[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 7 (Friday, January 10, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1450-1452]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-465]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP03-13-000]


Northwest Pipeline Corporation; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment of the Proposed Clackamas Project and Request 
for Comments on Environmental Issues

January 3, 2003.
    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 Clackamas Project involving 
abandonment of facilities by Northwest Pipeline Corporation (Northwest) 
in Clackamas County, Oregon.\1\ These facilities would consist of 1.42 
miles of pipeline on its Camas to Eugene Lateral (Lateral) that would 
be abandoned. This EA 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\ Northwest's 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 produce an agreement, the pipeline 
company could initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with 
state law.

[[Page 1451]]

    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 Northwestprovided to landowners. 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 Web site 
(www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Northwest proposes to abandon in place and by removal 1.42 miles 
(7,500 feet) of its 16-inch-diameter Lateral from mileposts (MPs) 19.57 
to 20.99. part of this pipeline crosses the Clackamas River. River 
scour from high flood events has exposed part of the pipeline 
traversing the Clackamas River and poses a navigational hazard for 
recreational users. Northwest plans to take the this portion of the 
Lateral out of service. Service from the Lateral would be maintained by 
Northwest's use of a 20-inch-diameter loop that parallels the Lateral. 
Northwest seeks authority to:
    [sbull] Abandon in place a 5,850-foot-long segment of pipeline from 
MP 19.57 near the Southeast Portland Meter Station to MP 19.68 on the 
north bank of the north channel of the Clackamas River;
    [sbull] Abandon by removal a 370-foot-long segment of pipeline from 
MP 19.68 to MP 19.75 in the north channel of the Clackamas River. No 
disturbance of Northwest's parallel 20-inch-diameter loop is required;
    [sbull] Abandon in place a 1,267-foot-long segment of pipeline from 
MP 20.75 to MP 20.99 beginning at the northern edge of an island that 
separates the north and south channels of the Clackamas River, and 
ending just north of the Oregon City Compressor Station;
    [sbull] Construct and operate a temporary pig launching facility 
within the existing fenced-in yard of the Southeast Portland Meter 
Station, and a temporary pig receiving facility just north of the 
Oregon City Compressor Station.
    The segments of pipeline to be abandoned in place will be purged 
with nitrogen and capped. The location of the project facilities is 
shown in appendix 1, figures 1-3.\2\
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    \2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the 
Commission's Web site at the ``FERRIS'' link or from the 
Commission's Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 
First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 502-8371. For 
instructions on connecting to FERRIS 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

    Construction of the proposed facilities would require 13.9 acres of 
land, most of which would be temporary right-of-way. This land is 
comprised of residential property, riverine shoreline (river island), 
emergent and forested wetlands, and open water. No new permanent right-
of-way would be required, and all temporary right-of-way would be 
restored to previous condition. Northwest plans to retain and maintain 
as before its permanent right-of-way along all portions of the pipeline 
to be abandoned.

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 
\3\ to discover and address concerns the public may have about 
proposals. This process is referred to as ``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.
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    \3\ ''We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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    The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the 
construction and operation of the proposed project under these general 
headings:
    [sbull] Geology and soils;
    [sbull] Land use;
    [sbull] Water resources, fisheries,and wetlands
    [sbull] Cultural resources;
    [sbull] Vegetation and wildlife;
    [sbull] Air quality and noise;
    [sbull] Endangered and threatened species;
    [sbull] Public safety.
    We will 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 below.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Northwest. This preliminary 
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
    [sbull] Residential area in and around the Eiler's Circle access 
road and the SR 224 access road on the north side of the Clackamas 
River.
    [sbull] Suitable habitat for federally listed or proposed 
threatened and endangered species, including Coho salmon, Chinook 
salmon, steeled and cutthroat trout, may occur in the project area.
    [sbull] Temporary disturbance of 7.7 acres of wetlands and open 
water associated with the Clackamas River, including temporary 
construction of a dry-area structure in the north channel.

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 
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:
    1. Send an original and two copies of your letter to: Magalie R. 
Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., 
NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
    2. Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 2 
Branch.
    3. Reference Docket No. CP03-013-000.
    4. Mail your comments so that they will be received in Washington, 
DC on or before February 3, 2003.
    Please note that we are continuing to experience delays in mail 
deliveries from the U.S. Postal Service. As a result, we will include 
all comments that we

[[Page 1452]]

receive within a reasonable time frame in our environmental analysis of 
this project. However, the Commission strongly encourages electronic 
filing of any comments or interventions or protests to this proceeding. 
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 the 
link to the User's Guide. Before you can file comments you will need to 
create a free account which can be created by clicking on ``Login to 
File'' and then ``New User Account.''
    We may mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in receiving 
it, please return the Information Request (appendix 4). If you do not 
return the Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing list.

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 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 which would not be 
adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor 
status to have your environmental comments considered.

Environmental Mailing List

    This notice is being sent to individuals, organizations, and 
government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the 
proposed project. It is also being sent to all identified potential 
right-of-way grantors. By this notice we are also asking governmental 
agencies, especially those in appendix 3, to express their interest in 
becoming cooperating agencies for the preparation of the EA.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on the 
FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) using the FERRIS link. 
Click on the FERRIS link, enter the docket number excluding the last 
three digits in the Docket Number field. Be sure you have selected an 
appropriate date range. For assistance with FERRIS, the FERRIS helpline 
can be reached at 1-866-208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or at 
[email protected]. The FERRIS link on the FERC Internet Web 
site also provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by 
the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-465 Filed 1-9-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P