[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 200 (Thursday, October 16, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59606-59607]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E3-00051]



[[Page 59606]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF03-3-000]


Williston Basin Interstate Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Grasslands 
Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

October 8, 2003.
    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC or Commission) 
staff will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) on Williston Basin 
Interstate Pipeline Company's (Williston Basin) proposed Grasslands 
Expansion Project in Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota. This notice 
announces the opening of the scoping process we\1\ will use to gather 
input from the public and interested agencies on the project. Your 
input will help us determine which issues need to be addressed in the 
EA. Details on how to submit written comments are provided in the 
public participation section of this notice. Please note that the 
scoping period will close on November 24, 2003.
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    \1\ ``We'', ``us'' and ``our'', refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects.
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    We are sending this notice to potentially-affected landowners whose 
properties are within an approximate 1-mile radius of the project 
locations; Federal, state, and local government agencies; elected 
officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native American 
tribes; and local libraries and newspapers. We are asking state and 
local government representatives to notify their constituents of this 
planned action and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Williston Basin states that the Grasslands Expansion Project would 
allow transportation of an additional 120 million cubic feet per day 
(mmcf/d) to the Northern Border Pipeline on the Grasslands Pipeline. 
This would increase the capacity of the Grasslands Pipeline to 200 
mmcf/d. The Grasslands Pipeline (Docket Nos. CP02-37-000, 002, and 003) 
was originally designed to transport 80 mmcf/d.
    The project facilities include:
    [sbull] construction of up to three new compressor stations; one 
each in Campbell County, Wyoming; Carter County, Montana; and Golden 
Valley County, North Dakota; and
    [sbull] installation of additional compression at the existing 
Manning Compressor Station in Dunn County, North Dakota.
    Construction and operation of the planned compressor stations would 
require a total of about 30 acres. Construction at the existing Manning 
Compressor Station would occur on the existing site. A general location 
map of the project facilities is shown in Appendix 1.\2\
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    \2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of all appendices are 
available on the Commission's Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) at the 
``eLibrary'' link or from the Commission's Public Reference and 
Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 
20426, or call at (202) 502-8371. For instructions on connecting to 
eLibrary 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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    Williston Basin also plans to construct additional facilities in 
Fallon County, Montana that are associated with the Grasslands 
Expansion Project, but are not under the jurisdiction of the 
Commission. These non-jurisdictional facilities, which include a supply 
lateral, gathering lines, and well field compression, would help 
alleviate transmission constraints and provide needed capacity for 
future production increases out of the Baker Production Area.
    Williston Basin plans to construct this project in 2004, with the 
goal of placing it in-service by November 1, 2004, if the project is 
fully subscribed by the time they make application with the Commission 
(tentatively November 1, 2003). If not fully subscribed at the time of 
application, Williston Basin has stated that they may propose to phase 
its construction schedule of the various facilities over more than 1 
year.

The EA Process

    The Commission will be the lead Federal agency for this EA process 
which is being conducted to satisfy the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Commission will use the EA to 
consider the environmental impacts that could result if it issues 
Williston Basin a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for 
its proposed project.
    This notice formally announces our preparation of the EA and the 
beginning of the process referred to as ``scoping.'' We are soliciting 
input from the public and interested agencies to help us focus the 
analysis in the EA on the potentially significant environmental issues 
related to the proposed action. All comments received will be 
considered during the preparation of the EA which will include our 
independent analysis of the identified issues.
    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 timely comments on the EA before we 
make our recommendations to the Commission.
    Although Williston Basin has not filed a formal certificate 
application yet, we are initiating our review under the NEPA Pre-filing 
Process. The purpose of the FERC's NEPA Pre-filing Process is to: (1) 
Establish a framework for constructive discussion between the project 
proponents, potentially affected landowners, agencies, and the 
Commission staff; (2) encourage the early involvement of interested 
stakeholders to identify issues and study needs; and (3) attempt to 
resolve issues early, before an application is filed with the FERC.
    A docket number (PF03-3-000) has been established to place 
information filed by Williston Basin, and related documents issued by 
the Commission, in the public record.\3\ When Williston Basin files an 
application, it will be assigned a ``CP docket'' number, and all 
information filed under Docket No. PF03-3-000 will become part of the 
record for the ``CP docket.''
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    \3\ To view information in the docket, follow the instructions 
for using the eLibrary link at the end of this notice.
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    With this notice, we are asking other Federal, state, local, and 
tribal agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect 
to the environmental issues to formally cooperate with us in the 
preparation of the EA. These agencies may choose to participate once 
they have evaluated the proposal relative to their responsibilities. 
Agencies, which would like to request cooperating status, should follow 
the instructions for filing comments described later in this notice.
    If you are an affected property owner receiving this letter, a 
Williston Basin representative may contact you about the acquisition of 
an easement to construct, operate, and maintain the planned facilities. 
You may have already been contacted by Williston Basin about the 
Grasslands Expansion Project, or may have attended the open houses 
sponsored by Williston Basin in early August 2003. A fact sheet has 
been prepared by the FERC entitled ``An

[[Page 59607]]

Interstate Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' 
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 (http://www.ferc.gov).

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. Please focus your comments on 
the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives (including 
alternative locations), and measures to avoid or lessen environmental 
impact. The more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. 
To ensure that your comments are timely and properly recorded, please 
mail your comments so they will be received in Washington, DC on or 
before November 24, 2003, and carefully follow these instructions:
    [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 1, DG2E; and
    [sbull] Reference Docket No. PF03-3-000 on the original and both 
copies.
    The Commission strongly encourages you to file your comments 
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 the link to the 
User's Guide. Before you can file comments you will need to create a 
free account by clicking on ``Login to File'' and then ``New User 
Account.'' You will be asked to select the type of filing you are 
making. This filing is considered a ``Comment on Filing.''

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 (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on 
the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and 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 
eLibrary, the eLibrary helpline can be reached at 1-866-208-3676, TTY 
(202) 502-8659, or at [email protected]. The eLibrary link on 
the FERC Internet website also provides access to the texts of formal 
documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and 
rulemakings.
    In addition, the Commission now offers a free service called 
eSubscription which allows you to keep track of all formal issuances 
and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time 
you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with 
notification of these filings, document summaries and direct links to 
the documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    Williston Basin has initiated public participation to provide a 
means of communication with participating stakeholders and has held 
three open houses near the proposed compressor station locations. To 
facilitate the communication effort, it has provided a single point of 
contact for the Grasslands Expansion Project in Mr. Keith Tiggelaar, 
Director of Regulatory Affairs, at 1-701-530-1560, e-mail 
[email protected]. Additionally, Williston Basin will update its 
Grasslands Pipeline Web site (www.grasslandspipeline.com) to include 
information on the Grasslands Expansion Project. If you have any 
further questions for Williston Basin regarding its planned project, we 
encourage you to contact their representatives to answer your questions 
and address your concerns.
    Finally, any public meetings or site visits will be posted on the 
Commission(s calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E3-00051 Filed 10-15-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P