[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 220 (Wednesday, November 14, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57067-57069]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-28463]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP02-11-000,CP02-12-000 andCP02-13-000]


Western Frontier Pipeline, L.L.C.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Western Frontier 
Pipeline Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and 
Notice of Public Scoping Meetomgs amd Site Visit

November 7, 2001.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that 
will discuss the environmental impacts of the Western Frontier 
Pipeline, L.L.C. (Western Frontier) Western Frontier Pipeline Project 
in Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma.\1\ These facilities would consist of 
about 409 miles of pipeline and 20,000 horsepower (hp) of compression. 
This EIS will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process 
to determine whether the project is in the public convenience and 
necessity.
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    \1\ Western Frontier Pipeline, L.L.C.'s application in Docket 
Nos. CP02-11-000, CP02-12-000 and CP02-13-000 was filed with the 
Commission under section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act.
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    If you are a landowner on Western Frontier's proposed route and 
receive 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 prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' was attached to the 
project notice Western Frontier provided to landowners along and 
adjacent to the proposed route. This fact sheet addresses a number of 
typically asked questions, including the use of eminent domain and how 
to participate in the Commission's proceedings. It is available for 
viewing on the FERC Internet website (www.ferc.gov).
    This notice is being sent to landowners of property crossed by and 
adjacent to Western Frontier's proposed route; Federal, state, and 
local agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest 
groups; and local libraries and newspapers. Additionally, with this 
notice we are asking those Federal, state, local and tribal agencies 
with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to 
environmental issues to cooperate with us in the preparation of the 
EIS. These agencies may choose to participate once they have evaluated 
the proposal relative to their agencies' responsibilities. Agencies who 
would like to request cooperating agency status should follow the 
instructions for filing comments described below.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Western Frontier proposes to build new natural gas pipeline and 
compression facilities to transport 540,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) 
of natural gas from the Cheyenne Hub in northwest Weld County, Colorado 
to growing markets in the mid-continent United States. Western Frontier 
requests Commission authorization, to construct, install, own, operate, 
and maintain the following facilities:
     About 398.5 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipeline in Weld, 
Adams, Arapahoe, Elbert, Lincoln, Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Prowers 
Counties, Colorado; Hamilton, Kearny, Grant, Haskell, and Seward 
Counties, Kansas; and Beaver County, Oklahoma (Western Frontier 
Pipeline);
     About 9.7 miles of 16-inch-diameter lateral pipeline in 
Adams, Colorado (Wattenberg Lateral);
     A total of about 0.8 mile of 30- and 16-inch-diameter 
pipelines in Weld County, Colorado to interconnect the Western Frontier 
Pipeline with the Wyoming Interstate Company, Ltd. and Colorado 
Interstate Gas Company;
     Nine meter/regulating stations including two stations in 
Weld County and one station in Adams County, Colorado, one station in 
Grant County and two stations in Seward County, Kansas, and three 
stations in Beaver County, Oklahoma;
     Two compressor stations Weld and Adams Counties, Colorado 
with 10,000 hp each; and
     Associated pipeline facilities, including 4 pig launchers, 
4 pig receivers, and 20 mainline block valves.
    The general location of Western Frontier's proposed project 
facilities is shown on the map attached as appendix 1.\2\
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    \2\ The appendices referenced in this notice ar enot being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the 
Commission's website at the ``RIMS'' link or from the Commission's 
Public Reference and files Maintenance Branch, 888 First Street, NE, 
Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, or call (2020)208-1371. For 
instructions on connecting to RIMS refer to the last page of this 
notice. Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving 
this notice in the mail.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Western Frontier would construct a total of about 409 miles of new 
pipeline of which about 289 miles would be in Colorado, 109 miles would 
be in Kansas, and 11 miles would be in Oklahoma. Construction of the 
Western Frontier Pipeline Project would require about 5,708 acres of 
land including extra workspace and aboveground facilities. Of this 
total, about 4,920 acres would be disturbed by construction of the 
pipeline right-of-way, 740 acres would be disturbed by extra workspace 
and contractor/pipe yards, and 48 acres would be disturbed by the 
aboveground facilities.
    Western Frontier proposes to generally use a 100-foot-wide 
construction right-of-way along the Western Frontier Pipeline and an 
80-foot-wide construction right-of-way along the Wattenberg Lateral. 
Smaller construction right-of-way widths would be used in wetlands. 
Following construction and restoration of the right-of-way and 
temporary work spaces, Western Frontier proposes to retain a 50-foot-
wide permanent pipeline right-of-way along both the Western Frontier 
Pipeline and the Wattenberg Lateral. Total land requirements for the 
permanent right-of-way would be about 2,474 acres with an additional 24 
acres required for the operation of the new or modified aboveground 
facilities.

