[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 79 (Friday, April 24, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20420-20421]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11007]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
[CO-030-5101-00-YCKD; COC-51280]
Notice of Availability of the Final Supplement to the 1992 Final
Environmental Impact Statement for a TransColorado Gas Transmission
Project; Colorado and New Mexico
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, USDI, and Forest Service, Department
of Agriculture.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a final supplement to the Final 1992
Environmental Impact Statement TransColorado Gas Transmission Project;
Colorado and New Mexico.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM), as lead agency, and in cooperation
with the U. S. Forest Service (USFS) has prepared a Final Supplement
(Supplement) to the 1992 Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)
for the TransColorado Gas Transmission (TransColorado) Project on
federal lands in Colorado and New Mexico. TransColorado Gas
Transmission Company is the proponent.
Lands managed by the BLM in the Montrose, Craig, and Grand Junction
Districts in Colorado, and the Farmington District in New Mexico, and
[[Page 20421]]
the USFS in the Uncompahgre and San Juan National Forests, Colorado,
are crossed by the TransColorado pipeline project. The Supplement
addresses the environmental impacts of the construction, operation,
maintenance, and ultimate abandonment of known proposed route changes
and minor realignments (less than 100 ft.) of the approved pipeline and
right-of-way (ROW) grant COC-51280, and the impacts of the proposed
construction and use of known additional temporary work areas adjacent
to the approved ROW or proposed ROW route changes or minor
realignments. The Supplement also addresses the impacts of the
construction of minor realignments and the construction and use of
relocated or additional temporary work areas, in unspecified locations.
These unspecified temporary work areas and minor realignments are
addressed to accommodate conditions that might be encountered during
construction. Also addressed in the Supplement are proposed
modifications to several environmental protection measures contained in
the 1992 Right of Way (ROW) grant and Record of Decision (ROD).
The Supplement, and the 1992 TransColorado FEIS are available for
public review at the following BLM and USFS offices: BLM Grand Junction
District, BLM Montrose District (Montrose District Office, 2465 S.
Townsend Avenue, Montrose, Colorado 81401), Montrose District, Grand
Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests (2250 Highway 50,
Delta, Colorado 81416), San Juan National Forest and BLM San Juan
Resource Area (Federal Building, Room 102, 701 Camino Del Rio, Durango,
Colorado 81301), and BLM Farmington District (1235 N. LaPlata Hwy.,
Suite A, Farmington, New Mexico 87401). Public reading copies are
available at the federal depository libraries in Colorado and New
Mexico and public libraries within San Juan County, New Mexico, and La
Plata, Montezuma, Dolores, San Miguel, Montrose, Delta, Mesa, Garfield
and Rio Blanco Counties, Colorado, and at TransColorado Offices in Salt
Lake City and Montrose, CO.
DATES: The Final Supplement to the 1992 Final EIS will be available to
the public for 30-days starting April 24, 1998. After the 30-day
availability period, one Record of Decision (ROD) will be issued for
all federal lands.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill Bottomly (970) 240-5337, Ilyse
Auringer (970) 385-1341, or Steve Hemphill (970) 874-6633.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: After preparing Draft and Final
Environmental Impact Statements, the BLM and the USFS signed Records of
Decision on December 1, 1992 and issued a ROW grant and adjacent
Temporary Use Permit (TUP) for subsequent construction, operation and
maintenance of the 292 mile-long TransColorado Gas Transmission
pipeline from Meeker, Colorado to Bloomfield, New Mexico. Under the
authority of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (30 U.S.C. 185), as
amended by the Act of November 16, 1973 (37 Stat. 567), BLM issued a 50
foot-wide ROW grant on December 4, 1992, accompanied by a 25 foot-wide
TUP, excepting 1.7 miles near Grand Junction, Colorado. The FERC issued
TransColorado a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity on June
3, 1994. TransColorado completed the 22.5 mile Phase I of the project
in December, 1996. The proponent is now prepared to construct the
remainder of the pipeline during 1998.
Public participation has occurred throughout the preparation of the
Supplement. The Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare this Supplement to
the FEIS was published in the Federal Register on November 21, 1997.
``Open House'' forums were held from October 21 through December 10,
1997 at Norwood, Durango, Delta, Rangely, Dolores, and Grand Junction,
Colorado. Field trips to locations on the San Juan National Forest were
offered on November 15 and 22, 1997. The Draft Supplement was published
on January 23, 1998, and was available for public comments for a 60-day
period that closed on March 18, 1998. The BLM and USFS received 52
written comment letters and several oral comments at the public
meetings held on February 17, 18, and 19, 1998 in Durango, Dolores, and
Grand Junction, Colorado, respectively.
Dated: April 14, 1998.
Mark W. Stiles,
District Manager, Montrose District, Bureau of Land Management.
Dated: April 14, 1998.
Dale E. Trenda,
Range, Fire, and Timber Staff Officer, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and
Gunnison National Forests, Forest Service.
[FR Doc. 98-11007 Filed 4-23-98; 8:45 am]
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