[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 132 (Tuesday, July 9, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36052-36053]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-17344]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP96-477-000]


K N Interstate Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Pony Express 
Pipeline Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

July 2, 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 Pony Express 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.
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    \1\ K N Interstate Gas Transmission 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

    K N Interstate Gas Transmission Company (KN) proposes to convert an 
existing crude oil pipeline owned by Amoco Pipeline Company (Amoco) to 
natural gas service. The oil pipeline crosses portions of five states 
and extends between Lost Cabin, Wyoming and Freeman, Missouri. Together 
with several smaller components, the project would have the capacity to 
transport natural gas with an energy content of up to 255 billion Btus 
per day from the Wind River Basin in central Wyoming and major gas 
producing areas of southwest Wyoming. It will also interconnect with or 
cross a number of other interstate gas transportation systems, 
including KN's existing system (8 locations), ANR Pipeline Company, 
Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, Northern Natural Gas Company, 
Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Company, Trailblazer Pipeline Company, and 
Williams Natural Gas Company.
    The proposed project would include the following components:
     Conversion of the 914-mile-long Amoco oil pipeline to 
natural gas service (of which an 804-mile-long segment would be 
acquired by KN);
     Construction of approximately 65 miles of 16-inch-diameter 
pipeline between Rockport (Weld County), Colorado and an 
interconnection with the converted Amoco pipeline near Kimball (Kimball 
County), Nebraska;
     Construction of approximately 7.6 miles of 12-inch-
diameter pipeline to reroute the converted Amoco pipeline around a 
portion of Casper, Wyoming;
     Construction of approximately 0.3 mile of 24-inch-diameter 
pipeline to reroute the converted Amoco pipeline around a congested 
area near Appanoose School (Franklin County), Kansas;
     Construction of approximately 1.6 miles of 20-inch-
diameter inlet and 1.6 miles of 20-inch-diameter outlet pipeline 
between the converted Amoco pipeline and KN's existing Casper 
Compressor Station (Natrona County), Wyoming;
     Construction/installation of 50,500 horsepower of 
compression at five compressor stations;
     Upgrade 58 miles of existing 12-inch-diameter pipeline 
extending from the Huntsman Compressor Station (Cheyenne County), 
Nebraska to the Weld County, Colorado interconnect;
     Construction of two interconnects in Natrona County, 
Wyoming consisting of two 2,000-foot-long sections of 12-inch-diameter 
pipeline; and construction of one interconnect in Madden, Wyoming 
consisting of 0.1 mile of 10-inch-diameter; and
     Upgrade 0.2 mile of 20-inch-diameter pipeline in Platt 
County, Wyoming.
     In addition, about 114 miles of 12-inch-diameter oil 
pipeline would be constructed for Amoco between Amoco's storage 
facilities in Casper, Wyoming to an interconnect with the existing 
Amoco pipeline system at Fort Laramie, Wyoming. This oil pipeline would 
be constructed by KN Energy, KN Interstate's non-jurisdictional parent 
company.
    The general location of the project facilities and specific 
locations for facilities on new sites are shown in appendix 1.\2\
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    \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 NE., 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 require about 717 
acres of land. Following construction, about 108 acres would be 
maintained as new aboveground facility sites and new permanent right-
of-way. The remaining 609 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.

[[Page 36053]]

    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 based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by KN. This preliminary list of 
issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     Nine federally listed endangered and threatened species 
and two candidate species may be present in the project area.
     Four perennial waterbodies would be crossed by the 
proposed facilities, including the North Platte River in Wyoming.
     The site of the proposed North Platte River crossing is 
adjacent to the Brookhurst Superfund site near Casper, Wyoming.
    Also, we have made a preliminary decision to not address the 
impacts of the nonjurisdictional KN Energy facilities discussed on page 
2. We will briefly describe their location and status in the EA.

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, DC 
20426;
     Reference Docket No. CP96-477-000;
     Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Elizabeth J. Secrest, 
EA Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First 
St., NE., PR-11.1, Washington, DC 20426; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC, on or before August 1, 1996.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Ms. Secrest 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 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. Elizabeth J. Secrest, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-0918.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-17344 Filed 7-8-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M