[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 61 (Thursday, March 30, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16466-16467]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-7765]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-178-000]
Williams Natural Gas Co.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Wilson County Replacement
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
March 24, 1995.
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 proposed in the Wilson County Replacement Project.\1\
This EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process
to determine whether an environmental impact statement is necessary and
whether to approve the project.
\1\Williams Natural Gas Company's application was filed with the
Commission under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of
the Commission's regulations.
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Summary of the Proposed Project
Williams Natural Gas Company (Williams) wants to replace about
2,200 feet of 8-inch lateral pipeline with about 2,270 feet of 2-inch
and 6-inch lateral pipeline in Wilson County, Kansas. The replacement
would continue to provide service to the Neodesha, Kansas area.
Williams requests Commission authorization to construct and operate the
following facilities needed to continue service:
abandon in place 1,300 feet of 8-inch lateral pipeline;
abandon by removal 900 feet of 8-inch lateral pipeline;
construct 2,144 feet of 6-inch lateral pipeline; and
construct 130 feet of 2-inch lateral pipeline.
The general location of the project facilities and specific
locations for facilities on new sites are shown in 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, Room
3104, 941 North Capitol 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.
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Land Requirements for Construction
Construction for the proposed facilities would require about 3.45
acres of land. Following construction, about 2.3 acres would be
maintained as permanent right-of-way. The remaining 1.3 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. 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\3\
\3\According to the applicant, the project will not affect any
waters of the United States. We will report any potential impacts,
or their absence, under this heading.
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vegetation and wlidlife
endangered and threatened species
public safety
land use
cultural resources
air quality and noise
hazardous waste
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
recommend that the Commission approve or not approve the project.
Currently Identified Environmental Issues
One issue that has arisen based on a preliminary review of the
proposed facilities and the environmental information provided by
Williams concerns the location of a residential area near the proposed
pipeline. The proposed right-of-way has been routed to avoid impact to
residences, however several new landowners would be affected by the
location of the new pipeline right-of-way in Neodosha, Kansas.
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,
[[Page 16467]] 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 follow the
instructions below to ensure that your comments are received and
properly recorded:
Address your letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St., NE., Washington,
DC 20426.
Reference Docket No. CP95-130-000.
Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Amy Olson, EA Project
Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St.,
NE., Room 7312, Washington, DC 20426; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before May 1, 1995.
If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one
from Ms. Olson at the above address.
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 of 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 scoping comments considered.
Additional information about the proposed project is available from
Ms. Amy Olson, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1199.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-7765 Filed 3-29-95; 8:45 am]
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