[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 47 (Thursday, March 9, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12542-12544]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-5547]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP00-82-000]


Williams Gas Pipelines Central, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare 
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Pleasant Hill Power Plant 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

March 2, 2000.
    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 Pleasant Hill Power Plant 
Project involving the construction and operation of natural gas 
transmission facilities by Williams Gas Pipelines Central, Inc. 
(Williams) in Franklin County, Kansas and Cass and Johnson Counties, 
Missouri.\1\ These proposed facilities would consist of about 1.5 miles 
of 24-inch-diameter pipeline and 2,890 horsepower (hp) of compression. 
This EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process 
to determine whether the

[[Page 12543]]

project is in the public convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ Williams' 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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    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 provide 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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Summary of the Proposed Project

    Williams wants to expand the capacity of its facilities in Kansas 
and Missouri to provide an additional 44,200 Dekatherms per day (Dth/d) 
of natural gas in the winter and an additional 88,200 Dth/d of natural 
gas in the summary to the UtiliCorp United, Inc. (Utilicorp) Pleasant 
Hill power plant in Cass County, Missouri; to various Utilicorp local 
distribution systems in western Missouri; and to U.S. Energy Services 
in Pettis County, Missouri. Williams seeks authority to:
     Construct and operate about 1.5 miles of 24-inch-diameter 
pipeline, check measurement, and regulation from Williams' Ottawa 
crossover to the Ottawa Compressor Station in Franklin County, Kansas;
     Upgrade two existing compressor units from 1,350-hp each 
to 2,000-hp each and add clean-burn technology at its existing Peculiar 
Compressor Station in Cass County, Missouri; and
     Install an additional 1,590-hp turbine compressor at its 
existing Peculiar Compressor Station in Cass County, Missouri.
    In addition, Williams requests Commission authorization to convert 
the regulatory authority of an 800-hp compressor unit at its existing 
Concordia Compressor Station in Johnson County, Missouri, from NGPA 
Section 311 to Part 284.
    The location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 2.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed pipeline would disturb about 13.6 
acres of land in Franklin County, Kansas. Following construction, about 
12.1 acres would be maintained as permanent right-of-way. This figure 
includes 5.0 acres of newly disturbed land and 7.1 acres of existing 
Williams' right-of-way. The remaining 1.5 acres of land would be 
restored and allowed to revert to its former use. An additional 4.9 
acres would be necessary for extra work space, which would be restored 
to its prior condition following construction. All construction at 
Williams' Peculiar Compressor Station in Cass County, Missouri would 
occur within the existing site.

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 the 
construction and operation of 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
     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 section beginning on page 4.

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 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. CP00-082-000; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before April 3, 2000.

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.

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    Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be 
granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they 
have a clear and direct interest in the proceeding which would not be 
adequately represented by any other parties. 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. Click on the ``RIMS'' link, 
select ``Docket #'' from the RIMS Menu, and follow the instructions. 
For assistance with access to RIMS, the RIMS helpline can be reached at 
(202) 208-2222.
    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. For assistance with access to CIPS, the CIPS 
helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2474.

David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-5547 Filed 3-8-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M