[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 43 (Thursday, March 4, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10220-10222]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-459]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PF04-6-000]
Questar Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for Questar's Proposed Southern System
Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
February 27, 2004.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of Questar Pipeline Company's
(Questar) proposed Southern System Expansion Project. This notice
announces the opening of the scoping process we \1\ will use to gather
input from the public and interested agencies on the project. Your
input will help us determine which issues need to be evaluated in the
EA. The Commission will use the EA in its decisionmaking process to
determine whether to authorize the project. Please note that the
scoping period will close on April 7, 2004.
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\1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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The FERC will be the lead Federal agency in the preparation of the
EA which will satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA). The Southern System Expansion Project is in the
preliminary design stage. At this time no formal application has been
filed with the FERC. For this project, the FERC staff is initiating its
NEPA review prior to receiving the application. The purpose of our NEPA
Pre-Filing Process is to involve interested stakeholders early in
project planning and to identify and resolve issues before an
application is filed with the FERC. A docket number (PF04-6-000) has
been established to place information filed by Questar, and related
documents issued by the Commission, into the public record.\2\ Once a
formal application is filed with
[[Page 10221]]
the FERC, a new docket number will be established.
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\2\ To view information in the docket, follow the instructions
for using the eLibrary link at the end of this notice.
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This notice is being sent to landowners; Federal, State, and local
government agencies; Indian tribes; elected officials; environmental
and public interest groups; 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. With this notice, we are asking Federal, State, and local
agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to
environmental issues to formally cooperate with us in the preparation
of the EA. Agencies that would like to request cooperating status
should send a letter describing the extent to which they want to be
involved. Follow the instructions for filing comments provided below.
Some affected landowners may be contacted by a project
representative about the acquisition of an easement to construct,
operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. If they are, the company
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if
the project is certificated by the Commission, that approval conveys
the right of eminent domain for securing easements for the pipeline.
Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the
company could initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with
State law.
Summary of the Proposed Project
Questar proposes to expand its natural gas system to add an
additional 102,000 dekatherms per day of firm transportation capacity.
More specifically, Questar requests Commission authorization to:
[sbull] Construct and operate approximately 18.4 miles of 24-inch-
diameter pipeline near the city of Price in Carbon County, Utah.
Approximately nine miles of the proposed pipeline would loop \3\
Questar's existing Main Line (M.L.) No. 40 and the remaining nine miles
would follow other existing utility rights-of-way;
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\3\ A pipeline ``loop'' is a segment of pipe installed adjacent
to an existing pipeline and connected to the existing pipeline at
both ends. A loop increases the amount of gas that can move through
that portion of the system.
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[sbull] Construct and operate two new compressor stations. The
Water Canyon Compressor Station, with approximately 9,400 nominal
horsepower (hp) of compression, would be constructed adjacent to
Questar's M.L. No. 40 in Duchesne County, Utah. The Thistle Creek
Compressor Station, with approximately 5,800 nominal hp of compression,
would be constructed adjacent to Questar's M.L. No. 41 in Utah County,
Utah; and
[sbull] Modifications within the existing fenced yards of Questar's
Oak Spring Compressor Station located in Carbon County, Utah and the
Greasewood Compressor Station located in Rio Blanco County, Colorado.
A map depicting the proposed pipeline route and compressor stations
is provided in appendix 1.\4\
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\4\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the
Commission's Internet Web site http://www.ferc.gov at the
``eLibrary'' link or from the Commission's Public Reference and
Files Maintenance Branch at 202.502.8371. For instructions on
connecting to eLibrary, refer to the end of this notice. Copies of
the appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in the
mail.
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Questar proposes to place the project in service by October 2005.
To achieve this in-service date, Questar intends to request approval to
begin construction of the pipeline facilities in May 2005.
The EA Process
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 issues and 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 and reasonable alternatives. By
this notice, we are requesting agency and public comments on the scope
of the issues to be analyzed and presented in the EA. All scoping
comments received will be considered during the preparation of the EA.
To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the
instructions in the public participation section of this notice.
Our independent analysis of the issues will be included in an EA.
The EA will be mailed to Federal, State, and local government agencies;
Indian tribes; elected officials; environmental and public interest
groups; affected landowners; other interested parties; local libraries
and newspapers; and the Commission's official service list for this
proceeding. Depending on the response to this notice and the nature of
issues raised during the review process, a 30-day comment period may be
allotted for review of the EA. We will consider all comments on the EA
before we make our recommendations to the Commission.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. You should focus on the
potential environmental effects of the proposal, reasonable
alternatives (including alternative compressor station sites and
pipeline routes), and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact.
The more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. By
becoming a commentor, your concerns will be addressed in the EA and
considered by the Commission. To ensure that your comments are timely
and properly recorded, please mail your comments so that they will be
received in Washington, DC on or before April 7, 2004, and carefully
follow these instructions:
[sbull] 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;
[sbull] Label one copy of your comments for the attention of Gas
Branch 3, DG2E; and
[sbull] Reference Docket No. PF04-6-000 on the original and both
copies.
Please note that we are continuing to experience delays in mail
deliveries from the U.S. Postal Service. Therefore, the Commission
encourages electronic filing of comments. See 18 CFR
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Internet
Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the ``e-Filing'' link and the
link to the User's Guide. Prepare your submission in the same manner as
you would if filing on paper and save it to a file on your hard drive.
Before you can file comments you will need to create a free account by
clicking on ``Login to File'' and then ``New User Account.'' You will
be asked to select the type of filing you are making. This filing is
considered a ``Comment on Filing.''
Intervention
When Questar files its application for authorization to construct
the proposed pipeline, the Commission will publish notice of the
application in the Federal Register and establish a deadline for
interested persons to intervene in the proceeding. Because the NEPA
Pre-Filing Process occurs before an application to begin a proceeding
is officially filed, petitions to intervene during this process are
premature and will not be accepted by the Commission. You do not need
intervenor status to have your environmental comments considered.
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Availability of 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
FERC Internet Web site (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 at 1-866-208-3676, TTY
(202) 502-8659, or at [email protected]. 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.
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural
Gas Facility on My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is also available
for viewing on the FERC Internet website. 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.
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 www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
Information about the project is also available from Questar.
Questar has established a single point of contact for the project. The
contact is Mr. David Ingleby, Supervisor, Property and Right-of-Way,
and can be reached by phone at 1-800-366-8532 or e-mail at
[email protected]. You may also access Questar's Southern
System Expansion Project Web site at www.questarssxp.com.
Linda Mitry,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. E4-459 Filed 3-3-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P