[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 17 (Monday, January 27, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3890-3891]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-1828]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP97-93-000]


Viking Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Intent to Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Viking 1997 Expansion Project 
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

January 21, 1997.
    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, about 29.4 miles of 24-inch diameter loop, 23,500 
horsepower (hp) of compression, and a meter station, proposed in the 
Viking 1997 Expansion Project.\1\ This EA will be used by the 
Commission in its decisionmaking process to determine whether an 
environmental impact statement is necessary and whether to approve the 
project.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Viking 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Viking Gas Transmission Company (Viking) wants to expand the 
capacity of its facilities in Minnesota to transport an additional 
61,300 dekatherms per day of natural gas to various customers including 
a municipal utility, a local distribution company, marketers, and other 
end users. Viking seeks authority to construct and operate the 
following facilities in Minnesota:
     9.1 miles of loop in Kittson County;
     11.9 miles of loop in Polk County;
     7.1 miles of loop in Norman and Clay Counties;
     The Perham Meter Station in Otter Tail County;
     Piping and valves at various existing facilities;
     Crossover assemblies at the end of each new loop;
     4,700 horsepower (hp) of compression at each of the 
following existing compressor stations:

--Angus Compressor Station in Polk County;
--Ada Compressor Station in Norman County;
--Frazee Compressor Station in Otter Tail County;
--Staples Compressor Station in Todd County; and
--Milaca Compressor Station in Mille Lacs County

    The location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.\2\ 
If you are interested in obtaining detailed maps of a specific portion 
of the project, or procedural information, contact the Project Manager 
identified at the end of this notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the loops would require about 355 acres of land, 
including about 302 acres of existing right-of-way. No new permanent 
right-of-way would be required for this proposal. All construction at 
the compression stations would take place within the existing fenced 
yard. The new Perham Meter Station would require about 0.3 acre of 
land. Following construction, all areas would be restored and allowed 
to revert to their former use, except for the Perham Meter 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 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, official 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 Viking. This preliminary list 
of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     A total of 345.3 acres of agricultural land, of which 341 
acres contains prime farmland soils, would be disturbed by 
construction.
     The impact of noise on residences near the five compressor 
stations.

Public Participation

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

[[Page 3891]]

comments or concerns about the project. You should focus on the 
potential environmental effects of the proposal, alternatives to the 
proposal (including alternative locations/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. CP97-93-000;
     Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Laura Turner, 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 February 24, 1997.

If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one from 
Ms. Turner 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.

Docket No. CP97-93-000

    You do not need intervenor status to have your scoping comments 
considered.
    Additional procedural information about the proposed project is 
available from Ms. Laura Turner, Project Manager, at (202) 208-0916.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-1828 Filed 1-24-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M