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Millennium Pipeline L.L.C., Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation, Empire State Pipeline and Empire Pipeline, Inc., Algonquin Gas Transmission System, Iroquois Gas Transmission System; Notice of Availability of the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Northeast-07 Project
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: June 22, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 120)]
[Notices]
[Page 35889-35891]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22jn06-69]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket Nos. CP98-150-006, CP98-150-007, CP98-151-003, CP05-19-000,
CP06-5-000, CP06-6-000, CP06-7-000, CP06-76-000, and CP02-31-002]
Millennium Pipeline L.L.C., Columbia Gas Transmission
Corporation, Empire State Pipeline and Empire Pipeline, Inc., Algonquin
Gas Transmission System, Iroquois Gas Transmission System; Notice of
Availability of the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
for the Proposed Northeast-07 Project
June 15, 2006.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (DSEIS) on the natural gas pipeline facilities proposed for
the Northeast (NE)-07 Project in Genesee, Ontario, Yates, Schuyler,
Steuben, Chemung, Tioga, Broome, Delaware, Orange, Rockland, Putnam,
and Dutchess Counties, New York; Morris County, New Jersey; and
Fairfield and New Haven Counties, Connecticut, proposed by Millennium
Pipeline L.L.C. (Millennium), Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation
(Columbia), Empire State Pipeline and Empire Pipeline, Inc.
(collectively referred to as Empire), Algonquin Gas Transmission System
(Algonquin), and Iroquois Gas Transmission System (Iroquois) in the
above-referenced dockets.
The DSEIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The staff concludes that approval of
the proposed project with appropriate mitigating measures as
recommended, would have limited adverse environmental impact. The DSEIS
also evaluates alternatives to the proposal, including system
alternatives, alternative sites for compressor stations, and pipeline
alternatives.
The DSEIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the following natural gas pipeline
facilities:
Millennium Pipeline Project--Phase I
? Construction of about 181.7 miles of 30-inch-diameter
pipeline from Corning, New York, to Ramapo, New York, (from milepost [MP]
190.6 to MP 376.6), with four proposed route modifications within
this area;
? Acquisition from Columbia and continued use of about 7.1
miles of 24-inch-diameter Line A-5 pipeline from MP 340.5 to MP 347.7;
? Construction of the new Corning Compressor Station and
measuring and regulating (M&R) facilities at MP 190.6;
? Installation of upgrades to the Ramapo M&R station in
Ramapo, Rockland County, New York; and
? Construction of the Wagoner M&R station in Deer Park,
Orange County, New York, at MP 337.9.
Columbia would abandon certain facilities related to the Millennium
Pipeline Project--Phase I. Columbia proposes the following:
? Abandonment in place of about 4.5 miles of 10-inch-, 82.2
miles of 12-inch-, 0.2 mile of 16-inch-, and 2.5 miles of 20-inch-
diameter pipeline in Steuben, Chemung, Tioga, Broome, Orange, and
Delaware Counties, New York, designated as Line A-5;
? Abandonment by removal (Millennium would remove Columbia's
pipeline when it installs its pipeline via same ditch replacement) of
about 55.5 miles of 12-inch-, 16.6 miles of 10-inch-, and 8.8 miles of
8-inch-diameter pipeline in Delaware, Sullivan, Orange, and Rockland
Counties, New York, designated as Line A-5, and of the Walton Deposit
M&R station at MP 276.1 in Delaware County (Millennium would relocate
this facility at the landowner's request and to move it closer to Line
A-5);
? Abandonment by conveyance to Millennium of:
? About 3.1 miles of 10- and 12-inch-diameter pipeline in
Steuben County, New York, designated as Line 10325;
? About 0.4 mile of 10-inch-diameter pipeline in Broome County,
New York, designated as Line 10356;
? About 52.5 miles of 10-, 12-, and 24-inch-diameter pipeline
in Steuben, Chemung, Broome, and Orange Counties, New York, designated
as Line A-5;
? About 2.6 miles of 6-inch-diameter pipeline in Tioga County,
New York, designated as Line AD-31;
? About 0.1 mile of 12-inch-diameter pipeline in Broome County,
New, York, designated as Line N;
? About 6.7 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline in Rockland
County, New York, designated as Line 10338;
? The following M&R stations in New York:
--Corning Natural Gas, MP 180.4, Steuben County;
--Cooper Planes, MP 182.1, Steuben County;
--M Account, MP 187.5, Steuben County;
--Corning Glass, MP 188.4, Steuben County;
--Spencer, MP 217.3, Tioga County;
--Catatonk, MP 228.2, Tioga County;
--Owego, MP 231.5, Tioga County;
--Union Center, MP 240.2, Broome County;
--Endicott, MP 241.7, Broome County;
--Westover, MP 245.7, Broome County;
--Willis Road, MP 248.1, Broome County;
--Port Dickinson, MP 250.8, Broome County;
--Kirkwood, MP 253.8, Broome County;
--Hancock, MP 285.6, Delaware County;
--Hartwood Club, MP 332.1, Sullivan County;
--Middletown, MP 347.7, Orange County;
--Huguenot, MP 3440.5, Orange County;
--Warwick, MP 359.3, Orange County;
--Greenwood Lake, MP 364.2, Orange County;
--Central Hudson/Tuxedo, MP367.9, Orange County;
--Sloatsburg, MP 373.3, Rockland County;
--Ramapo, MP 376.4, Rockland County; and
--Buena Vista, MP 383.3, Rockland County.
