[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 76 (Wednesday, April 19, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21006-21007]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-9460]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[UT-070-99-5101-00; J-608; UTU-77149, UTU-77164, UTU-78301, FERC Doc. 
No. CP00-68-000]


San Juan County, New Mexico; La Plata, Montezuma, Dolores, and 
San Miguel Counties, Colorado; and San Juan, Grand, Emery, Carbon, 
Sanpete, Utah, Juab and Salt Lake Counties, Utah; EIS for a Refined 
Petroleum Products Pipeline, Natural Gas Pipelines and Utility Corridor 
Analysis and Plan Amendments

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Utah.

ACTION: Revised Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) (original notice was published April 28, 1999, (FR Vol. 
64, No. 83 p. 23349-23351) for the construction of underground pipeline 
facilities and above ground structures for the transportation of 
Refined Petroleum Products and Natural Gas and Notice of Scoping 
Meetings.

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SUMMARY: On April 28, 1999, the Bureau of Land Management, Utah, 
announced its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
and conduct EIS Scoping Meetings for: (1) Construction of Pipeline 
Facilities and Transportation of refined petroleum products via 
underground pipeline in San Juan County, New Mexico; La Plata, 
Montezuma, Dolores, and San Miguel Counties, Colorado; and San Juan, 
Grand, Emery, Carbon, Sanpete, Utah, Juab and Salt Lake Counties, Utah; 
and (2) Construction of Pipeline Facilities and Transportation of 
natural gas via an underground pipeline in Emery, Carbon, Sanpete, 
Utah, Juab, and Salt Lake Counties. This revised notice is to clarify 
the proposals, nature of the proposals, responsible officials, roles of 
responsible officials, and decisions. This revised notice also updates 
the project schedule and public involvement.
    Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) of 1969, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Utah State 
Office, will be the lead agency directing the preparation of an EIS on 
the impacts of proposed transportation of refined petroleum products 
and natural gas through pipelines located on public lands, including 
BLM and National Forest System, State, and private lands in northwest 
New Mexico, southwest Colorado, and southeast to north-central Utah. In 
addition, the EIS will also analyze utility corridors across the Manti-
LaSal and Uinta National Forests to identify the use and allocate 
National Forest System Lands which may or may not expand the existing 
designated corridors and/or identify other corridors. This analysis may 
result in Forest Plan amendments to the Manti-LaSal and Uinta National 
Forest Land and Resource Management Plans. The Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission (FERC) and USDA Forest Service, Manti-LaSal and 
Uinta National Forests, will be participating in the EIS preparation as 
Cooperating Agencies in accordance with Title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations, Section 1501.6. The EIS will address all reasonable 
alternatives including locating the pipelines on and off USFS and 
public lands.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Williams Pipeline Company has proposed to 
transport refined petroleum products to the Wasatch Front in Utah, 
using a combination of existing pipelines in New Mexico and Colorado, 
and a new segment of pipeline in Utah from near Crescent Junction, Utah 
to a terminal on the Wasatch Front. The refined petroleum products 
would include diesel fuel, fuel oil, jet fuel, and gasoline. In 
addition to the Williams proposal, Questar Pipeline Company (Questar) 
and Kern River Gas Transmission Company (Kern River) have proposals to 
transport natural gas from Price, Utah to the Wasatch Front and connect 
to an existing Kern River pipeline located in central Juab county and 
western Utah county. Questar has proposed to loop it's existing 
pipeline from Price to Payson, provide natural-gas service to the 
communities of Goshen, Genola, and Elberta, and connect to the existing 
Kern River Pipeline near Elberta. Kern River has proposed to construct 
a new pipeline from Price to near Indianola, then to a point just north 
of Nephi, and then westerly to intersect the existing Kern River 
Pipeline in Dog Valley.

Preliminary Issues

    Issues identified at this time include: biology; visual resources; 
soils, water, and air resources and quality; threatened, endangered and 
sensitive plant and animal species; cultural and historic resources; 
public health and safety; geologic and land stability; roadless areas; 
multiple entries resulting in repetitive impacts and the ability to 
meet use demands; capacity of the utility corridor; and social and 
economic impacts in association with oil and natural gas pipeline 
construction and operation. Other issues and concerns may be identified 
through

[[Page 21007]]

scoping and development of this public notification process.

