[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 13 (Friday, January 19, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1374-1375]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-517]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP96-57-000]


Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 1996 Zone EF Expansion 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

January 11, 1996.
    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 1996 Zone EF Expansion 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\ Northern 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

    Northern Natural Gas Company (Northern) wants to expand the 
capacity of its facilities in Minnesota and Wisconsin to transport an 
additional 46,400 million British thermal units per day of natural gas 
to six local distribution companies. Northern seeks authority to:
     Abandon the 10,600-horsepower (hp) Owatonna Compressor 
Station in Steele County, Minnesota and construct and operate a new 
10,600-hp Faribault Compressor Station in Rice County, Minnesota;
     Extend its 30-inch-diameter ``C-line'' loop by about 2.24 
miles in Washington County, Minnesota;
     Increase the capacity of its Elk River system by extending 
the existing 20-inch-diameter Elk River branchline loop in two areas 
for a total of about 3.30 miles in Anoka County, Minnesota;
     Construct about 14.52 miles of 6-inch-diameter tie-over 
connecting the Paynesville and the Watkins branchlines in Stearns 
County, Minnesota;
     Install: (a) about 3.07 miles of 4-inch-diameter St. 
Michael branchline loop in Wright County, Minnesota; (b) about 5.01 
miles of 8-inch-diameter Princeton branchline loop in Mile Lacs and 
Sherburne Counties, Minnesota; and (c) about 1.96 miles of 4-inch-
diameter Monticello branchline loop in Wright County, Minnesota;
     Modify three meter stations in Anoka County, Minnesota and 
two meter stations in Wright County, Minnesota; and
     Modify a meter station in St. Croix County, Wisconsin and 
one meter station in Buffalo County, Wisconsin.
    The general location of the project facilities 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, 888 
First 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 of the proposed facilities would require about 306 
acres of land. Following construction, about 4 acres would be 
maintained as new above ground facility sites. The remaining 290 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
     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 several issues that we think deserve 
attention 

[[Page 1375]]
based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the 
environmental information provided by Northern. Keep in mind that this 
is a preliminary list. The list of issues may be added to, subtracted 
from, or changed based on your comments and our analysis. Issues are:
     The Rum River, a state designated wild and scenic river, 
would be crossed.
     The Sauk River and Mill Creek, protected waters of the 
State of Minnesota, would also be crossed.
     About 30.8 acres of wetlands and 25.7 acres of forest 
would be disturbed by construction.
     A 100-foot-wide construction right-of-way is proposed for 
the ``C-line'' Extension and Elk River Loop 2.

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, 888 First St., N.E., Washington, D.C. 
20426;
     Reference Docket No. CP96-57-000;
     Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Bob Kopka, EA Project 
Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 North Capitol St., 
N.E., PR-11.1, Washington, D.C. 20426; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, D.C. on or before February 12, 1996.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Mr. Kopka 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 or more detailed 
project maps are available from Mr. Bob Kopka, EA Project Manager, at 
(202) 208-0282.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-517 Filed 1-18-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M