[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 13 (Wednesday, January 21, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3107-3109]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1336]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP98-131-000 and CP98-133-000]


Vector Pipeline L.P.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Vector Pipeline Project 
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public 
Scoping Meetings and Site Visit

January 14, 1998.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that 
will discuss the environmental impacts of the construction and 
operation of the facilities proposed in the Vector Pipeline Project.\1\ 
This EIS will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process 
to determine whether the project is in the public convenience and 
necessity.
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    \1\ Vector Pipeline L.P.'s applications in Docket Nos. CP98-131-
000 and CP98-133-000 were filed with the Commission under Section 3 
of the Natural Gas Act and part 153 of the Commission's regulations 
and under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the 
Commission's regulations, respectively.
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    Additionally, with this notice we are asking a number of Federal 
Agencies (see appendix 2) with jurisdiction and/or special expertise 
with respect to environmental issues to cooperate with us in the 
preparation of the EIS. These agencies may choose to participate once 
they have evaluated the proposal relative to their agencies' 
responsibilities.\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, Room 2A, 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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Summary of the Proposed Project

    Vector Pipeline L.P. (Vector) proposes to build new natural gas 
pipeline and compression facilities to transport 1.0 billion cubic feet 
per day of natural gas from Joliet, Illinois to St. Clair, Michigan. 
Accessing natural gas supplies from the Chicago area, the Vector 
Pipeline Project would deliver gas volumes within Michigan and to 
Vector Pipeline Limited Partnership (Vector Canada) at the U.S./Canada 
border facility.
    Vector requests Commission authorization, in Docket No. CP98-133-
000, to construct, lease, and operate the following facilities:
     Construct 265.9 miles of 42-inch diameter pipeline in 
Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan extending from Joliet, Illinois in Will 
County to Oakland County, Michigan (Segment 1). About 33 miles would be 
in Illinois, 67.7 miles would be in Indiana, and 165.2 miles would be 
in Michigan;
     Lease of 58.8 miles of an existing 36-inch-diameter 
pipeline in Michigan from Oakland County to St. Clair County (Segment 
2);
     Construct 3.7 miles of 42-inch-diameter pipeline in St. 
Clair County, Michigan terminating at the border of the United States 
(U.S.) and Canada near St. Clair, Michigan (Segment 3);
     Construct five new meter/regulating stations including two 
in Will County, Illinois, one in Livingston County, Michigan, one in 
Oakland County, Michigan, and one in St. Clair County, Michigan;
     Construct two compressor stations each with 30,000 
horsepower of compression in LaPorte County, Indiana, and Oakland 
County, Michigan; and
     Construct associated pipeline facilities, including 21 new 
mainline valves, 3 pig launchers, 2 pig receivers, and permanent access 
roads.
    The general location of Vector's proposed project facilities is 
shown in appendix 1. If you are interested in obtaining procedural 
information, please write to the Secretary of the Commission.
    In addition, Vector requests in Docket No. CP98-131-000 a 
Presidential Permit to construct, operate, and maintain facilities at 
the International Border between the U.S. and Canada near St. Clair, 
Michigan. Vector's pipeline would terminate at the point of 
interconnection with the Canadian facilities of Vector Canada.

Land Requirements for Construction

    The Vector Pipeline Project would include 58.8 miles of leased 
existing pipeline. Vector would construct about 253.4 miles (94 
percent) of the new pipeline parallel to various existing utility 
rights-of-way. Only 15.1 miles (6 percent) of the route would be 
constructed on newly created right-of-way that does not parallel 
existing rights-of-way. Where possible, Vector's right-of-way would 
overlap the existing rights-of-way as much as 50 feet during 
construction to minimize impacts. Vector's pipeline would deviate from 
the existing rights-of-way in selected locations to avoid impact on 
homes and existing utility structures (meter stations, etc.). The 
pipeline would also deviate from the existing rights-of-way in selected 
locations to improve waterbody crossings and for other environmental or 
engineering reasons.
    Construction of the Vector Pipeline Project would affect a total of 
about 3,581.9 acres of land including extra workspace and aboveground 
facilities. Of this total, about 3,268.1 acres would be disturbed by 
the construction rights-of-way, 270.9 acres would be disturbed by extra 
workspace, and 42.9 acres would be disturbed by the aboveground 
facilities and access roads. All these acreage figures are subject to 
change.
    Vector would generally use a right-of-way width of 100 feet for 
construction. The Vector Pipeline Project would also require extra 
temporary work areas for waterbody, highway, and railroad crossing; for 
additional topsoil storage; and for pipe storage and equipment yards. 
Following construction and restoration of the right-of-way and 
temporary work spaces, Vector would retain a 30- to 50-foot-wide 
permanent pipeline right-of-way depending on whether the pipeline is 
adjacent to other utilities or on new right-of-way. Total land 
requirements for the permanent right-of-way would be about 1,185.4 
acres. The project would also require an additional 22.1 acres for the 
operation of the new aboveground facilities and 0.9 acres for the 
operation of permanent access roads. Vector would restore the remaining 
2,373.5 acres of land affected by construction of the project and allow 
these areas to revert to their former use.

The EIS 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 EIS 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 EIS. All comments received 
are considered during the preparation of the EIS. State and local 
government representatives are encouraged to notify their constituents

[[Page 3108]]

of this proposed action and encourage them to comment on their areas of 
concern.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    The EIS will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the 
construction and operation of the proposed project. We have already 
identified a number of issues that we think deserve attention based on 
a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the environmental 
information provided by Vector. These issues are listed below. This is 
a preliminary list of issues and may be changed based on your comments 
and our analysis.

