[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 77 (Tuesday, April 22, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19806-19808]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-9894]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP03-57-000]


El Paso Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Bondad Expansion Project and 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

April 16, 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 a proposal by El Paso Natural Gas 
Company (El Paso) to replace certain facilities at its Bondad 
Compressor Station in La Plata County, Colorado.\1\ These facilities 
consist of the replacement of 3 gas-fired turbines with increased 
horsepower units, installation of a new boiler and modifications to 
related equipment at the facility. All work and modifications would 
take place within the existing facility and no additional land would be 
necessary. The 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\ El Paso'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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Summary of the Proposed Project

    El Paso proposes to replace certain compression facilities at its 
Bondad Compressor Station, located in Township 33 North, Range 9 West, 
La Plata County, Colorado. El Paso is seeking to replace 3 existing 
Solar

[[Page 19807]]

Centaur simple cycle gas turbine engines at the Bondad Compressor 
Station with a combined horsepower of 10,740 with two Solar Centaur 50-
T6100L simple cycle gas turbine engines and one Solar Centaur 50S-T6100 
simple cycle gas turbine engine, with appurtenances, which have a 
combined horsepower rating of 18,390 (ISO). The Solar Centaur 50S-T6100 
simple cycle gas turbine engine is equipped with air emission-lowering 
SoloNox technology. El Paso would also restage the 3 existing 
compressor units at the Bondad Compressor Station. The compressors 
would be disassembled and the single stage aerodynamic assembly of each 
compressor would be removed and exchanged with a two stage assembly.
    Minor modifications to the station skids, panel units, and inlet 
air systems would be required in order to accommodate the new turbines. 
Project activities would also include upgrading existing lube oil 
cooler units associated with each turbine to accommodate increased oil 
heat load and upgrading discharge aftergas cooling system. 
Additionally, El Paso would install a new 0.25 million British thermal 
units per hour natural gas-fired fuel heater and associated 
miscellaneous plant yard piping.
    All work would take place within the existing Bondad Compressor 
Station. No nonjurisdicitonal facilities are involved.

Land Requirements for Construction

    The project area encompasses a total of approximately 2.8 acres of 
land within the existing fenced area of the Bondad Compressor Station. 
This fenced area was previously disturbed by leveling, grading, and 
excavation associated with construction of the existing facilities. The 
project would not affect previously undisturbed areas and no access 
roads will be constructed to complete the proposed project.

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 the 
Commission 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.
    The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the 
proposed abandonment project under these general headings:

1. Soils
2. Cultural Resources
3. Air Quality and Noise
4. Public Safety

    We will not discuss impacts to the following resource areas since 
they are not present in the project area, or would not be affected by 
the proposed facilities:
    [sbull] Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands,
    [sbull] Vegetation and wildlife,
    [sbull] Geology,
    [sbull] Socioeconomics,
    [sbull] Hazardous waste & PCB contamination, and
    [sbull] Land use.
    We will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed 
project or portions of the project, and 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.

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, alternatives to 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:
    [sbull] 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.
    [sbull] Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 3.
    [sbull] Reference Docket No. CP03-57-000
    [sbull] Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before May 16, 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.''
    We might mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in 
receiving it, please return the Information Request (Appendix 3). If 
you do not return the Information Request, you will be taken off the 
mailing list.

Becoming an Intervener

    In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want 
to become an official party to the proceeding known as an 
``Intervener.'' Interveners play a more formal role in the process. 
Among other things, Interveners have the right to receive copies of 
case-related Commission documents and filings by other Interveners. 
Likewise, each Intervener 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 Intervener 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 1).\2\ Only Interveners have 
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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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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    Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be 
granted Intervener status upon showing good cause by stating that they 
have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding

[[Page 19808]]

which would not be adequately represented by any other parties. You do 
not need Intervener 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 residents adjacent to 
the proposed facilities. By this notice we are also asking governmental 
agencies, 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 the application and 
supplemental filings by El Paso, and formal documents issued by the 
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
    Please see directions for eSubscription (Appendix 2).

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-9894 Filed 4-21-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P