[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 20 (Thursday, January 30, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4772-4774]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-2231]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP02-37-000]


Williston Basin Interstate Pipeline Company; Notice of 
Availability of and Public Comment Meetings on the Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Proposed Grasslands Project

January 24, 2003.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 
on the natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Williston Basin 
Interstate Pipeline Company (WBI) in the above referenced docket.
    The DEIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act. The staff concludes that approval of the 
proposed project, with the appropriate mitigating measures as 
recommended, would have limited adverse environmental impact. The DEIS 
also evaluates alternatives to the proposal, including system 
alternatives, major route alternatives, and route variations.
    The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM) is participating as a cooperating agency in the preparation of 
this DEIS because the project would cross Federal land under the 
jurisdiction of two field offices in Wyoming and Montana. The U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (USFS) is also a cooperating 
agency in the preparation of this document because the Little Missouri 
National Grasslands would be crossed by the project. The DEIS will be 
used by the BLM to consider issuance of a right-of-way grant for the 
portion of the project on all Federal lands.
    The DEIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following facilities:
    [sbull] Approximately 223 miles of new 16-inch-diameter pipeline 
from near Belle Creek, Montana, to the proposed

[[Page 4773]]

Manning Compressor Station in Dunn County, North Dakota;
    [sbull] Approximately 28 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline loop 
\1\ adjacent to WBI's existing Bitter Creek supply lateral pipeline in 
Wyoming;
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    \1\ A loop is a segment of pipeline that is usually installed 
adjacent to an existing pipeline and connected to it at both ends. 
The loop allows more gas to be moved through the system.
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    [sbull] Maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) upgrade on 
approximately 28 miles of existing 8-inch-diameter Bitter Creek supply 
lateral pipeline in Wyoming from 1,203 pounds per square inch gauge 
(psig) to 1,440 psig, and abandonment in-place of segments of existing 
pipe at three road crossings and replacement with heavier walled pipe;
    [sbull] MAOP upgrade on approximately 40 miles of existing 8-inch-
diameter Recluse-Belle Creek supply lateral pipeline in Wyoming and 
Montana from 1,203 psig to 1,440 psig, and abandonment in-place of 
segments of existing pipe at eight road crossings and replacement with 
heavier walled pipe;
    [sbull] 4,180 horsepower (hp) of gas fired compression (comprised 
of two 2,090 hp compressors) at one new compressor station located in 
Dunn County, North Dakota (Manning Compressor Station), and electric 
coolers installation at this station;
    [sbull] An additional transmission compressor unit (1,200 hp) at 
the existing Cabin Creek Compressor Station in Fallon County, Montana;
    [sbull] 0.9 mile of 12-inch-diameter pipeline from the proposed 
mainline to the existing Cabin Creek Compressor Station in Fallon 
County, Montana;
    [sbull] 1.0 mile of 16-inch-diameter pipeline from the proposed 
Manning Compressor Station to interconnect with Northern Border 
Pipeline Company's Compressor Station 5 in Dunn County, North Dakota; 
and
    [sbull] Various additional facilities, including 14 mainline 
valves, 4 cathodic protection units, 8 pig launchers/receivers, 5 
metering stations, and 2 regulators.
    The purpose of the proposed facilities would be to provide an 
additional outlet for the increased production of natural gas in the 
Powder River Basin, allowing transportation of about 80 million cubic 
feet per day of natural gas; provide access to WBI's storage facilities 
to shippers of gas produced in the Powder River Basin and elsewhere; 
and provide access to and from WBI's storage facilities to and from the 
facilities of Northern Border Pipeline Company for delivery to 
Midwestern and other national markets.

Comment Procedures and Public Meeting

    Any person wishing to comment on the DEIS may do so. To ensure 
consideration prior to a Commission decision on the proposal, it is 
important that we receive your comments before the date specified 
below. Please carefully follow these instructions to ensure that your 
comments are received in time and properly recorded:
    [sbull] Send an original and two copies of your comments to: 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE., 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
    [sbull] Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 1, PJ11.1;
    [sbull] Reference Docket No. CP02-37-000; and
    [sbull] Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before March 17, 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 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.''
    In addition to or in lieu of sending written comments, the FERC 
invites you to attend the public meetings the staff will conduct in the 
project area to receive comments on the DEIS. All meetings will begin 
at 7 p.m., and are scheduled as follows:

Date/Location

Monday, March 3, 2003--Travelodge Hotel, 532 15th St. W., Dickinson, 
North Dakota, (701) 483-5600
Tuesday, March 4, 2003--Fallon County Fairgrounds, Exhibit Hall, Baker, 
Montana, (406) 778-2451
Wednesday, March 5, 2003--Tower West Lodge, 109 N U.S. Highway 14/16, 
Gillette, Wyoming, (307) 686-2210

    Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend and 
present oral comments on the DEIS. Transcripts of the meetings will be 
prepared.
    After these comments are reviewed, any significant new issues are 
investigated, and modifications are made to the DEIS, a Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) will be published and distributed 
by the staff. The FEIS will contain the staff's responses to timely 
comments filed on the DEIS.
    Comments will be considered by the Commission but will not serve to 
make the commentor a party to the proceeding. Any person seeking to 
become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene 
pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedures (18 CFR 385.214).
    Anyone may intervene in this proceeding based on this DEIS. You 
must file your request to intervene as specified above.\2\ You do not 
need intervenor status to have your comments considered.
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    \2\ 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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    The DEIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC 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) 502-8371.
    A limited number of copies of the DEIS are available from the 
Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch identified above. In 
addition, copies of the DEIS have been mailed to Federal, state and 
local agencies, public interest groups, individuals who have requested 
the DEIS, newspapers, and parties to this proceeding.
    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.
    Information concerning the involvement of the BLM is available from 
Dalice Landers, Realty Specialist and Project Lead at (406) 233-2836. 
Information concerning the involvement of the USFS is available from 
Tina

[[Page 4774]]

Thornton, Realty Specialist and Project Lead at (701) 225-5151.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-2231 Filed 1-29-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P