops,
ranging in size from 20 to 24 inches in diameter;
Uprate approximately 77.2 miles of pipeline;
Abandon and re-lay approximately 22.5 miles of pipeline;
Construct five new compressor stations; and
Modify 10 existing compressor stations;
Patriot Extension
Construct approximately 99.7 miles of new pipeline (24-
and 16-inch-diameter);
Three new meter stations; and
Associated mainline valves and appurtenant facilities in
Virginia and North Carolina.
The staff has also evaluated 12 major route alternatives. Nine of
these were removed from further consideration. The remaining three
major route alternatives appear to have environmental benefits relative
to the proposed route. We \1\ are requesting public comment on these
three major route alternatives. We analyzed seven route variations;
five were removed from further consideration, and two are recommended
over the proposed route. We examined four alternative compressor
station sites; two were removed from consideration after our analyses
and two are recommended over the proposed sites. We evaluated two
alternative interconnect sites for the proposed Transco interconnect,
both of which were removed from further consideration.
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\1\ ``We,''``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Office of Energy Projects, part of the Commission staff.
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Comment Procedures and Public Meetings
Any person wishing to comment on the DEIS may do so. To ensure
consideration prior to a Commission decision on the proposal, it is
important that we receive your comments before the date specified
below. Please carefully follow these instructions to ensure that your
comments are received in time and properly recorded:
Send one original and two copies of your comments to: Ms.
Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First St., N.E., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the
Gas Branch 2, PJ-11.2
Reference Docket No. CP01-415-000
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before June 17, 2002.
Please note that we are continuing to experience delays in mail
deliveries from the U.S. Postal Service. As a result, we will include
all comments that we receive within a reasonable time frame in our
environmental analysis of this project. However, the Commission
encourages electronic filing of any comments or interventions or
protests to this proceeding. 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 Internet web site (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 the
``New User Account.''
In addition to accepting written comments, the Commission will hold
five public meetings at the times and locations shown below to receive
[[Page 22072]]
comments on this DEIS. Interested groups and individuals are encouraged
to attend the meetings and comment on the environmental impacts
described in the DEIS.
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Date and time Location Phone
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Tuesday, May 21, 2002 7 p.m..... Patrick Henry (276) 638-8777
Community College,
Theatre, 645
Patriot Avenue,
Martinsville, VA
24115.
Wednesday, May 22, 2002 7 p.m... Patrick County (276) 694-3917
Community Center,
Rotary Field
Memorial, Building
Gymnasium, 420
Woodland Drive,
Stuart, VA 24171.
Thursday, May 23, 2002 7 p.m.... Veterans of Foreign (276) 728-2911
Wars, Grover King
Post 1115, 701
West Stuart Drive,
Hillsville, VA
24343.
Wednesday, May 29, 2002 7 p.m... Mountain Arts (423) 886-1959
Community Center
Theater, 809
Kentucky Avenue.
Thursday, May 30, 2002 7 p.m.... Slater Community (423) 764-4023
Center Auditorium,
325 McDowell
Street, Bristol,
TN 37620.
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After comments have been reviewed, any significant new issues will
be investigated. When the DEIS has been modified as appropriate, the
staff will publish and distribute a Final Environmental Impact
Statement (FEIS). The FEIS will contain the staff's responses to timely
comments filed on the DEIS.
Comments will be considered by the Commission but will not serve to
make the commentor a party to the proceeding. Any person seeking to
become a party to the proceeding must file a Motion to Intervene
pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and
Procedures (see 18 CFR 385.214).
Anyone may intervene in this proceeding based on this DEIS. You
must file your request to intervene as specified above.\2\ You do not
need intervenor status to have your comments considered.
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\2\ Interventions also may be filed electronically via the
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing
comments electronically.
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All intervenors, agencies, elected officials, local governments,
special interest groups, Indian tribes, affected landowners, local
libraries, media, and anyone providing written comments on the DEIS
will receive a copy of the FEIS. If you do not wish to comment on the
DEIS but wish to receive a copy of the FEIS, you must write to the
Secretary of the Commission, indicating this request.
The DEIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC and is
available for distribution and public inspection at: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch,
888 First Street, NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 208-1371.
A limited number of copies are available from the Public Reference
and Files Maintenance Branch identified above. In addition, copies of
the DEIS have been mailed to Federal, state, and local government
agencies; elected officials, environmental and public interest groups;
affected landowners who requested a copy of the DEIS; Native American
tribes that might attach religious and cultural significance to
historic properties in the area of potential effect; local libraries
and newspapers; and the Commission's list of parties to this
proceeding. Members of the public who signed petitions but did not
request a copy of the DEIS were sent the Executive Summary. Additional
information about the proposed project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (202) 208-1088 or on the
FERC Internet 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 help line 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 with
regard to this docket, 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 help line can be reached at (202) 208-
2222.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 02-10857 Filed 5-1-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P