[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 145 (Thursday, July 27, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46162-46163]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-18966]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP99-163-000; CA Clearinghouse No. SCH99041103]


Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and California State Lands 
Commission: Questar Southern Trails Pipeline Company; Notice of 
Completion and Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement/Environmental Impact Report for the Proposed Southern Trails 
Pipeline Project

July 21, 2000.
    The staffs of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and 
the California State Lands Commission (CSLC) have completed work on a 
joint Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report 
(FEIS/R) on natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Questar 
Southern Trails Pipeline Company (QST) in the above-referenced docket.
    The FEIS/R was prepared as required by the National Environmental 
Policy Act and the California Environmental Policy Act. Its purpose is 
to inform the public and the permitting agencies about the potential 
adverse and beneficial environmental impacts of the proposed project 
and its alternatives, and recommend mitigation measures which would 
reduce any significant adverse impacts to the maximum extent possible 
and, where feasible, to a less-than-significant level. The staffs 
conclude that approval of the proposed project, with appropriate 
mitigating measures as recommended, would have limited adverse 
environmental impact.
    The Southern Trails Pipeline Project involves the conversion of an 
existing crude oil pipeline (known as the ARCO Four Corners Pipeline 
Line 90 System) to natural gas service, and the construction of new 
pipeline and seven compressor stations. The FEIS/R assesses the 
potential environmental effects of the conversion, construction, and 
operation of the following facilities in California, Arizona, Utah, and 
New Mexico:
     About 675 miles of existing pipeline to be converted from 
crude oil to natural gas service (592 miles of 16-inch, 80 miles of 12-
inch, and 3 miles of 22-inch-diameter pipeline);
     Five new pipeline extensions totaling about 43.2 miles;
     Four reroutes/realignments of the existing pipeline 
totaling about 9.3 miles;

[[Page 46163]]

     39 replacement segments of the existing pipeline totaling 
about 7.3 miles;
     240 excavation sites along existing pipeline totaling 5.1 
miles; and
     Seven new compressor stations (6 of which would be located 
on existing oil pump stations sites--3 sites in California; 2 sites in 
Arizona; 1 site in Utah; and 1 site in New Mexico).
    The proposed project would be capable of transporting up to 80 to 
90 million cubic feet per day of natural gas (MMcfd) to customers east 
of California and at least 120 MMcfd to customers in southern 
California.
    The FEIS/R will be used in the regulatory decision-making process 
at the FERC and CSLC, and may be presented as evidentiary material in 
formal hearings at the FERC and CSLC. While the period for filing 
interventions in these cases have expired, motions to intervene out of 
time can be filed with the FERC in accordance with the Commission's 
Rules and Practice and Procedures, 18 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 
385.214(d). Further, anyone desiring to file a protest with the FERC 
should do so in accordance with 18 CFR 385.211.
    The CSLC will consider certification of the FEIR and approval 
following FERC's action. California recipients of this document will 
receive separate notice for the CSLC meeting.
    The FEIS/R has been placed in the public files of the FERC and CSLC 
and is available for public inspection at:

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference and Files 
Maintenance Branch, 888 First Street, NE, Room 2A, Washington, DC 
20426, (202) 208-1371
California State Lands Commission, 100 Howe Avenue, Suite 100-South, 
Sacramento, CA 95825-8202, (916) 574-1889

    Copies also are available for reading at the following locations:

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                                                                                                           Zip
                 Library                            Address                          City                  code
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                                                   CALIFORNIA
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Canyon Hills Library....................  400 Scout Trail............  Anaheim.........................    92807
Euclid Branch Library...................  1340 S. Euclid St..........  Anaheim.........................    92804
Banning Public Library..................  21 W. Nicholet St..........  Banning.........................    92220
Beaumont District Library...............  125 E. 8th St..............  Beaumont........................    92223
Cabazon Library.........................  50171 Ramona Ave...........  Cabazon.........................    92230
Corona Library..........................  650 South Main.............  Corona..........................    91720
Cyress Library..........................  5331 Orange Ave............  Cypress.........................    90630
Joshua Tree Branch Library..............  6465 Park Blvd.............  Joshua Tree.....................    92252
Angelo M Iacaboni Library...............  4990 Clark Ave.............  Lakewood........................    90712
George Nye, Jr. Library.................  6600 Del Amo Blvd..........  Lakewood........................    90713
Dominguez Library.......................  2719 E. Carson St..........  Long Beach......................    90810
Taft Library............................  740 E. Taft Ave............  Orange..........................    92665
Yucca Valley Branch Library.............  57098 29 Palms Hwy.........  Yucca Valley....................    92284
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                                                     ARIZONA
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Mohave County Library...................  3269 N. Burbank............  Kingman.........................    86401
Kayenta Unified School #27..............  ...........................  Kayenta.........................    86033
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                                                      UTAH
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San Juan County Library.................  25 West 300 South..........  Blanding........................    84511
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                                                   NEW MEXICO
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Farmington Public Library...............  100 West Broadway..........  Farmington......................    87401
Bloomfield Public Library...............  333 South First............  Bloomfield......................    87413
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    A limited number of copies are available from the FERC's Public 
Reference and Files Maintenance Branch identified above. In addition, 
the FEIS/R has been mailed to Federal, state, and local agencies; 
public interest groups; individuals who have requested the FEIS/R; 
libraries; newspapers; and parties to this proceeding.
    In accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) 
regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, no 
agency decision on a proposed action may be made until 30 days after 
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publishes a notice of 
availability of the FEIS. However, the CEQ regulations provide an 
exception to this rule when an agency decision is subject to a formal 
internal appeal process which allows other agencies or the public to 
make their views known. In such cases, the agency decision may be made 
at the same time the notice of the FEIS is published, allowing both 
periods to run concurrently. The Commission decision for this proposed 
action is subject to a 30-day rehearing period.
    Additional information about the proposed project is available from 
Daniel Gorfain at the CSLC ((916) 574-1889)); Paul McKee in the FERC's 
Office of External Affairs ((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 help line can be 
reached at (202) 208-2222. Access to the texts of formal documents 
issued by the FERC 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 help line can be reached 
at (202) 208-2474.

Paul D. Thayer, Executive Officer, California State Lands 
Commission.

David P. Boergers.
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
[FR Doc. 00-18966 Filed 7-26-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M