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Perryville Gas Storage LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Crowville Salt Dome Storage Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public Scoping Meeting and Site Visit

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[Federal Register: July 7, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 128)]
[Notices]
[Page 32151-32153]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr07jy09-49]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP09-418-000]

Perryville Gas Storage LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Crowville Salt Dome Storage
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of
Public Scoping Meeting and Site Visit

June 26, 2009.
    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 Crowville Salt Dome Storage
Project (Project) involving construction and operation of facilities by
Perryville Gas Storage LLC (Perryville) in Franklin and Richland
Parishes, Louisiana. This EA will be used by the Commission in its
decisionmaking process to determine whether the project is in the
public convenience and necessity.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process we 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 July 27, 2009.
    Comments may be submitted in written form or verbally. Further
details on how to submit written comments are provided in the public
participation section of this notice. In lieu of sending written
comments, we invite you to attend the public scoping meeting we have
scheduled as follows: FERC Public Scoping Meeting, Crowville Salt Dome
Storage Project, Tuesday, July 14, 2009, 7 p.m., Crockett Point Baptist
Church, 139 Crockett Point Church Road, Winnsboro, Louisiana 71295.
    Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend the
meeting and to present comments on the environmental issues they
believe should be addressed in the EA. A transcript of the meeting will
be generated so that your comments will be accurately recorded.
    In addition, on July 14, 2009, the FERC staff will conduct a public
site visit to view the proposed facility locations and pipeline route.
Examination will be by automobile and on foot. Representatives of
Perryville will be accompanying the FERC staff. All interested parties
may attend. Those planning to attend must provide their own
transportation and should meet at the Crockett Point Baptist Church at
1 p.m., at the address listed above. For additional information, you
may contact the Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208-
FERC (3372).
    This notice is being sent to affected landowners; Federal, State,
and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes;
parties to this proceeding; and local libraries and newspapers. State
and local government representatives are asked to notify their
constituents of this proposed 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 proposed 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 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 Perryville 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 also available for viewing on the FERC Web site (http://
www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Perryville requests authorization to construct, own and operate a
new natural gas storage facility in the Crowville Salt Dome, as well as
related facilities in Franklin and Richland Parishes, Louisiana. Upon
completion of the proposed facilities, the Project would provide a
total of 15 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas storage working
capacity in two salt caverns, with a maximum injection rate of up to
226 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) and a maximum withdrawal rate
of 600 MMcf/d.
    According to Perryville, its project would provide necessary gas
infrastructure, add new competitive storage facilities to the U.S.
natural gas market, and support further development of domestic gas
production in the Gulf Coast and Mid-Continent regions.
    The Crowville Gas Storage Project would consist of the following facilities:
    • Two 7.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) working gas capacity
natural gas storage caverns connected to 1000 feet of utility corridor
for an 8-inch-diameter freshwater pipeline, an 8-inch-diameter brine
pipeline, a 14-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline, and a permanent
access road;
    • 2.6 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline to deliver to
CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission Company and 11.8 miles of 36-inch-
diameter pipeline to deliver to Columbia Gulf Transmission;
    • One 9,500 horsepower compressor station facility and
multi-purpose buildings;
    • Leaching facilities with 0.8 mile of 20-inch-diameter
brine pipeline and 14-inch-diameter freshwater pipeline connecting to
three brine settling ponds;
    • Two 20-inch-diameter brine disposal pipelines (2.3 miles
and 0.9 mile) connecting to five brine disposal well pads; and
    • About ten access roads, a wareyard, and four freshwater supply wells.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.\1\
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    \1\ 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 Natural Gas Handling Facilities would disturb
about 39 acres, including land for the two storage caverns, the
compressor station, a 100-foot-wide utility corridor, leaching plant,
and 4 freshwater supply wells. The leaching facilities would disturb an
additional 30 acres of land for the brine disposal ponds and brine and
water pipelines. Construction of the brine disposal wells would disturb
a total of 12.7 acres (2.54 acres for each of 5 wells), while operation
of the brine disposal wells would be limited to a total of 1.4 acres
(0.28 acre per well).
    The first pipeline corridor would consist of 2.6 miles of a 150-
foot-wide corridor (for two pipelines), while the second corridor would
disturb an additional 9.2 miles of 125-foot-wide corridor. The total
acreage for construction of the pipelines would be about 188 acres.
Following construction, about 88.5 acres would be maintained for 75-
and 60-foot-wide permanent pipeline rights-of-way; the remaining
acreage would be restored and allowed to revert to former uses. About
10 miles of the proposed pipeline route parallels

[[Page 32152]]

an existing Columbia Gulf natural gas pipeline right-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 \2\ will discuss impacts that could occur as a result
of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these
general headings:
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    \2\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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    • Geology and soils;
    • Land use;
    • Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
    • Cultural resources;
    • Vegetation and wildlife;
    • Air quality and noise;
    • Endangered and threatened species;
    • Hazardous waste; and
    • 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 presented in the EA.
Depending on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA
may be published and mailed to those on our environmental mailing list
(see discussion of how to remain on our mailing list on page 6). 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.
    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.

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
written comments are timely and properly recorded, please send in your
comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before
July 27, 2009.
    For your convenience, there are three methods which you can use to
submit your written comments to the Commission. The Commission
encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert eFiling staff
available to assist you at 202-502-8258 or efiling@ferc.gov.
    (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 your comments with the Commission via mail by
sending an original and two copies of your letter to: Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE.,
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
    In all instances, please reference the project docket number CP09-
418-000 with your submission. Label one copy of the comments for the
attention of Gas Branch 2, PJ-11.2.

Environmental Mailing List

    An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals,
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially
affected by the proposed project. This includes all landowners 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 (as defined in the Commission's regulations).
    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 2). 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 ``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 Web site.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on the
Internet at 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. Be
sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance,
please contact FERC Online Support at FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or
toll free at 1-866-208-3676, 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 now 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.

[[Page 32153]]

    Finally, 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.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-15898 Filed 7-6-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P

 
 

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