Millennium would replace the facilities Columbia would abandon in
place or by removal with its proposed project facilities, or it would
continue to use those it would acquire by conveyance.
Millennium proposes to construct Columbia's Line A-5 Replacement
Project as part of the Phase I Project.
Columbia Line A-5 Replacement Project
? Replacement of 8.8 miles of 8- and 16-inch-diameter
segments of Columbia's existing Line A-5 pipeline with larger 30-inch-
diameter pipeline in Orange and Rockland Counties, New York;
? Modification of three existing M&R stations (the Tuxedo,
Sloatsburg, and Ramapo M&R stations) on this segment of Line A-5 to
accommodate the larger diameter pipeline; and
? Abandonment in place of about 1.0 mile of the existing
Line A-5 pipeline.
Empire Connector Project
? Construction of about 78 miles of new 24-inch-diameter
pipeline and associated facilities in Ontario, Yates, Schuyler,
Chemung, and Steuben Counties, New York; and
? Construction of a new compressor station in Genesee
County, New York.
Algonquin Ramapo Expansion Project
? Replacement about 4.9 miles of existing 26-inch-diameter
pipeline with 42-inch-diameter pipeline in Rockland County, New York;
[[Page 35890]]
? Construction of miscellaneous pipeline modifications and
meter station modifications at several locations in Rockland County,
New York, and Fairfield County, Connecticut;
? Modifications to three existing compressor stations in
Rockland and Putnam Counties, New York, and Morris County, New Jersey;
and
? Construction of one new natural gas compressor station in
New Haven County, Connecticut.
Iroquois MarketAccess Project
? Reduction of the proposed size of the compressor to be constructed
in the Town of Brookfield, Connecticut, from 10,000 hp to 7,700 hp;
? Installation of natural gas cooling and related facilities
at the Brookfield Compressor Station; and
? Installation of gas cooling and related facilities at
Iroquois' existing compressor station in Town of Dover, Dutchess
County, New York.
FERC Comment Procedures
Any person wishing to comment on the DSEIS 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 an original and two copies of your comments to:
Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
? Reference.
? Docket Nos. CP98-150-006 et al. and CP98-151-003 et al. for
the Millennium Pipeline Project--Phase I;
? Docket No. CP05-19-000 for the Columbia Line A-5 Replacement
Project;
? Docket Nos. CP06-5-000, CP06-6-000, and CP06-7-000 for the
Empire Connector Project;
? Docket No. CP06-76-000 for the Algonquin Ramapo Expansion
Project; and
? Docket No. CP02-31-002 for the Iroquois MarketAccess Project.
? Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas
Branch 2, PJ11.2; and
? Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before July 31, 2006.
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 the project. However, the Commission strongly
encourages electronic filing of any comments or interventions to this
proceeding. 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 a free account which can be created online.
After these comments are reviewed, any significant new issues are
investigated, and modifications are made to the DSEIS, a final SEIS
will be published and distributed by the staff. The final SEIS will
contain the staff's responses to timely comments received on the DSEIS.
Comments will be considered by the Commission but will not serve to
make the commenter 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 (18 CFR 385.214).
