[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 141 (Tuesday, July 23, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48172-48173]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-18534]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP01-176-000 and CP01-179-000]


Georgia Strait Crossing Pipeline LP; Notice of Availability of 
the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Georgia 
Strait Crossing Project

July 17, 2002.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a final environmental impact statement (EIS) 
on natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Georgia Strait Crossing 
Pipeline LP (GSX-US) in the above-referenced dockets.
    The final EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act. The staff concludes that approval of 
the proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures as 
recommended, would have limited adverse environmental impact. The final 
EIS also evaluates alternatives to the proposal, including system 
alternatives, route alternatives, and route variations.
    The final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following facilities in Whatcom and 
San Juan Counties, Washington:
     about 32.0 miles of 20-inch-diameter pipeline (onshore 
mainline pipeline) extending from the interconnect facilities at the 
international border between the United States and Canada near Sumas, 
Washington, across Whatcom County, to a new compressor station (Cherry 
Point Compressor Station) near Cherry Point, Washington;
     about 1.1 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline (onshore 
mainline pipeline) extending from the Cherry Point Compressor Station 
to the beginning of the marine portion of the pipeline at the edge of 
the Strait of Georgia;
     about 13.9 miles of 16-inch-diameter marine pipeline 
(offshore mainline pipeline) extending from the edge of the Strait of 
Georgia near Cherry Point, Washington to the international border 
between the United States and Canada at a point about midway between 
the west end of Patos Island (Washington) and the east end of Saturna 
Island (British Columbia) in Boundary Pass;
     interconnect facilities including a receipt point meter 
station, pig launcher, interconnect piping, and associated valves 
(Sumas Interconnect Facility) adjacent to an existing compressor 
station in Whatcom County, Washington;
     a new compressor station (Cherry Point Compressor Station) 
consisting of one 10,302-hp two-stage compressor unit, pig launcher/
receiver facilities, and associated valves near Cherry Point in Whatcom 
County, Washington;
     six mainline valves (MLV), one each at the Sumas 
Interconnect Facility and Cherry Point Compressor Station and four 
valves along the proposed pipeline route; and
     an onshore and an offshore tap valve.
    The purpose of the GSX-US project is to provide the United States 
portion of a natural gas transportation system to supply the growing 
demand for natural gas on Vancouver Island.
    The final EIS will be used in the regulatory decision-making 
process at the FERC. While the period for filing interventions in this 
case has expired, motions to intervene out-of-time can be filed with 
the FERC in accordance with the Commission's Rules and Practices and 
Procedures, 18 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 final EIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC and 
is available for public inspection at: Federal Regulatory Energy 
Commission, Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First 
Street, NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 208-1371.
    A limited number of copies of the final EIS are available from the 
Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch identified above. In 
addition, the final EIS was filed with the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, and has been mailed to Federal, state, and local 
agencies, elected officials, public interest groups, individuals, and 
affected landowners who requested a copy of the final EIS; public 
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 an 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 
the Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208-FERC (1-866-
208-3372) or on the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the ``RIMS'' 
link to information in the docket numbers. 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 Web site, 
click on the ``CIPS'' link, select ``DOCKET '' from the CIPS 
menu, and follow the instructions. For assistance with access

[[Page 48173]]

to CIPS, the CIPS helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2222.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 02-18534 Filed 7-22-02; 8:45 am]
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