[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 10 (Friday, January 15, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2637-2639]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-977]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP99-102-000]


Wyoming Interstate Company, Ltd.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Medicine Bow Lateral Project, 
Request for Comments on Environmental issues and Notice of Public 
Scoping Meetings and Site Visit

January 11, 1999.
    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 143 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline and about 
7,200 horsepower (hp) of compression, proposed in the Medicine Bow 
Lateral Project.\1\ This EA will be used by the Commission in its 
decision-making process to determine whether the environmental impact 
statement (EIS) is necessary and whether the project is in the public 
convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ Wyoming Interstate Company, Ltd.'s application was filed 
with the Commission on December 3, 1998 under Section 7 of the 
Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission's regulations.
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    The application 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. 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.
    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted 
by a pipeline company representative about the acquisition of an 
easement to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. 
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. A fact sheet addressing a number of typically asked 
questions, 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, 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.
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    Additionally, with this notice we are asking Federal agencies with 
jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to environmental 
issues to cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA. These 
agencies may choose to participate once they have evaluated the 
proposal relative to their agencies' responsibilities.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Wyoming Interstate Company, Ltd. (WIC) proposes to build new 
pipeline and compression facilities to increase the transportation 
capacity of its current system in Colorado and Wyoming. The new 
facilities would enable WIC to transport an additional 269 million 
cubic feet of natural gas per day from the Powder River Basin. 
Specifically, WIC seeks Commission authority to construct and operate 
the following facilities:
     143 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline extending from 
WIC's existing mainline in Weld County, Colorado, to Converse County, 
Wyoming, where it would interconnect with nonjurisdictional gathering 
facilities;
     A new compressor station in Converse County, Wyoming, 
which would consist of one turbine-driven, centrifugal compressor unit 
rated at either 6,937 or 7,200 hp (depending on the exact model finally 
chosen);
     Two new meter stations in Converse County, Wyoming; and
     A new check meter and side valve in Weld County, Colorado, 
at the interconnection with WIC's mainline, about 7.5 miles west of 
WIC's existing Cheyenne Compressor Station.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
3.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 1,953 
acres of land. Following construction, about 9 acres would be 
maintained as new aboveground facility sites, and 867 acres would be 
maintained as permanent right-of-way for the pipeline. The remaining 
1,077 acres of land would be restored and allowed to revert to its 
former use.

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 and whether an EIS is 
necessary. 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

[[Page 2638]]

proposed project under these general headings:
     Geology and soils
     Water resources, fisheries and wetlands
     Vegetation and wildlife
     Endangered and threatened
     Land use
     Cultural resources
     Air quality and noise
     Public safety
    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, 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 pages 4 and 5 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 proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by WIC. This preliminary list of 
issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     Twenty-five perennial streams between 10 and 100 feet 
wide, and 59 wetlands would be crossed.
     Five federally listed endangered or threatened species may 
occur in the proposed project area.
     Portions of the Oregon Trail, which is listed as a 
National Historic Landmark, would be crossed.
     About 5.2 miles of agricultural land would be crossed, 
which is mostly hay fields and pasture.
     About 25 miles of public land would be crossed, of which 
almost 8 miles is administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
    Also, WIC's proposes to interconnect in Converse County with the 
nonjurisdictional gathering facilities of Western Gas Resources, Inc. 
and Devon Energy Corporation. Although these facilities are not under 
the jurisdiction of the FERC, they will be discussed in the EA.

Public Participation and Scoping Meetings

    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, 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 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., NE., 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the 
Environmental Review and Compliance Branch, PR-11.1.
     Reference Docket No. CP99-102-000; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before February 12, 1999.
    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 WIC Medicine Bow Lateral 
Project
Tuesday, January 26, 1999, 7:00 pm--Douglas, Wyoming, Best Western 
Douglas Inn & Conference Center, 1450 Riverbend Dr., 307-358-9790
Wednesday, January 27, 1999, 7:00 pm--Wheatland, Wyoming, Platte County 
Fairgrounds, 4-H Building, 59 Antelope Gap Rd., 307-322-9504
    The public meetings are designed to provide you with more detailed 
information and another opportunity to offer your comments on the 
proposed project. WIC 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 EA. A 
transcript of each meeting will be made so that your comments will be 
accurately recorded.
    On January 27, 1999, we will also be conducting a limited site 
visit to the project area. The site visit will be an aerial inspection, 
by helicopter, of the proposed route and the currently identified 
alternative routes. If weather conditions preclude an overflight, we 
will attempt to conduct the inspection by automobile (locations to be 
determined). 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 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 2). Only intervenors have the 
right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
    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.
    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

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with access to CIPS, the CIPS helpline can be reached at (202) 208-
2474.
David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 99-977 Filed 1-14-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M