[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 1 (Friday, January 2, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64-65]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E3-00675]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF03-8-000]


Transwestern Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for Transwestern's Proposed San Juan 2005 
Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

December 24, 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 Transwestern Pipeline Company's 
(Transwestern) proposed San Juan 2005 Expansion Project in New Mexico. 
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 
evaluated in the EA. The Commission will use the EA in its decision-
making process to determine whether or not to authorize the project. 
Please note that the scoping period will close on January 26, 2004.
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    \1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental 
staffs of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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    The San Juan 2005 Expansion Project is in the preliminary design 
stage. At this time no formal application has been filed with the FERC. 
For this project, the FERC staff is initiating its National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review prior to receiving the 
application. The purpose of the NEPA Pre-filing Process is to involve 
interested stakeholders early in project planning and to identify and 
resolve issues before an application is filed with the FERC. A docket 
number (PF03-8-000) has been established to place information filed by 
Transwestern and related documents issued by the Commission, into the 
public record.\2\ Once a formal application is filed with the FERC, a 
new docket number will be established.
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    \2\ To view information in the docket, follow the instructions 
for using the eLibrary link at the end of this notice.
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    On November 3-6, 2003, the FERC staff held interagency meetings in 
Albuquerque, Bloomfield, and Gallup, New Mexico to discuss the project 
and the environmental review process with Transwestern and other key 
Federal, tribal, and state agencies. These agencies included: Navajo 
Nation Environmental Protection Agency, Navajo Nation Department of 
Fish and Wildlife, Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Office, U.S. 
Bureau of Land Management; Bureau of Indian Affairs, State of New 
Mexico Environment Department, and the New Mexico State Lands Office. 
Currently, all agencies above have expressed their intention to 
participate as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EA.
    This notice is being sent to landowners; Federal, state, Navajo 
Nation, and local government agencies; elected officials; environmental 
and public interest groups; Native American tribes; and local libraries 
and newspapers. We encourage government representatives to notify their 
constituents of this planned project and encourage them to comment on 
their areas of concern.
    Some affected landowners may be contacted by a project 
representative about the acquisition of an easement to construct, 
operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. If they are, the company 
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, in 
the event that the project is certificated by the Commission, that 
approval conveys the right of eminent domain for securing easements for 
the pipeline. Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to produce an 
agreement, the company could initiate condemnation proceedings in 
accordance with state law.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Transwestern proposes to expand its natural gas system by the 
construction of approximately 72.6 miles of pipeline loop \3\ (the San 
Juan Lateral Loop) and modifying facilities at seven existing 
compressor stations in New Mexico. More specifically, Transwestern 
requests Commission authorization to:
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    \3\ A pipeline ``loop'' is a segment of pipe installed adjacent 
to an existing pipeline and connected to the existing pipeline at 
both ends. A loop increases the amount of gas that can move through 
that portion of the system.
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    [sbull] Construct and operate approximately 63.2 miles of 36-inch 
diameter pipeline loop starting at approximate milepost (MP) 8.7 on the 
existing Transwestern San Juan Lateral, in San Juan County, New Mexico, 
extending south-southwest to the existing mainline valve (MLV) south of 
Navajo Highway 9 at about MP 71.9;
    [sbull] Construct and operate an additional approximately 9.4 miles 
of 36-inch diameter pipeline loop starting at the existing MLV just 
south of Pinedale Road in McKinley County, New Mexico (about MP 87.7), 
and extending south-southwest to terminate at the existing Transwestern 
Gallup Compressor Station in McKinley County, New Mexico. The Gallup 
Compressor Station is located at approximate MP 97.1 of the existing 
San Juan Lateral;
    [sbull] Bloomfield Compressor Station--Install and operate one, new 
15,000 horsepower (HP) electric-drive compressor unit and associated 
facilities at its existing station, located in San Juan County, New 
Mexico;
    [sbull] Bisti Compressor Station--Remove an existing 10,000 HP 
electric-drive compressor unit and replace it with a new 15,000 HP 
electric drive compressor unit (de-rated to run at 12,000 HP) at its 
existing station, located in San Juan County, New Mexico;
    [sbull] Gallup Compressor Station--Remove an existing compressor 
unit (compressor only, not the motor) and replace it with a new 
compressor unit at its existing station in McKinley County, New Mexico;
    [sbull] Compressor Station 5--Rewheel an existing compressor unit 
and modify station piping at its existing station located near Thoreau, 
McKinley County, New Mexico;
    [sbull] Compressor Station 6--Install cylinder unloaders on an 
existing compressor unit at its existing station located near Laguna, 
Cibola County, New Mexico;
    [sbull] Compressor Station 7--Rewheel an existing compressor unit 
at its existing station located near Mountainair, Torrance County, New 
Mexico;
    [sbull] Compressor Station 9--Rewheel an existing compressor unit 
and install a new gas scrubber and associated station piping at its 
existing station located near Roswell, Chaves County, New Mexico;
    [sbull] Install side valves at new tie-in locations and MLVs at 
various locations