 Soils

--Temporary and permanent impacts on prime farmland soils.
--Mixing of topsoil and subsoil during construction.
--Compaction of soil by heavy equipment.
--Impacts on drain tiles and irrigation systems.
--Erosion control and right-of-way restoration.

 Water Resource

--Effect of construction on areas with shallow groundwater.
--Effect of construction on crossings of 92 perennial waterbodies, 
including 13 coldwater fisheries.
--Crossing of eight rivers 100 feet wide or greater.
--Crossing three rivers on the Nationwide Rivers Inventory List, 
including an international waterbody.
--Effect of construction in waterbodies with contaminated sediments.
--Potential for erosion and sediment transport to the waterbodies.
--Effect of construction on groundwater and surface water supplies.
--Impact on wetland hydrology.

 Biological Resources

--Short- and long-term effects of right-of-way clearing and maintenance 
on wetlands, forests, riparian areas, and vegetation communities of 
special concern.
--Effect on wildlife and fisheries habitats.
--Impact on federally endangered species such as the Indiana bat and on 
federally threatened species such as the northern copperbelly 
watersnake.

 Cultural Resources

--Effect on historic and prehistoric sites.
--Native American concerns.

 Socioeconomics

--Effect of the construction workforce on demands for services in 
surrounding areas.
--Impact on property values.

 Land Use

--Impact on crop production.
--Impact on residential areas.
--Effect on public lands and special use areas including waterbodies on 
the Nationwide Rivers Inventory, a national scenic trail, a state game 
area, a state recreation area, a forest preserve district, a county 
park, city/township private parks, church property, a golf course, a 
county airport, campgrounds, and racetracks.
--Impact on future land uses and consistency with local land use plans 
and zoning.
--Visual effect of the aboveground facilities on surrounding areas.

 Air Quality and Noise

--Effect on local air quality and noise environment as a result of 
construction.
--Effect on local air quality and noise environment as a result of 
operation of the compressor stations.

 Pipeline Reliability and Safety

 Cumulative Impact

--Identify other projects which have been or may be proposed in the 
same region and similar time frames.
--Identify potential upstream and downstream facilities.

    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 Draft EIS 
which will be mailed to Federal, state, and local agencies, public 
interest groups, affected landowners and other interested individuals, 
newspapers, libraries, and the Commission's official service list for 
this proceeding. A 45-day comment period will be allotted for review of 
the Draft EIS. We will consider all comments on the Draft EIS and 
revise the document, as necessary, before issuing a Final EIS. The 
Final EIS will include our response to each comment received on the 
Draft EIS and will be used by the Commission in its decision-making 
process to determine whether to approve the project.

Public Participation and Scoping Meetings

    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:
     Send two copies to: David P. Boergers, Acting Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Room 1A, 
Washington, D.C. 20426.
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the 
Environmental Review and Compliance Branch, PR-11.1;
     Reference Docket Nos. CP98-131-000 and CP98-133-000; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, D.C. on or before February 20, 1998.
    In addition to or in lieu of sending written comments, we invite 
you to attend the public scoping meetings the FERC will conduct in the 
project area. The locations and times for these meetings are listed 
below.

Schedule of Public Scoping Meetings for the Vector Pipeline Project 
Environmental Impact Statement

February 9, 1998
    7:00 pm--Crown Point, Indiana, Marion Education Center, St. 
Anthony's Hospital, 1201 S. Main Street, (219) 757-6398
February 10, 1998
    7:00 pm--Three Rivers, Michigan, Three Rivers Community Center, 103 
S. Douglas Avenue, (616) 278-8193
February 11, 1998
    7:00 pm--Leslie, Michigan, Leslie High School Auditorium, 4141 Hull 
Road, (517) 589-8277
February 12, 1998
    7:00 pm--Port Huron, Michigan, St. Claire Community College, 323 
Erie Street, (810) 984-3881

    The public meetings are designed to provide you with more detailed 
information and another opportunity to offer your comments on the 
proposed project. Vector representatives will be present at the scoping 
meetings to describe their proposal. Interested groups and individuals 
are encouraged to attend the meetings and to present comments on the 
environmental issues they believe should be addressed in the Draft EIS. 
A transcript of each meeting will be made so that your comments will be 
accurately recorded.
    On the dates of the meetings, we will also be conducting limited 
site visits to

[[Page 3109]]

the project area. Anyone interested in participating in the site visit 
may contact the Commission's Office of External Affairs identified at 
the end of this notice for more details and must provide their own 
transportation.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EIS 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 3).
    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 environmental comments considered.

Environmental Mailing List

    This notice is being sent to individuals, organizations, and 
government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the 
proposed project. It is also being sent to all identified potential 
right-of-way grantors. As details of the project become established, 
representatives of Vector may also separately contact landowners, 
communities, and public agencies concerning project matters, including 
acquisition of permits and rights-of-way.
    All commentors will be retained on our mailing list. If you do not 
want to send comments at this time but still want to keep informed and 
receive copies of the Draft and Final EIS, you must return the 
Information Request (appendix 4). If you do not send comments or return 
the Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing list.
    Additional information about the proposed project is available from 
Paul McKee in the Commission's Office of External Affairs at (202) 208-
1088.
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-1336 Filed 1-20-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M