Environmental statements; notice of intent: Wyoming Interstate Co., Ltd.,

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Federal Register: January 15, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 10)NoticesPage 2637-2639From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

DOCID:fr15ja99-57

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Docket No. CP99-102-000Wyoming Interstate Company, Ltd.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Medicine Bow Lateral Project, Request for Comments on Environmental issues and Notice of Public Scoping Meetings and Site Visit

January 11, 1999.

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 construction and operation of the facilities, about 143 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline and about 7,200 horsepower (hp) of compression, proposed in the Medicine Bow Lateral Project.\1\ This EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to determine whether the environmental impact statement (EIS) is necessary and whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity.

\1\ Wyoming Interstate Company, Ltd.'s application was filed with the Commission on December 3, 1998 under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission's regulations.

The application and other supplemental filings in this docket are available for viewing on the FERC Internet website (www.ferc.fed.us). Click on the ``RIMS'' link, select ``Docket #'' from the RIMS Menu, and follow the instructions. Similarly, the ``CIPS'' link on the FERC Internet website provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings. From the FERC Internet website, click on the ``CIPS'' link, select ``Docket #'' from the CIPS menu, and follow the instructions.

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 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 addressing a number of typically asked questions, including the use of eminent domain, is attached to this notice as appendix 1.\2\

\2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available from the Commission's Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, or call (202) 208-1371. Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in the mail.

Additionally, with this notice we are asking Federal agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to environmental issues to cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA. These agencies may choose to participate once they have evaluated the proposal relative to their agencies' responsibilities.

Summary of the Proposed Project

Wyoming Interstate Company, Ltd. (WIC) proposes to build new pipeline and compression facilities to increase the transportation capacity of its current system in Colorado and Wyoming. The new facilities would enable WIC to transport an additional 269 million cubic feet of natural gas per day from the Powder River Basin. Specifically, WIC seeks Commission authority to construct and operate the following facilities:

<bullet> 143 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline extending from WIC's existing mainline in Weld County, Colorado, to Converse County, Wyoming, where it would interconnect with nonjurisdictional gathering facilities;

<bullet> A new compressor station in Converse County, Wyoming, which would consist of one turbine-driven, centrifugal compressor unit rated at either 6,937 or 7,200 hp (depending on the exact model finally chosen);

<bullet> Two new meter stations in Converse County, Wyoming; and

<bullet> A new check meter and side valve in Weld County, Colorado, at the interconnection with WIC's mainline, about 7.5 miles west of WIC's existing Cheyenne Compressor Station.

The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 3.

Land Requirements for Construction

Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 1,953 acres of land. Following construction, about 9 acres would be maintained as new aboveground facility sites, and 867 acres would be maintained as permanent right-of-way for the pipeline. The remaining 1,077 acres of land would be restored and allowed to revert to its former use.

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. 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 and whether an EIS is necessary. 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.

The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation of the

[Page 2638]proposed project under these general headings:

<bullet> Geology and soils

<bullet> Water resources, fisheries and wetlands

<bullet> Vegetation and wildlife

<bullet> Endangered and threatened

<bullet> Land use

<bullet> Cultural resources

<bullet> Air quality and noise

<bullet> 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 on pages 4 and 5 of this notice.

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 WIC. This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.

<bullet> Twenty-five perennial streams between 10 and 100 feet wide, and 59 wetlands would be crossed.

<bullet> Five federally listed endangered or threatened species may occur in the proposed project area.

<bullet> Portions of the Oregon Trail, which is listed as a National Historic Landmark, would be crossed.

<bullet> About 5.2 miles of agricultural land would be crossed, which is mostly hay fields and pasture.

<bullet> About 25 miles of public land would be crossed, of which almost 8 miles is administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Also, WIC's proposes to interconnect in Converse County with the nonjurisdictional gathering facilities of Western Gas Resources, Inc. and Devon Energy Corporation. Although these facilities are not under the jurisdiction of the FERC, they will be discussed in the EA.

Public Participation and Scoping Meetings

You can make a difference by providing us with your specific comments or concerns about the project. 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:

<bullet> Send two copies of your letter to: David P. Boergers, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;

<bullet> Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the Environmental Review and Compliance Branch, PR-11.1.

<bullet> Reference Docket No. CP99-102-000; and

<bullet> Mail your comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before February 12, 1999.

In addition to or in lieu of sending written comments, we invite you to attend the public scoping meetings the FERC will conduct in the project area. The locations and times for these meetings are listed below. Schedule of Public Scoping Meetings for the WIC Medicine Bow Lateral Project Tuesday, January 26, 1999, 7:00 pm--Douglas, Wyoming, Best Western Douglas Inn & Conference Center, 1450 Riverbend Dr., 307-358-9790 Wednesday, January 27, 1999, 7:00 pm--Wheatland, Wyoming, Platte County Fairgrounds, 4-H Building, 59 Antelope Gap Rd., 307-322-9504

The public meetings are designed to provide you with more detailed information and another opportunity to offer your comments on the proposed project. WIC representatives will be present at the scoping meetings to describe their proposal. 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 EA. A transcript of each meeting will be made so that your comments will be accurately recorded.

On January 27, 1999, we will also be conducting a limited site visit to the project area. The site visit will be an aerial inspection, by helicopter, of the proposed route and the currently identified alternative routes. If weather conditions preclude an overflight, we will attempt to conduct the inspection by automobile (locations to be determined). Anyone interested in participating in the site visit may contact the Commission's Office of External Affairs identified at the end of this notice for more details and must provide their own transportation.

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). Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.

The date for filing timely motions to intervene in this proceeding has passed. Therefore, parties now seeking to file late interventions must show good cause, as required by section 385.214(b)(3), why this time limitation should be waived. Environmental issues have been viewed as good cause for late intervention.

You do not need intervenor status to have your environmental comments considered. Additional information about the proposed project is available from Mr. Paul McKee of the Commission's Office of External Affairs at (202) 208-1088 or on the FERC website (www.ferc.fed.us) using the ``RIMS'' link to information in this docket number. For assistance with access to RIMS, the RIMS helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2222. Access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission with regard to this docket, such as orders and notices, is also available on the FERC website using the ``CIPS'' link. For assistance

[Page 2639]with access to CIPS, the CIPS helpline can be reached at (202) 208- 2474. David P. Boergers, Secretary.

FR Doc. 99-977Filed1-14-99; 8:45 amBILLING CODE 6717-01-M

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