[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 209 (Monday, October 30, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55254-55255]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-26784]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP95-700-000]


Williams Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Springfield Loop Project and 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

October 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 Springfield Loop 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 extend its 
Springfield loop line by constructing about 28.2 miles of 20-inch-
diameter pipeline in Newton, Lawrence, and Christian Counties, 
Missouri.
    Williams' wants to complete construction of this project prior to 
November 1, 1996.
    The general location of the project facilities is 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, NW., Washington, DC 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 of the proposed facilities would disturb about 342 
acres of land. Most of the proposed 100-foot-wide pipeline construction 
right-of-way (ROW) would overlap the ROW of Williams' existing 16-inch-
diameter pipeline ROW by 41 feet as the new pipeline would be installed 
with a 25-foot offset from the existing 16-inch-diameter pipeline. 
However, in order to avoid housing, landforms, and development, 
Williams would construct 13 segments totalling about 2.8 miles with an 
offset from the existing 16-inch-diameter pipeline that is greater than 
25 feet. About 216 acres of undisturbed land and 126 acres of 
previously disturbed land would be affected by construction of this 
project.

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
     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

    We have already identified issues that we think deserve attention 
based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the 
environmental information provided by Williams:
     The proposed project would require a 100-foot-wide ROW.
     The proposed project would cross one perennial stream that 
is greater than 100 feet in width.
     The Springfield Loop Project may affect about 12 wetlands 
in the project area.
    Keep in mind that these are preliminary issues. Issues may be 
added, subtracted, or changed based on your comments and our analysis.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by sending a letter addressing you 
specific 

[[Page 55255]]
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 you letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St., NE. Washington, DC 
20426;
     Reference Docket No. CP95-700-000;
     Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Jennifer Goggin, 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 November 24, 1995.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Ms. Goggin 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 timely motions to intervene has passed. Parties 
seeking to file later 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 later 
intervention. You do not need intervenor status to have your scoping 
comments considered.
    Additional information about the proposed project is available from 
Ms. Jennifer Goggin, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-2226.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-26784 Filed 10-27-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M