[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