[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 237 (Monday, December 9, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64875-64876]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-31179]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP97-25-000]


Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Peak Day 2000 Expansion 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

December 3, 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 Peak Day 2000 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.
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    \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 Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Kansas to 
transport an additional 267,161 million cubic feet per day of natural 
gas to twenty-six of its customers. Northern seeks authority to 
construct and operate:

Phase I Facilities (1997)

     18.05 miles of 30-inch-diameter mainline loops in Hardin 
County, Iowa and Rice County, Minnesota;
     12.35 miles of 12-inch-diameter and 9.68 miles of 6-inch-
diameter branch line loops in Dakota, Scott, Wright, and Carver 
Counties, Minnesota and Dickinson County, Iowa;
     5.08 miles of 8-inch-diameter branch line replacement in 
Carver County, Minnesota;
     0.21 mile 6-mile 6-inch-diameter branch line tie-over in 
Jackson County, Iowa;
     two new compressor stations to provide about 11,634 
horsepower (hp) of compression, and modification of six existing 
compressor stations to provide an additional 16,368 hp of compression 
in various counties in Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska; and
     three new town border stations (TBS) and modification of 
31 existing TBS in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.

Phase II Facilities (1998)

     4.93 miles of 30-inch-diameter mainline loop in Washington 
County, Minnesota; and
     one new 13,037 hp compressor station Steele County, 
Minnesota.
    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, 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 677.45 
acres of land. Following construction, about 295.89 acres would be 
maintained as new permanent right-of-way or aboveground facility sites. 
The remaining 381.56 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 based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Northern.
     Seven federally listed endangered or threatened species 
could be present in the proposed project area;
     Five of the proposed loops cross residential areas; and
     A total of 6.3 acres of agricultural land, currently used 
for production, would be converted to industrial use.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by sending a letter to the Secretary of 
the Commission 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

[[Page 64876]]

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. CP97-25-000;
    Also, send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Amy Chang, EA Project 
Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., N.E., PR-
11.1, Washington, DC 20426; and
    Mail your comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC 
on or before January 9, 1997. If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, 
you should request one from Ms. Chang 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.
    If you are interested in obtaining detailed maps of a specific 
portion of this project, or procedural information, contact Ms. Amy 
Chang, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1199.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-31179 Filed 12-6-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M