The EIS 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 
\3\ 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 EIS on the important

[[Page 57068]]

environmental issues. By this Notice of Intent, the Commission requests 
public comments on the scope of the issues it will address in the EIS. 
All comments received are considered during the preparation of the EIS. 
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.
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    \3\ ``We'', ``us'', ``our'' refer to the environmental staff of 
the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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    Our independent analysis of the issues will be published in the 
draft EIS which will be mailed to Federal, state, and local agencies, 
public interest groups, affected landowners and other interested 
individuals, newspapers, libraries, and the Commission's official 
service list for this proceeding. A 45-day comment period will be 
allotted for review of and comment on the draft EIS. We will consider 
all comments on the draft EIS and revise the document, as necessary, 
before issuing a final EIS. The final EIS will include our response to 
each comment received on the draft EIS and will be used by the 
Commission in its decision-making process to determine whether to 
approve the project.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    The EIS will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the 
construction and operation of the proposed project. We have already 
identified a number of issues that we think deserve attention based on 
a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the environmental 
information provided by Western Frontier. These issues are listed 
below. This is a preliminary list of issues and may be changed based on 
your comments and our analysis.

 Geology and Soils
    --Impact on prime farmland soils.
    --Mixing of topsoil and subsoil during construction.
    --Compaction of soil by heavy equipment.
    --Erosion control and right-of-way restoration.
    --Potential geologic hazards, including subsidence.
 Water Resources and Wetlands
    --Potential effects on groundwater resources, including wellhead 
protection areas and private water supply wells.
    --Effects on 3 perennial waterbodies.
    --Crossing of 4 historic ditches/canals.
    --Effects on 9.7 acres of wetlands.
 Biological Resources
    --Short- and long-term effects of right-of-way clearing and 
maintenance on grasslands, wetlands, riparian areas, and vegetation 
communities of special concern.
    --Effects on wildlife and fishery habitats.
    --Potential impact on federally threatened species such as the 
Arkansas River shiner and Bald eagle and proposed federally threatened 
species such as the Mountain plover.
    --Potential impact on state-listed sensitive species.
 Cultural Resources
    --Effects on historic and prehistoric sites.
    --Native American concerns.
 Socioeconomics
    --Effects of the construction workforce on demands for services in 
surrounding areas.
 Land Use
    --Effects on crop production.
    --Potential impacts on residential areas.
    --Effects of construction on about 381.7 acres of Conservation 
Reserve Program land.
    --Effects on 279.9 acres of public lands.
    --Potential impacts on future land uses and consistency with local 
land use plans and zoning.
    --Visual effects of the aboveground facilities on surrounding 
areas.
 Air Quality and Noise
    --Construction impacts on local air quality and noise environment.
    --Impact on local air quality and noise environment as a result of 
operation of the compressor stations.
 Pipeline Reliability and Safety
    --Assessment of public safety factors associated with natural gas 
pipelines.
 Cumulative Impact
    --Effects of Western Frontier Project combined with that of other 
projects that have been or may be proposed in the same region and 
similar time frames.
 Alternatives
    --Assessment of alternative routes, systems or energy sources to 
lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.

