CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Carthage to Perryville Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public Scoping Meetings

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that will address the environmental impacts of the Carthage to Perryville Project proposed by CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission (CEGT). The Commission will use the EIS in its decisionmaking process to determine whether or not to authorize the project. This notice explains the scoping process we will use to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the project. Your input will help us determine the issues that need to be evaluated in the EIS. Please note that the scoping period will close on February 10, 2006.

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 meetings we have scheduled as follows:

This notice is being sent to affected landowners; Federal, State, and local government agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native American tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. We encourage government representatives to notify their constituents of this planned 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 CEGT representative about the acquisition of an easement to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed project facilities. The pipeline company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if the project is approved by the FERC, 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?” is available for viewing on the FERC Internet Web site ( http://www.ferc.gov ). This fact sheet addresses a number of typically asked questions, including the use of eminent domain and how to participate in the FERC's proceedings.

Summary of the Proposed Project

CEGT proposes to construct, own, operate, and maintain a natural gas pipeline to provide new pipeline capacity to transport domestic onshore gas supplies from the Barnett Shale and Bossier Sand production areas in eastern Texas, as well as the Elm Grove and Vernon Field production areas in Louisiana. CEGT indicates that the proposed facilities would facilitate the transport of natural gas to the Midwest and Northeastern regions of the United States and help satisfy demand in those markets. The proposed pipeline would originate from receipt points near Carthage in Panola County, Texas, and extend to a terminus at interconnections with four existing interstate pipelines located within CEGT's Perryville Hub, near Delhi in Richland Parish, Louisiana. The general location of the proposed pipeline is shown in the figure included as Appendix 1.

The Carthage to Perryville Project facilities under FERC jurisdiction would include:

• 171.6 miles of 42-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline in Panola County, Texas, and Caddo, De Soto, Red River, Bienville, Jackson, Ouachita, and Richland Parishes, Louisiana;
• Two compressor stations, the Panola and Vernon Compressor Stations, located in Panola County, Texas, and Jackson Parish, Louisiana, respectively (phased construction with initially installed gas turbine-driven compression of 10,310 horsepower (hp) to be expanded to 20,620 hp at each station by October 2008);
• Two meter and regulator stations at receipt points with three intrastate pipelines, including:

—Energy Transfer Fuels Meter/Regulator Station in Panola County, Texas

—Duke Energy Field Services-Enbridge Meter/Regulator Station in Panola County, Texas;

• Four new meter and regulator stations at interconnects with existing interstate pipelines, including:

—Texas Gas Meter/Regulator Station in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana

—ANR Meter/Regulator Station in Richland Parish, Louisiana

—Trunkline Meter/Regulator Station in Richland Parish, Louisiana

—Columbia Gulf Meter/Regulator Station in Richland Parish, Louisiana; and

• 10 mainline valves.

The project would be designed and constructed to receive and transport about 1.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. CEGT proposes to have the project constructed and operational by February 2007.

Land Requirements for Construction

As proposed, the typical construction right-of-way for the project pipeline would be 100 feet wide. Following construction, CEGT would retain a 60-foot-wide permanent right-of-way for operation of the project. Additional, temporary extra workspaces beyond the typcial construction right-of-way limits would be required at certain feature crossings (e.g., roads, railroads, wetlands, or waterbodies), in areas with steep side slopes, or in association with special construction techniques.

Based on preliminary information, construction of the proposed project facilities would affect a total of about 2,398.4 acres of land. Following construction, about 1,247.9 acres would be maintained as permanent right-of-way, and about 56.8 acres of land would be maintained as new aboveground facility sites. The remaining 1,093.7 acres of temporary workspace (including all temporary construction rights-of-way, extra workspaces, and pipe storage and contractor yards) would be restored and allowed to revert to its former use.

The EIS Process

NEPA requires the Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could result from an action when it considers whether or not an interstate natural gas pipeline should be approved. The FERC will use the EIS to consider the environmental impact that could result if the CEGT project is authorized under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act. NEPA also requires us to discover and address concerns the public may have about proposals to be considered by the Commission. This process is referred to as “scoping.” The main goal of the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EIS on the important environmental issues. With this Notice of Intent, the Commission staff is requesting public comments on the scope of the issues to be addressed in the EIS. All comments received will be considered during preparation of the EIS.

In the EIS we 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;
• Wetlands and vegetation;
• Fish and wildlife;
• Threatened and endangered species;
• Land use, recreation, and visual resources;
• Air quality and noise;
• Cultural resources;
• Socioeconomics;
• Reliability and safety; and
• Cumulative impacts.

