[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 67 (Friday, April 5, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15239-15240]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-8450]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket Nos. CP94-29-000, CP94-29-001 and CP94-29-002]


Paiute Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Paiute Pipeline Expansion II 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

April 1, 1996.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss environmental impacts of the construction and operation of 
facilities proposed in the Paiute Pipeline Expansion II 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 or not to approve the project. The U.S. Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM) and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the U.S. 
Forest Service (LTBMU) will be cooperating agencies in the preparation 
of the EA.

    \1\ Paiute Pipeline 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

    On October 18, 1994, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(FERC) or Commission) issued a Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft 
Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Paiute Expansion II Project in 
docket No. CP94-29-000. The purpose of the notice was to request 
comments on environmental issues.
    On March 4, 1996, Paiute Pipeline Company (Paiute) filed an 
amendment to its original application in Docket No. CP94-29-002 that 
represents a change in the scope of the Expansion II Project. From the 
standpoint of the environmental analysis the changes are:
     The deletion of four pipeline segments from the project, 
reducing the total miles of pipeline construction from 53.8 miles to 
19.8 miles:
     The deletion of all new compression requirements; and
     The changes in pipeline routing of the North Tahoe Loop.
    In its present application Paiute wants to expand the capacity of 
its facilities in Nevada to transport an additional 12,788 million 
cubic feet of gas to Southwest Gas Corporation-Northern Nevada and 
Southwest Gas Corporation-Northern California (collectively, known as 
Southwest Gas). To accomplish this, Paiute seeks authority to:
     Construct and operate the North Tahoe Loop consisting of 
11 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline in Washoe County and Carson City, 
Nevada;
     Construct and operate the Incline Village Loop consisting 
of 3.0 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline and 200 feet of 8-inch-
diameter pipeline in Washoe County, Nevada;
     Construct and operate the South Tahoe Loop consisting of 
5.8 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline in Douglas County, Nevada;
     Modify the California Check Meter and Wadsworth Pressure 
Limiting Station, both located in Washoe County, Nevada; and
     Relocate the South Tahoe Pressure Limiting Station located 
in Douglas County, Nevada.
    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 2A, 
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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    In connection with Paiute's proposal, Southwest Gas plans to 
construct about 18.5 miles of pipeline ranging from 6 to 12 inches in 
diameter along various parts of its existing pipeline system. The 
facilities would extend from the interconnection with Paiute's 
facilities at the Nevada-California border in Placer County, California 
to Truckee, California. Southwest Gas' project is under the 
jurisdiction of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and 
is subject to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality 
Act (CEQA). The CPUC completed its CEQA review of Southwest Gas' 
project and approved the project on April 26, 1995.
    We have made a decision to not address the impacts of the 
nonjurisdictional facilities planned by Southwest Gas because it would 
be

[[Page 15240]]
duplicative of the review conducted by the CPUC and the project has 
already been approved. However, we will briefly describe their location 
and status in the EA.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 101.3 
acres of land. Following construction, about 79.1 acres would be 
maintained as permanent right-of-way, 94 percent of which is Paiute's 
existing pipeline right-of-way. Only 4.4 acres would be new permanent 
right-of-way. The remaining 22.2 acres would be restored and allowed to 
revert to its former use. No land disturbance would be associated with 
the modification of either the California Check Meter or the Wadsworth 
Pressure Limiting Station.

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 EZ. 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.
     Endangered and threatened species.
     Water resources and fisheries.
     Vegetation and wildlife.
     Public safety.
     Air quality and noise.
     Wetland and riparian habitats.
     Land use and visual resources.
     Cultural resources.
    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. The EA 
will then be mailed to Federal, state, and local agencies, public 
interest groups, interested individuals, affected landowners, 
newspapers, libraries, and the Commission's official service list for 
these proceedings. 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 based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Paiute. Keep in mind that 
this is a preliminary list:
     Construction within or adjacent to roads could affect 
traffic flow and access to businesses and residences. Construction 
would occur within or adjacent to U.S. Route 50 for the North Tahoe 
Loop; U.S. Route 395, State Route 57, State Route 206 for the South 
Tahoe Loop; and Sugarpine Drive, Knotty Pine Drive, Silvertip Drive, 
Ponderosa Avenue, and State Route 28 for the Incline Village Loop.
     The North Tahoe loop would cross 3.4 miles of land managed 
by the BLM, including a 0.7-mile-long crossing of Centennial Park.
     The North Tahoe Loop would cross 1.0 mile of Washoe Lake 
Nevada State Park.
     The North Tahoe Loop would cross 0.4 mile of land managed 
by the U.S. Forest Service, Toiyabe National Forest.
     Seven perennial streams would be crossed and a total of 
0.2 acre of wetland would be affected.
     About 56 residences would be within 50 feet of the 
proposed construction rights-of-way.
    The list of issues may be added to, subtracted from, or changed 
based on your comments and our analysis.

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. You do not need to re-submit comments if you have 
already done so. 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 Street NE., Washington, DC 
20426;
     Reference Docket Nos. CP94-29-000 et al.;
     Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Lauren O'Donnell, EA 
Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street 
NE., PR-11.1, Washington, DC 20426; and
     Mail your comments so they will be received in Washington, 
DC on or before May 2, 1996.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Ms. O'Donnell 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 proceedings or 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). You do not 
need intervenor status to have your scoping comments considered.
    Additional information about the proposed project is available from 
Ms. Lauren O'Donnell, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-0325.
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-8450 Filed 4-4-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M