[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 246 (Wednesday, December 23, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71111-71112]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-33988]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP99-75-000]
Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed A-Line Abandonment Project
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
December 17, 1998.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the abandonment of four segments totaling about 51 miles of the
Northern Natural Gas Company (Northern) A-Line pipeline in Kansas,
Nebraska, Iowa, and Texas.\1\ The A-Line pipeline was constructed in
the 1930's. Because of the age and condition of the pipeline, Northern
has been forced to inactivate or reduce the operating pressure of most
of the segments proposed for abandonment. The application for this
project and other supplemental filings in this docket are available for
viewing on the FERC Internet website (www.ferc.fed.us). Click on the
``RIMS'' link, select ``Docket #'' from the RIMS Menu, and follow the
instructions.
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\1\ Northern'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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Similarly, the ``CIPS'' link on the FERC Internet website provides
access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such
as orders, notices, and rulemakings. From the FERC Internet website,
click on the ``CIPS'' link, select ``Docket #'' from the CIPS Menu, and
follow the instructions.
This EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-making
process to determine whether the project is in the public convenience
and necessity.
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted
by a pipeline company representative about the acquisition of
additional temporary easement to complete the pipeline removal. The
pipeline company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable
agreement. However, if the project is approved by the Commission, that
approval conveys with it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if
easement negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the pipeline
company could initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with
state law.
Because the proposed pipeline removal activities would involve some
of the same kinds of potential impacts normally associated with
pipeline construction, a fact sheet of questions typically asked about
pipeline construction, including the use of eminent domain, is attached
to this notice as 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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Summary of the Proposed Project
Northern requests authorization to:
(1) Abandon approximately 43.9 miles of 26-inch diameter A-Line
pipeline beginning at the Macksville Compressor Station in Pawnee
County, Kansas, and ending at the Bushton Compressor Station in Rice
County, Kansas;
(2) Use the Bushton and Macksville Compressor Station yards for
pipe storage and stockpile areas;
(3) Abandon approximately 5.0 miles of 24-inch-diameter A-Line
starting in Cass County, Nebraska and ending in Mills County, Iowa;
(4) Abandon approximately 2.4 miles of 20-inch-diameter A-Line in
Hancock County, Iowa; and
(5) Abandon approximately 92 feet of the 24-inch-diameter A-Line
under Highway 83 in Ochiltree County, Texas.
The majority of the abandoned pipeline would be removed. Sixty farm
taps currently occur along the A-Line. Thirty-five of these farm taps
would be abandoned and 25 would be relocated to Northern's parallel B,
C, D, or E pipelines. The location of the project facilities is shown
in appendix 2.
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction activities would affect about 728 acres of primarily
agricultural land and would use a 133-acre pipe storage and staging
area. Following construction, the construction right-of-way would be
restored and allowed to revert to its former use.
[[Page 71112]]
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
implementing the proposed project under these general headings:
Geology and soils.
Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands.
Vegetation and wildlife.
Endangered and threatened species.
Land use.
Cultural resources.
Public safety.
Hazardous waste.
Although practical alternatives to the abandonment are not
available to Northern, we will evaluate alternative abandonment
methods, such as abandonment in-place or abandonment by removal at
selected locations, and make recommendations on how to lessen or avoid
impacts on the various resources 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 make
our recommendations to the Commission.
To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the
instructions in the public participation section on page 4 of this
notice.
Currently Identified Environmental Issues
We have already identified several issues that we think deserve
attention based on a preliminary review of the abandonment proposal and
the environmental information provided by Northern. This preliminary
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
Would removal of the aerial crossings over the Arkansas
and Missouri Rivers impact wetlands, fish, and wildlife?
Would pipeline removal activities cause erosion,
compaction, and rutting on about 672 acres of agricultural land within
the construction right-of-way?
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission.
You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the proposal
and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. The more specific
your comments, the more useful they will be. Please carefully follow
these instructions to ensure that your comments are received in time
and properly recorded:
Send two copies of your letter to: David P. Boergers,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., N.E.,
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the
Environmental Review and Compliance Branch, PR-11.2.
Reference Docket No. CP99-75-000; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before January 18, 1999.
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want
to become an official party to the proceeding known as an
``intervenor''. Intervenors play a more formal role in the process.
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 14 copies of its filings to the
Secretary of the Commission and must send a copy of its filings to all
other parties on the Commission's service list for this proceeding. 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). Only intervenors have the
right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
You do not need intervenor status to have your environmental
comments considered. Additional information about the proposed project
is available from Mr. Paul Mckee of the Commission's Office of External
Affairs at (202) 208-1088 or on the FERC website (www.ferc.fed.us)
using the ``RIMS'' link to information in this docket number. For
assistance with access to RIMS, the RIMS helpline can be reached at
(202) 208-2222. Access to the texts of formal documents issued by the
Commission with regard to this docket, such as orders and notices, is
also available on the FERC website using the ``CIPS'' link. For
assistance with access to CIPS, the CIPS helpline can be reached at
(202) 208-2474.
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-33988 Filed 12-22-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M