In the EIS, 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 affected resources.

Our independent analysis of the issues will be included in a draft EIS. The draft EIS will be mailed to Federal, State, and local government agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native American tribes; affected landowners; commentors; other interested parties; local libraries and newspapers; and the FERC's official service list for this proceeding. A 45-day comment period will be allotted for review of the draft EIS. We will consider all comments on the draft EIS and revise the document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS. We will consider all comments on the final EIS before we make our recommendations to the Commission. To ensure that your comments are considered, please follow the instructions in the Public Participation section of this notice.

Although no formal application has been filed, the FERC staff has already initiated its NEPA review under its NEPA Pre-filing Process. The purpose of the Pre-filing Process is to encourage the early involvement of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before an application is filed with the FERC.

With this notice, we are asking Federal, State, and local governmental agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to environmental issues, especially those identified in Appendix 2, to express their interest in becoming cooperating agencies for the preparation of the EIS. These agencies may choose to participate once they have evaluated the proposal relative to their responsibilities. Agencies that would like to request cooperating status should follow the instructions for filing comments provided in Appendix 2.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

The EIS will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation of the proposed project. We have already identified several issues that we think deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the project site and the facility information provided by CEGT. This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.

• Potential effects on prime farmland soils and soils with a high potential for compaction.
• Potential impacts to perennial and intermittent streams and waterbodies.
• Potential effects on waterbodies designated under Federal and/or State programs, including Saline Bayou and Black Lake Bayou.
• Evaluation of temporary and permanent impacts on wetlands and development of appropriate mitigation.
• Potential impacts to fish and wildlife habitat, including waterbird nesting areas along major river crossings.
• Potential effect on federally and State-listed species, including the red-cockaded woodpecker, bald eagle, pallid sturgeon, least tern, pine snake, and Louisiana black bear.
• Potential impacts to existing land uses, including agricultural and managed forested lands.
• Potential visual effects of the aboveground facilities on surrounding areas.
• Potential impacts and potential benefits of construction workforce on local housing, infrastructure, public services, and economy.
• Potential impacts to local air and noise quality associated with construction and operation.
• Assessment of potential cultural resources along the pipeline route.
• Native American and tribal concerns.
• Public safety and potential hazards associated with the transport of natural gas.
• Alternative alignments for the pipeline route and alternative sites for the compressor stations.
• Assessment of the effect of the proposed project when combined with other past, present, or reasonably foreseeable future actions in the project area.

Public Participation

You can make a difference by providing us with your specific comments or concerns about the proposed project. By becoming a commentor, your concerns will be addressed in the EIS and considered by the Commission. Your comments should focus on the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives (including alternative facility sites and pipeline routes), and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. The more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. To ensure that your comments are timely and properly recorded, please carefully follow these instructions:

• Send an original and two copies of your letter to: Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
• Label one copy of your comments for the attention of Gas Branch 3, DG2E.
• Reference Docket No. PF06-1-000 on the original and both copies.
• Mail your comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before February 10, 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 this project. However, the Commission strongly encourages electronic filing of any comments in response to this Notice of Intent. For information on electronically filing comments, please see 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, as well as information in 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii). Before you can submit comments you will need to create a free account, which can be created on-line.

The public scoping meetings (dates, times, and locations are listed above) are designed to provide another opportunity to offer comments on the proposed project. Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend the meetings and to present comments on the environmental issues they believe should be addressed in the EIS. A transcript of each meeting will be generated so that your comments will be accurately recorded.

Once CEGT formally files its application with the Commission, you may want to become an official party to the proceeding known as an “intervenor.” 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 a Commission 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. Please note that you may not request intervenor status at this time. You must wait until a formal application is filed with the Commission.

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 distances defined in the Commission's regulations of certain aboveground facilities.

If you received this notice, you are on the environmental mailing list for 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 removed from the Commission's environmental mailing list.

Availability of Additional Information

Additional information about the project is available from the Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC (3372) or on the FERC Internet Web site ( http://www.ferc.gov ) using the “eLibrary link.” Click on the eLibrary link, select “General Search” and enter the project docket number excluding the last three digits (i.e., PF06-1) 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 TTY, contact (202) 502-8659. 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 FERC now offers a free service called eSubscription that 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. To register for this service, go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm .

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.

Finally, CEGT has established an Internet Web site for this project at http://www.centerpointenergy.com/carthagetoperryville/ . The Web site includes a description of the project, a map of the proposed pipeline route, and answers to frequently asked questions. You can also request additional information or provide comments directly to CEGT at 1-888-641-8326 or carthagetoperryville@CenterPoint Energy.com.