Possible Alternatives

    The EIS will analyze the Proposed Action and No-Action Alternative 
as well as corridor capacity. Other alternatives may include different 
routes for portions of the proposed pipelines, fewer but larger 
pipelines in the corridor, and optional sites for pipeline facilities, 
as well as mitigating measures to minimize impacts.

Responsible Officials

    The Responsible Officials are: Sally Wisely, the BLM Utah State 
Director (Utah State Office, 324 South State Street, Suite 301, Salt 
Lake City, Utah 84111; the Manti-LaSal National Forest Supervisor 
(Manti-LaSal National Forest, 599 West Price River Drive, Price, Utah 
84501); and Peter W. Karp, the Uinta National Forest Supervisor (Uinta 
National Forest, 88 West 100 North, Provo, Utah 84601). Additional 
information about the natural gas pipeline proposals is available from 
Paul McKee of the FERC's Office of External Affairs at (202) 208-1088 
(refer to Docket No. CP00-68-000).

Decisions to be Made

    The purpose of the EIS is to disclose to the public and permitting 
agencies the environmental impacts of constructing and operating the 
proposed projects. If one or more of the projects are approved, the 
participating agencies would take the following actions. The BLM, as 
the lead agency, would sign the necessary Record of Decision (ROD) for 
the issuance of right-of-way grants under the Mineral Leasing Act for 
the pipeline proposals. FERC, as a Cooperating Agency and the 
regulatory agency for the transmission of natural gas in interstate 
commerce, would issue the natural gas pipeline companies Certificates 
of Public Convenience and Necessity under the Natural Gas Act. The 
Forest Service, as a cooperating agency, would sign the necessary 
Record(s) of Decision for the Forest Land and Resource Management Plan 
Amendments (may include standards and guidelines) on the Manti-LaSal 
and Uinta National Forests. The USFS ROD would also include the use and 
allocation of National Forest System Lands which may or may not expand 
the existing designated utility corridor(s) and/or identify other 
corridor(s).

Tentative Project Schedule

    The tentative project schedule is as follows:
     Begin Public Comment Period--April 1999.
     Scoping Meetings--May and June 1999, May 10, 11, 2000.
     Scoping Comment Period Ends--May 17, 2000.
     File Draft EIS--October 1, 2000.
     File Final EIS--February 2001.
     Record of Decision--March, 2001.

Public Scoping Meetings

    Nine public scoping meetings were held on the following dates and 
in the following locations: May 18, 1999, Green River, Utah, May 19, 
1999, Moab, Utah, May 20, 1999, Price, Utah, May 25, 1999, Salt Lake 
City, Utah, May 26, 1999, Payson, Utah, May 27, 1999, Lehi, Utah, June 
2, 1999, Dolores, Colorado, June 3, 1999, Durango, Colorado, and June 
23, 1999, Price, Utah. Additional public scoping meetings will be held 
in West Valley City, Utah, on May 10, 2000, and at Nephi, Utah on May 
11, 2000.

Public Input Requested

    Comments concerning the Proposed Action and EIS should address 
environmental issues to be considered, feasible alternatives to 
examine, possible mitigation, and information relevant to or bearing on 
the Proposed Action.

DATES: An additional comment period for scoping of the EIS will 
commence with publication of this revised notice. Written comments must 
be submitted on or before May 19, 2000.
    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents will 
be available for public review at the BLM Utah State Office and will be 
subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). They 
may be published as part of the EIS and other related documents. 
Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to 
withhold your name or street address from public review and disclosure 
under the FOIA, you must state this prominently at the beginning of 
your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent 
allowed by law. All submissions from organizations or businesses, will 
be made available for public inspection in their entirety.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to LaVerne Steah, EIS Team Leader, 
Bureau of Land Management, Utah State Office, 324 South State Street, 
Suite 301, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 or at the website: QWK-EIS.ORG.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: LaVerne Steah, (801) 539-4114 or e-
mail: [email protected]

    Dated: April 10, 2000.
Linda Colville,
Acting Utah State Director.
[FR Doc. 00-9460 Filed 4-18-00; 8:45 am]
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