[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 206 (Friday, October 24, 1997)] [Notices] [Pages 55398-55399] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 97-28203] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. CP97-765-000] ANR Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for The Proposed Wisconsin Loop Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues October 20, 1997. The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will discuss the environmental impacts of constructing and operating about 11.4 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipeline loop proposed in the Wisconsin Loop Expansion Project.\1\ This EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\ ANR Pipeline Company's application was filed with the Commission under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission's regulations. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summary of the Proposed Project ANR Pipeline Company (ANR) wants to expand the capacity of its facilities in Wisconsin to transport an additional 116 million cubic feet per day of natural gas to shippers in the Chicago hub markets. ANR seeks authority to:Construct and operate 11.4 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipeline loop on its existing Wisconsin mainline in Waukesha County, Wisconsin; Relocate an existing pig receiver from ANR's existing mainline station No. 10 to a parcel of land adjacent to ANR's existing mainline station No. 12 in Waukesha County, Wisconsin; Construct a valve station at milepost 7.70 along the proposed 30-inch-diameter pipeline loop; and Construct a new meter station (Somers Meter Station) at milepost 13.14 along ANR's existing Racine lateral in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. The location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.\2\ If you are interested in obtaining procedural information, please write to the Secretary of the Commission. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \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, NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 208-1371. Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in the mail. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [[Page 55399]] Land Requirements for Construction ANR proposes to use a construction right-of-way width of 75 feet. ANR would construct about 1.2 miles of the loop adjacent to its existing 18-inch-diameter mainline and 20-inch-diameter loop, and the remaining 10.2 miles of pipeline would deviate from these existing facilities. Construction of the proposed pipeline loop facilities would require about 123.96 acres of land. Following construction, ANR would maintain about 54.02 acres as new aboveground facility sites. The remaining 69.94 acres of land would be restored and allowed to revert to its former use. In addition, constructing the proposed Somers Meter Station would permanently impact 0.52 acres of land and temporarily impact 0.26 acres of land; relocating the pig receiver would permanently require 0.19 acres of land and temporarily impact 0.04 acres of land; and constructing the proposed valve station would permanently require 0.2 acres of land. 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. 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 proposed project under these general headings: Geology and soils. Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands. Vegetation and wildlife. Public safety. Land use. Cultural resources. Endangered and threatened species. 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. Currently Identified Environmental Issues We have already identified two issues that we think deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the environmental information provided by ANR. This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis. The proposed pipeline right-of-way would cross about 1.2 miles of residential areas; a total of six residences are within 50 feet of the proposed construction work area. The proposed project would cross about 19,680 linear feet of wetlands, and temporarily impact about 34.80 acres of wetlands. Public Participation You can make a difference by sending a letter addressing your specific comments or concerns about the project. You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the proposal, alternatives to the proposal, 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: Send two copies of your letter to: Lois Cashell, 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 Environmental Review and Compliance Branch, PR-11.1; Reference Docket No. CP97-765-000; and Mail your comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before November 18, 1997. Becoming an Intervenor In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want to become an official party to the proceeding or become an ``intervenor''. 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 copies of its filings to all other parties. 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). The date for filing timely motions to intervene in this proceeding is October 20, 1997. Parties seeking to file late interventions must show good cause, as required by Sec. 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 comments considered. Lois D. Cashell, Secretary. [FR Doc. 97-28203 Filed 10-23-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717-01-M