[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 48 (Friday, March 12, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12295-12296]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-6095]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP99-138-000]
ANR Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Austin Storage Field Project
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
March 8, 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 ANR Pipeline Company's (ANR)
proposed Austin Storage Field project. The project would involve the
injection of approximately 2 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of nitrogen into
the existing Austin Storage Field in Mecosta and Newaygo Counties,
Michigan, to function as base gas.\1\ The nitrogen injection would
allow ANR to recover approximately 2 Bcf of the natural gas currently
serving as base gas. ANR would install skid-mounted facilities to
generate the nitrogen and then use compressor facilities for storage
field injection.
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\1\ ANR'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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This project would also involve a delineation of the Austin Storage
Field boundary (including the fringe area protective acreage) which may
have changed over the past 57 years of operation. 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. 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, 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
ANR proposes to inject approximately 2 Bcf of nitrogen into its
existing Austin Storage Field in Mecosta and Newaygo Counties,
Michigan, to function as base gas. This project would entail:
The placement of a 500 horsepower (hp) natural gas fueled
engine/compressor package approximately 750 feet east of ANR's Woolfolk
Compressor Station for the withdrawal of the natural gas; and
The clearing and regrading of a previously disturbed 200-
foot-square area adjacent to gas well #124 in the Austin Storage Field
for the placement of a nitrogen generator, three 700 hp air
compressors, and a 500 hp compressor for nitrogen injections.
All equipment would be temporary (skid-mounted) and would be
installed at an existing well location or along existing pipeline
right-of-way. The location of the project facilities is shown in
Appendix 2.
Land Requirements for Construction
The proposed activities would be performed within a 0.92 acre area
of the existing right-of-way.
[[Page 12296]]
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 the proposed action and encourage them to comment on their areas of
concern.
The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of
activities associated with the proposed project under these general
headings:
Geology and Soils.
Water Resources, Fisheries, and Wetlands.
Vegetation and Wildlife.
Endangered and Threatened Species.
Public Safety.
Land Use.
Cultural Resources.
Air Quality and Noise.
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 sections beginning 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 proposed facilities and
the environmental information provided by ANR. This preliminary list of
issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
Air and noise impacts associated with the temporary use of
air and gas compressors.
Delineation of the storage field's existing boundary
dimensions.
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, alternatives to the proposal (including alternative
locations), 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. CP99-138-000; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before April 7, 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.
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. 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 notice, 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.
David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 99-6095 Filed 3-11-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M