Anyone may intervene in this proceeding based on this DSEIS. You
must file your request to intervene as specified above.\1\ You do not
need intervener status to have your comments considered.
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\1\ 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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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Review Comment Procedures
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) will use the notice of
availability (NOA) issued by the Commission for the DSEIS as a Public
Notice for the COE for the applications for permits under authority of
Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403) and
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344) for the NE-07
Project. The COE is soliciting comments from the public; Federal,
state, and local agencies and officials; Indian Tribes; and other
interested parties, in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of
this proposed activity.
If you wish to provide written comments on the proposed activity
pertaining to the jurisdiction of the COE, as described in this DSEIS,
please provide them to FERC in accordance with its procedures, as well
as to the COE within 30 days of the date of this notice, to: Margaret
Crawford, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--Buffalo District, Auburn Field
Office, 7413 County House Road, Auburn, New York 13021 (or by e-mail
to: Margaret.A.Crawford@usace.army.mil).
A lack of response will be interpreted by the COE as meaning that
there is no objection to the proposed project. Any comments received by
the COE will be considered by it to determine whether to issue, modify,
condition or deny a permit under its Section 10 and Section 404
authority for this proposal. To make this decision, comments will be
used to assess impacts on endangered species, historic properties,
water quality, general environmental effects, and the other public
interest factors. Comments also will be used in the preparation of the
final SEIS pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act. The COE
will use comments filed with it to determine the need for the COE to
hold a public hearing, and to determine the overall public interest of
the proposed activity.
Please note that questions pertaining to the work within the
jurisdiction of the COE as described in the DSEIS may be directed to
one of the following respective points of contact:
? For the Empire Connector Project (DA Proc. No. LRB-2005-
00146) and Millennium Pipeline Project--Phase 1 (DA Proc. No. LRB-2005-
02043): Margaret Crawford, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--Buffalo
District, Auburn Field Office, 7413 County House Road, Auburn, New York
13021, (315) 255-8090.
? For the Millennium Pipeline Project--Phase 1 (DA Proc. No.
NAN-2005-00138); Columbia Line A-5 Replacement Project, Algonquin
Ramapo Expansion Project (DA Proc. No. NAN-2006-00056); or Iroquois
Market Access Project, Dover Compressor Station (DA Proc. No. NAN-2006-
00232): Heidi Firstencel, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--New York
District, Albany Field Office, 1 Bond Street, Troy, New York 12180,
(518) 273-8593.
? For the Algonquin Ramapo Expansion Project, Oxford
Compressor Station and Brookfield, Connecticut facilities (DA Proc. No.
NAE-2006-1516) and Iroquois Market Access, Brookfield Compressor
Station (DA Proc. No. NAE-2006-850): Cori Rose, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers--New England District, 696 Virginia Road, Concord,
Massachusetts 017420-2751, (978) 318-8306.
Any person may request, in writing, within the 30-day comment
period, that the COE hold a public hearing to consider the application.
Requests for public hearings shall state, with particularity, the
reasons for holding a public hearing.
The COE's decision whether to issue a permit will be based on an
evaluation
[[Page 35891]]
of the probable impact, including cumulative impacts, of the proposed
activity on the public interest. That decision will reflect the
national concern for both protection and utilization of important
resources. The benefit which reasonably may be expected to accrue from
the proposal must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable
detriments. All factors which may be relevant to the proposal will be
considered including the cumulative effects thereof; among those are
conservation, economics, aesthetics, general environmental concerns,
wetlands, historic properties, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards,
floodplain values, land use, navigation, shoreline erosion and
accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality,
energy needs, safety, food and fiber production, mineral needs,
considerations of property ownership and, in general, the needs and
welfare of the people.
Additional Information
The DSEIS 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 Room, 888 First Street, NE.,
Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
A limited number of copies are available from the Public Reference
Room identified above. In addition, copies of the DSEIS have been
mailed to Federal, state, and local agencies; public interest groups;
individuals and affected landowners who requested a copy of the DSEIS;
libraries; newspapers; and parties to this proceeding.
Additional information about the project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on the
FERC Internet Web site (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 with eLibrary, the eLibrary helpline can be reached toll
free at 1-866-208-3676, for TTY at (202) 502-8659, or at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. The eLibrary link on the FERC Internet Web
site 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 the eSubscription link on the FERC Internet Web site.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-9804 Filed 6-21-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P