[[Page 65]]

as required by U.S. Department of Transportation regulations.
    A map depicting the proposed pipeline route and compressor stations 
is provided in appendix 1.\4\
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    \4\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the 
Commission's Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) at the 
``eLibrary'' link or from the Commission's Public Reference and 
Files Maintenance Branch at 202.502.8371. For instructions on 
connecting to eLibrary, refer to the end of this notice. Copies of 
the appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in the 
mail.
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    Transwestern proposes to place the project in service by June 2005. 
To achieve this in-service date, Transwestern intends to request 
approval to begin construction of the pipeline facilities in July 2004.

Land Requirements

    Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 1,082.1 
acres of land. The construction right-of-way width for the pipeline 
would be 110 feet, and would be adjacent to existing rights-of-way for 
its entire length (25 feet overlap of the existing right-of-way and 85 
feet new construction right-of-way). Transwestern would maintain 
approximately 220.1 acres of new permanent right-of-way (50 feet of 
permanent easement, of which 25 feet would be overlap of the existing 
right-of-way) for pipeline operation and maintenance following 
construction.

The EA Process

    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 to discover and address issues and 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 and reasonable alternatives. By 
this notice, we are requesting agency and public comments on the scope 
of the issues to be analyzed and presented in the EA. All scoping 
comments received will be considered during the preparation of the EA. 
To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the 
instructions in the public participation section of this notice. The 
FERC will be the lead Federal agency in the preparation of the EA. The 
document will satisfy the requirements of NEPA.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be included in an EA. 
The EA will be mailed to Federal, Navajo Nation, state, and local 
government agencies; elected officials; environmental and public 
interest groups; Native American tribes; affected landowners; other 
interested parties; local libraries and newspapers; and the 
Commission's official service list for this proceeding. A 30-day 
comment period will be allotted for review of the EA. We will consider 
all comments on the EA and revise the document, before we make our 
recommendations to the Commission.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. You should focus on the 
potential environmental effects of the proposal, reasonable 
alternatives routes to the proposal, and measures to avoid or lessen 
environmental impact. The more specific your comments, the more useful 
they will be. By becoming a commentor, your concerns will be addressed 
in the EA and considered by the Commission. To ensure that your 
comments are timely and properly recorded, please mail your comments so 
that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before January 19, 
2004, 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 your comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 2; and
    [sbull] Reference Docket No. PF03-8-000 on the original and both 
copies.
    Please note that we are continuing to experience delays in mail 
deliveries from the U.S. Postal Service. Therefore, the Commission 
encourages electronic filing of comments.
    See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the 
Commission's Internet Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the ``e-
Filing'' link and the link to the User's Guide. Prepare your submission 
in the same manner as you would if filing on paper and save it to a 
file on your hard drive. Before you can file comments you will need to 
create an 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.''

Availability of 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 Web site 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 too 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.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is available for 
viewing on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). 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.
    Finally, Transwestern has established an Internet Web site for this 
project at http://www.crosscountryenergy.com/about/tw.shtml. The Web 
site includes helpful information about the project.

Linda Mitry,
Acting Secretary.

Appendix--Information Request

Please keep my name on the mailing list for the San Juan 2005 
Expansion Project

Name--------------------

Agency------------------

Address------------------

City-------- State---- Zip Code----

[ ] Please provide detailed maps for the facilities closest to the 
following area(s):

[ ] My mailing address.
[ ] My property.

    (Requests for more than a single map location may be expedited 
by asking the company directly.)

(Be as specific as you can about the location(s) of your area(s) of 
interest. Please include any information that would help us 
accurately locate these area(s). For example: county, town, cross-
streets, or landmarks.

 [FR Doc. E3-00675 Filed 12-31-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P