[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 179 (Friday, September 15, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47941-47942]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-22971]



-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-606-001]


Western Gas Interstate Co.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Seaboard Pipeline Project and 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

September 11, 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 Seaboard Pipeline 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\ Western Gas Interstate 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

    Western Gas Interstate Company (Western) wants to install a new 
delivery point to transport up to 3,000 million British thermal units 
per day of natural gas to Seaboard Farms, Inc. in Texas County, 
Oklahoma. Western requests Commission authorization, in Docket No. 
CP95-606-000, to construct and operate the following facilities needed 
to transport those volumes:
     construct about 15.5 miles of 8-inch-diameter pipeline 
from the Buffalo Tap to Seaboard Farms;
     install a meter station consisting of a meter, filter, 
three regulators, and valves. This site would be a 20-foot by 80-foot-
fenced area following construction; and
     remove 7 miles of an existing 4-inch-diameter pipeline 
which would be replaced by the proposed 8-inch-diameter 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 NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call 
(202) 208-1371. Copies of the appendices were sent to all those 
receiving this notice in the mail.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 136 
acres of land. Following construction, about 47 acres would be 
maintained as new aboveground facility sites and right-of-way. The 
remaining 89 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 

[[Page 47942]]
of this proposed action and encourage them to comment on their areas of 
concern.
    The EA will discuss impacts (if applicable) 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Vegetation and wildlife.
     Land use.
     Cultural resources.
     Air quality and noise.
     Endangered and threatened species.
     Public safety.
     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

    Due to limited information concerning the proposed project, we are 
unable to determine which environmental issues should be evaluated in 
the EA. Therefore, all of the general headings listed above will be 
evaluated.

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 (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. CP95-606-000;
     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 October 11, 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 is October 10, 1995. Parties seeking to file interventions 
must show good cause, as required by section 385.214(b)(3). 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. 95-22971 Filed 9-14-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M