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 EIS 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:
     If you mail your comments, please send an original and two 
copies of your letter to: David P. Boergers, Secretary, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 
20426.
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the 
Environmental Gas Branch I, PJ-11.1;
     Reference Docket Nos. CP02-11-000, CP02-12-000 and CP02-
13-000;
     Submit your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before December 10, 2001.
    Comments, protests and interventions may be filed electronically 
via the Internet in lieu of paper. See, 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and 
the instructions on the Commission's web site at 
http://www.ferc.gov under the ``e-Filing'' link and link to the User's 
Guide. Before you can file comments you will need to create an account 
which can be created by clicking on ``Login to File'' and then ``New 
User Account.''
    Everyone who responds to this notice or comments throughout the EIS 
process will be retained on our mailing list. If you do not want to 
send comments at this time but still want to remain on our mailing 
list, please return the Information Request (appendix 3). If you do not 
return the Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing list.
    Due to current events, we cannot guarantee that we will receive 
mail on a timely basis from the U.S. Postal Service, and we do not know 
how long this situation will continue. However, we continue to receive 
filings from private mail delivery services, including messenger 
services in a reliable manner. The Commission encourages electronic 
filing of any comments or interventions or protests to this proceeding. 
We will include all comments that we receive within a reasonable time 
frame in our environmental analysis of this project.

Public Scoping Meetings and Site Visit

    In addition to or in lieu of sending written comments, we invite 
you to attend the public scoping meetings that we will conduct in the 
project area. The locations and times for these meetings are listed 
below.

Schedule of Public Scoping Meetings for the Western Frontier Pipeline 
Project Environmental Impact Statement

November 27, 2001, 7:00 p.m.--Greeley, Colorado, Aims Community 
College,

[[Page 57069]]

Corporate Education Center, 5590 W. 11th Street, (970) 330-8008
November 27, 2001, 7:00 p.m.--Limon, Colorado, Limon Junior-Senior High 
School, Warren Mitchell Events Center, 874 F Avenue,(719) 775-2350
November 27, 2001, 7:00 p.m.--Ulysses, Kansas, Ulysses Middle School, 
Kepley Auditorium, 113 N. Colorado, (620) 356-3025
November 28, 2001, 7:00 p.m.--Aurora, Colorado, Community College of 
Aurora, Forum Building, 16000 E. Center Tech Parkway,(303) 360-4771
November 28, 2001, 7:00 p.m.--Lamar, Colorado, Lamar Community College, 
Bowman Building, 2401 S. Main Street, (719) 336-1525
November 28, 2001, 7:00 p.m.--Liberal, Kansas, Seward Community 
College, Humanities Building, 1801 N. Kansas, (800) 373-9951
    The public scoping meetings are designed to provide you with more 
detailed information and another opportunity to offer your comments on 
the proposed project. Western Frontier 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 draft EIS. A transcript of each meeting will be made so that 
your comments will be accurately recorded.
    On the dates of the meetings, we will also be conducting limited 
site visits to the project area. Anyone interested in participating in 
the site visit may contact the Commission's Office of External Affairs 
at (202) 208-1088 for more details. Participants must provide their own 
transportation.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EIS scoping process, you may want 
to become an official party to the proceeding or become 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).\4\ Only intervenors have 
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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    \4\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the 
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing 
comments electronically.
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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 this proceeding that would not be 
adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor 
status to have your environmental comments considered.

Availability of Additional Information

    Copies of this filing are on file with the Commission and are 
available for public inspection. This filing may also be viewed on the 
web at http://www.ferc.gov using the ``RIMS'' link, select ``Docket#'' 
and follow the instructions (call 202-208-2222 for assistance).
    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.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary. 
[FR Doc. 01-28463 Filed 11-13-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6117-01-P